My Profile

@kellijolowe

Anderson, SC Raving since 2019 Active 1 year, 2 months ago

About Me

  • Running club(s):

    Anderson MRTT

  • Rave race:
  • Race that's calling my name:
  • I run because:

    Otherwise, I’d hurt someone.

My Races

Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.

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Half Marathon

Marathon

Ultramarathon

(Marathon or Ultra) + Half

Marathon + Ultra

Other

Future Races

Future Races (0)

Race Distance Location Date Paid

Past Races (14)

Race Distance Location Date Result My Raves My Performance
3-Way Challenge (22.4 Miles) Cincinnati, OH May 7, 2023
Half Marathon Myrtle Beach, SC Oct 16, 2022
Half Marathon North Augusta, SC Nov 27, 2021
Marathon Staten Island, NY Nov 7, 2021
Half Marathon Kiawah Island, SC Dec 14, 2019
5K Chicago, IL Oct 13, 2019
Marathon Chicago, IL Oct 13, 2019
Marathon Greer, SC Apr 14, 2019
5K Port Orange, FL 2019
Marathon Kiawah Island, SC Dec 8, 2018
Half Marathon Kiawah Island, SC Dec 9, 2017
Marathon North Charleston, SC Jan 14, 2017
Marathon Staten Island, NY Nov 6, 2016
Half Marathon Savannah, GA Nov 7, 2015

My Raves

It was my first time at Flying Pig, and it did not disappoint! Download the app right after you register! Do it! Everything you want to know is there. The … MORE

It was my first time at Flying Pig, and it did not disappoint! Download the app right after you register! Do it! Everything you want to know is there.

The expo was well laid out, with many vendors and loads of goodies; packet pickup was thought out! I loved the soft shirts and the unique backpack! Swapping out sizes was super easy. However, I was there early and heard maybe it was not so easy to swap once extras dwindled. I loved the flying pigs everywhere. There were lots of spaces to take photos to commemorate the event. There were free photos with green screens, State Farm made a bobblehead out of you, and P&G and Kroger showed out with goodies!

The 1-miler on Friday night was packed with runners, walkers, and strollers and gave a great preview of what the rest of the weekend would be like. We had to walk most of it due to the congestion, but it was just to be fun. Nothing serious! The finish for the miler had two beers, Hoist hydration, water, bananas, apples, and oranges, and Skyline chili dogs (if you are not from the area and don’t know what that is, it is Cincy’s version of a chili hot dog – only they put cinnamon in their chili – I couldn’t eat it, but that’s my personal taste – I swear it was like Christmas in my mouth). Oh, they also gave Skyline chili gift cards to runners at the expo! There was live music, lots of beautiful grass to sit on, and the finish was held along the river – very beautiful at night!

Saturday morning, the 10k was immediately followed by the 5k. There was plenty of time to walk the 10k and still make the 5k start. We finished before the start, and we had time to use one of the dozens of port-o-potties, grab water and a snack, and get back in a corral. The course(s) was good, with just one hill to speak of. The finish had snacks, including chips, pork rinds, non-dairy yogurt, water, apples, oranges, bananas, etc.

Sunday’s races had a challenge! Rain! It was not raining before, but it started shortly after we crossed the start. We were allowed to use the restrooms in the stadium and hang out there until it was time to run. That was great! We literally walked out of the stadium, took about 100 steps, and jumped in our corral. Once we crossed the first bridge, the sky opened up, and I saw a streak of lightning in the distance. At about mile 3, the rain was coming down so hard that there was lots of flooding in the streets – also, the lightning was getting closer. I had downloaded the app, so I was aware when the notice went out to shelter in place. With several others, I had already stopped to get out of the lightning, but many people did not get the notification. I don’t know if they did not have the app, did not have notifications turned on, or something else. Friends who were running behind me were shuffled off the course into a garage by an officer. There was not anyone near me that was doing that. I think that would be the only downside of the whole weekend. There should have been a better/easier/quicker way to get the shelter-in-place notice out to all runners. Someone on a bike, motorcycle, or police car would have been a good idea. I started running again once I felt safe, although the notice that it was safe did not come until later. I forgot to stop my watch! Ahhh! The course support was excellent, even in the pouring rain. There were lots of spectators when you consider that it was raining the whole time. There were water stops at every mile, which is something to be overjoyed with! The race signs were hilarious, Elvis showed up, and I saw dinosaurs and baby sharks!
The medals are beautiful and double-sided. The icing on the cake was the challenge medal with the “extra cheese” charm.
Do the race. I am considering doing it again, and I live 7 hours away. You won’t regret it.

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
4
SWAG
5

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It is so sad what happened to this race. It used to be a great one. Originally meant to be part of a training plan for a marathon and ended … MORE

It is so sad what happened to this race. It used to be a great one. Originally meant to be part of a training plan for a marathon and ended up being a trial for a friend’s injured foot. Eeek!

Course – It is different than in the past. I like the start and finish being near each other and not having to board a bus to get back to my car. The finish on the boardwalk is still nice, and the stretch along the beach is still nice.

Support – With more than 200 runners to go, the first stop -at mile 3- was out of water. The 2nd stop – at mile 6- only had pickle juice and rude Lulu girls handing it out. I felt so bad for the volunteers who kept apologizing for being out of water, and the directors should be ashamed they put those people in that position. Water does not go bad. Buy 8 oz bottles next time to cut down on waste if you must have bottled water, and multiply runners times 2. Police officers bought water and handed it out from their bikes and confronted the staff at the finish – we overheard this personally. The race did not have water for those back of packers until mile 9, and by then many had dropped. Never saw the last water stop.
Finish line – You finish on the boardwalk, on the beach. Your medal was in a bag with a granola bar and nutra grain bar. If you wanted your beer, you either had to walk a few blocks and cross a multi-lane highway or get in your car and drive to the finisher party, dehydrated. Can’t speak to the finisher party as we left because we were done.
Race communication was good, however, the information was conflicting and misleading. The website listed different cutoff times than the email, and there were grumblings at the start and confused people. It appears as if there were lots of DNF, and I can only guess it was partially due to lack of hydration, which was not their fault. The expo touted in the emails was nowhere to be found, and we arrived at packet pickup on Saturday at 2 – way too early for any vendor to shut down as it was to end at 6 or 6:30.

Swag – the medal is pretty and appears to have something to do with breast cancer awareness although I am not sure of the connection. Did they donate some proceeds? Did they fundraise? I was expecting a medal/bottle opener hybrid as has been in prior years. The shirt is white, ugh. I get that you are stuck with what is available at this time when planning for quantities, but you can’t tell me the vendor only had white available. That is a personal preference and not race issue. There was also a throwaway string bag, and Publix was kind enough to provide a thermal bag at the finish that held the medal, granola, and nutra grain bars. Definitely won’t be back, and definitely had to apologize to the friend that I brought to the race with tales of the great race it was before.
Race directors sent an email that said “We are aware of the water shortage at a couple of the stations and sincerely apologize for that error.” Well, there were only THREE water stations and one pickle juice station. So, folks, that means there was only ONE water station for 13 miles. What RDs need to do is provide those DNF people with something to makeup for their lack of planning. Such a shame.

DIFFICULTY
1
PRODUCTION
1
SCENERY
3
SWAG
2

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There are rolling hills, and then there is a monster hill that you literally must lean forward to get up. With that being said, do this race. A good portion … MORE

There are rolling hills, and then there is a monster hill that you literally must lean forward to get up. With that being said, do this race. A good portion is on a wooded greenway, then through a neighborhood. You cross from SC into GA and back by crossing the river over the bridge – a flat bridge – perfect for photos. The shirt was a quart zip thermal tech, the finish was in the stadium, and the medal was gorgeous. Parking was easy, and we will do this one again to see just how bad that hill really is. Lots of water stops, vendors in the stadium before and after the race, and post-race beer in color-changing cups. It was a small race, and I hope that is only because it was so soon after covid. This race deserves to grow because of its uniqueness and charm.

DIFFICULTY
5
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
4
SWAG
4

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The directors know how to take care of their runners! Although it was a 1.05 mile loop that we did 25 times..... they were there to cheer us on at … MORE

The directors know how to take care of their runners! Although it was a 1.05 mile loop that we did 25 times….. they were there to cheer us on at each and every single lap. Those laps meant we had a port-o-potty at each mile and a significant aid station! The aid station had everything from chips and cookies to gels and tailwind, water and sodas, and real food! Around 10 a.m. they brought out wraps and took our pizza orders! They even considered special diets including vegan and gluten free! For swag, we received a cooling towel, sticker, and mug – I wish we would have gotten a shirt though. I would have paid extra for it too. The medal is great, and I have no complaints there either. Parking was easy, and we could access our cars if we needed to without leaving the course. The goal of this marathon was the be the slowest, and I have to hand it to the winners. I cannot imagine being on my feet for that long, much of it in the rain!

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
2
SWAG
4

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