Kaitlin Sandrock's Staging Area

The race starts off strong, with a mostly flat and fast first eight miles. I felt like I was cruising, hitting my target splits and feeling fantastic. However, somewhere around mile 8, the humidity must have caught up with me. My legs started to feel heavy, and I struggled to maintain pace for the rest of the race. It was a classic “bonking” scenario. The streets were lined with spectators who cheered non-stop, their energy a much-needed push when I felt like giving up. While the community support was fantastic, a minor disappointment was the lack of 1:35 and 1:40 pace groups. Not the end of the world, but it was a bit of a surprise on race day.

The course itself has a couple of memorable features to note. You run over a grated drawbridge. While it’s a neat experience, you have to be careful with your footing to avoid turning an ankle. The biggest challenge, though, comes late in the race. At mile 12(ish), the high-level bridge presents a tough incline. It’s a brutal climb, especially after you’ve already pushed yourself for the previous miles. It’s a moment that tests your mental and physical fortitude. The saving grace is that you get the decline as you make the turn onto the home stretch. You then cross the finish line on a gentle incline, but thankfully the crowd “brings you home” and you hardly notice.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this race. A lot of my “cons” were due to my personal running. The race coordination itself was amazing and I would love to run the course again!

This was one of the smaller races I’ve done (1200 people) but it was still so fun! The packet pick up took no time at all and we got a nice cozy sweatshirt, a long sleeve tech shirt, and a hat. The medal at the end was top notch too! I ran with the 1:40 pacers almost the whole time and they were amazing! They were very helpful and knowledgeable about the course. I seriously don’t think I could’ve reached my goal without them. Overall, it was a solid race!

Overall, I thought this was a really cool race! The course was well-mapped out and it was really cool running on the speedway. I enjoyed the atmosphere and there were lots of people cheering us on as we went. This is a super crowded race.