Victoria Laubacher's Staging Area

This was my very first marathon ever. I live in Charlotte, NC (where the elevation is about 750 feet above sea level, which is relevant). I wanted my first marathon to be somewhere totally different, with beautiful scenery to keep things interesting and without too many hills to worry about. Well this one fit the bill! My cousin who lives in Ohio (elevation 900 feet above sea level) ran it with me, and we both think the difference in altitude had a slight effect on our pace, but it was never *difficult* to breathe. The only uphill I remember was at mile 14, and although it was a bit long and gradual, it wasn’t the beast I was expecting. It was more noticeably downhill than expected in some sections, which was pretty hard on the legs in the later miles. But it was manageable and I barely trained on hills. Aid stations were frequent and well stocked with water, Gatorade and gu, and an abundance of enthusiastic volunteers! Organization was fantastic from expo to the finish. Bathroom lines looked very long at the start line if you didn’t get on the first round of buses, but there were porta pots all along the course. Overall the experience was very positive and Ogden will hold a special place in my heart