Kevin Musheno's Staging Area

Amazing racing experience but not the full service experience that I thought that it would be for a race costing $240.

Pros:
– Flat fast course with tons of support that is primed for PRs. So much energy as there was not a single spot without a large crowd to cheer you on through all 26.2 miles. Occasionally it can be a bit problematic, though, as the crowds (and even a pedicycle taxi obstructing the entire course at one point) would cut runners off in the middle of the road. Only “hill” that I saw people having trouble with was the last quarter mile of the race.

Cons:
– Scenery. Chicago is not a pretty city and the course does not go through some of the areas that could be showcased for a better time (e.g., Lakeshore Drive). Yes, you run by The Chicago Theatre, over the Chicago River, past the United Center, etc., etc. but this is about as urban/concrete jungle of a race as you can get.
– Smell and Cleanliness. Chicago is a dirty city with tons of dead rats and other small animals littered along the course. The smell of raw sewage was a frequent experience. (I have done other big city marathons and none of them were ever this bad.)
– Inconvenient and Underwhelming Expo. For having such a large expo with tons of vendors, it didn’t really feel like it was worth the time. Lots of long lines for the few exhibits open to all runners. On top of that, everything seemed to be shutting down early when we were there early afternoon on Saturday (even though it went to 6 PM). Recommended parking was in an underground garage underneath McCormick Place, the site of the expo, that was just a massive maze to navigate. Organizers promoted a $12/event parking but you had to wait in a 100+ person long line for 2 payment kiosks as you went out. If you try to pay at the exit gate, parking becomes $25.

Mixed Bag:
– Swag – Race t-shirt was a bizarre teal green, appeared to be cheaply made by Nike (almost pinny jersey like mesh) and not true to size. Expo was out of size XLs when I tried to swap out. They did offer a nice frameable poster to everyone at the Expo, however. Medal was meh, neither good nor bad.
– Pre-Race – I get that it’s a major race with a huge number of people, making logistics next to impossible, but I felt like the whole staging system was a mess. Going through gates on the opposite end of Grant Park from my corral just didn’t seem to make sense. Combine that with having access to the corrals blocked off 30 minutes before the start of your wave meant you were stuck in a tight space for as much as an hour, making it impossible to warm up and stretch before the start.
– Post Race Nutrition/Hydration: They had all of the basics: Water, Gatorade Endurance, Muscle Milk, Banana, Apple, Donut, Gummi Bears, Protein Bar and Finisher Beer.

Beautiful course through a fun vacation town (just make sure that you plan early if you want it to be an easy and affordable experience).

Race organizers did a great job putting on the event. Post-race featured a live reggae band and all you can drink Sea Dog/Shipyard Brewing beer. Race swag included a well designed shirt and medal, along with branded water bottle and sack pack.

Race had race morning bib pickup, which was nice.

Weather was bad in 2022 as a storm came to the Keys a couple hours after the last runners crossed the finish line. Winds were sustained at 20 mph with gusts at almost 40 mph. This caused the crashing waves on the seawall to crash and then spray hard on runners as they were running along the southern end of the race (which was a majority of the course). Also, be prepared for warmer temps. The adjustment from being used to freezing January temps in the Northern US can be a shock to some bodies.

Course: Almost pancake flat course mostly through residential neighborhoods and down a paved trail along the Red River. Lots of crowd support but not much diversity when it comes to scenery. Starts and finishes in the Fargodome, which was cool. Very easy course to PR at but be careful of potholes and storm sewer grates in intersections as you turn.

Swag: Medal was OK. Jacket and stocking hat needed to be mailed directly to runners due to supplier delay.

Production: Race was during COVID so they might have run into some snags:
– The expo and the finish festival were not as big as hyped
– The post-race “beer” was a Truly Punch
– No side events promoted with local businesses

Course: Pretty flat, fast course with lots of entertainment and support. Course spends some time in the tourist areas before heading south down a tree lined highway and then finishes back north along the boardwalk. It probably would have been a lot more brutal if the weather was closer to the norm but cooler temps made for a more tolerable experience.

Expo/Finisher Area: Expo/Finisher Area was not really what you normally expect from RNR’s bigger events. Expo had only a few vendors (and they didn’t really have the local partnerships/discounts that they usually have). Finish area featured non-alcoholic beer and a local 80s cover band. This was not even close to the experience that RNR provides in Vegas/Nashville.

Swag: Great t-shirt (without a race year on it!) and face mask were provided at the expo. Finisher medal was pretty cool too!

Great views as you run through a fire road through the Sierra National Forest.

First 3-4 miles were gently rolling hills as you get your first look at the thick evergreen forest. Then you transition to the middle 6-7 miles or so of STEEP downhill descents that will be way faster than expect. Once you hit the bottom of the road, you have run a half loop around the scenic Bass Lake with its meadows full of nature to look at.

Race management had a couple of major logistical issues (e.g., long lines at packet pickup, rental tents were missing stakes or were broken entirely) but they do add on quite a few special bonuses that make up for it (e.g., hot chocolate, coffee, bananas and vaseline at the start, club hike challenges for additional rewards).

Straight line course from Pass Christian to Biloxi (via Gulfport) on a pancake flat highway with a light headwind for the first 25 miles of the race, followed by a short run up and back down a overpass to get to 26.2.

Great views of the Gulf and beautiful homes line the highway but they get old after awhile. Mentally more difficult

I’m not going to pass judgment on the COVID preparedness (because it’s tough to get 1,000 people to follow guidelines at a one-off event) but there were still some things missing from the production (e.g., no nutrition or entertainment on the course).

Pancake flat course that follows an out and back around the NE corner of the island and then does a complete loop to the finish.

Light northeasterly winds with consistent temps in the low 60s.

Small expo with only a local running store and registration present. Cotton LS tee and finisher medals were the only swag.

Management needs to get its act together a little bit, e.g.:
– Aid stations with only one volunteer
– Tailwind beverage on course was clear so you couldn’t tell what you were drinking.
– No electrolyte beverage left at finish area for marathoners finishing after ~4:30
– Nothing provided to go on bagels (i.e., no butter, cream cheese, jelly, etc.)
– Awards were not given out until ~6:00
– You could only find out your race results at finish. (No way to see leaderboard.)

Nice net-downhill course that runs along the coast of Lake Powell from Arizona to Utah. Great views of the lake and surrounding buttes and canyons.

Attractive t-shirt and medal were given away, along with tons of worthwhile pre-race door prizes (hydroflasks, race entries, etc.).

Aid stations were well stocked with nutrition. Hydration required you to bring your own cup but reusable hydropouches were provided.

Stephan does not an amazing job organizing this race.

Course: Essentially an out and back through Pennypack Park. Mix of dirt and pavement. Hilly in the second and third quarters of the race and flat for the first and fourth.

I was fortunate that it was not as hot as previous years. This is not a PR race.

Swag: Nice pullover and medal with cuckoo clocks as awards for the top 3 in each age group

Post-Race: Light snacks and water at the finish. Buses then take you back to a German beer garden for a free beer and brat with the option to purchase more. Traditional German music and dancing are performed for the runners.

Course: Campus looks far nicer than what I thought Rutgers would look like. Course was a constant onslaught of small hills throughout. Humidity sucked the life out of me. There were numerous aid stations throughout but I don’t think the drink of choice (Nuun) really gets it done. Course was well marked and marshalled.

Swag: T-shirt and medal. Expo bib pickup is MANDATORY so you need to either go there before race day, get a friend to go there before race day or cough up $22 for your packet to be mailed.

Race took place on the snow and ice covered gravel C&O Canal Trail. The weather was not too bad but the trail conditions made it difficult.

Race management really needs to be worked on. They had 3 water stops on the out and back course (one at Mile 1.55, the second at Mile 4, and the third at the turnaround point). Volunteers just stood by the water stations and didn’t even bother pouring water. Promised “Medal” was a small challenge coin. Post-race refreshments were some water coolers and a couple boxes of chips and Nabisco snacks.

Very flat race: You go up and down two overpasses and one tunnel in the first 5 miles and that’s it for elevation.

Expo was tiny. Pretty pointless having it.

Good support: Lots of doubled up aid stations provide sufficient support

Course can be a bit boring at times. Running down the boardwalk for miles before doing out and backs can be tough on your mind.

Post-race area was easy to navigate and conveniently located near restaurants. Massages, beer, bagels, soup, gatorade, bananas, water ice, and chocolate were offered.

One thing that needs to be fixed is the garage parking. Bally’s Casino was not prepared for the rush post-race. We were stuck on the 7th floor of the garage before my friend and I bailed on our ride back to the house we were staying at.