Linda Li's Staging Area

Travel – This was our first time in Alabama. Travel was relatively straight forward: we flew to Atlanta and took a shuttle to Auburn. Stayed with friends, but there seemed to be a few hotels to stay at downtown/near the campus.

Expo – Non-existent. Packet pickup in a hotel. I recommend going early, as there were long lines (and traffic to enter/leave the hotel) later in the day on Friday. They did set up a little shop near the stadium where you could buy any merch/Gus.

Course: Ran the 5k on Saturday and the Half on Sunday. Both are hilly (the 5k runs through more of the AU campus). Lots of portapotties at the start, so you’re never waiting too long to use one pre-race. There were a good number of aid stations and decent crowd support – definitely more people as you were closer to downtown/campus. The race finishes in the AU Football stadium, which was pretty cool. The course is HILLY (I tried to count how many hills, and lost count after a while). It runs on the road for most of the course (there is a small section where it goes onto a trail). The weather was warm, but could definitely get hot.

Post Race: Spectators were also allowed inside the stadium, so it was easy to meet up afterwards. There was a finisher party outside the stadium, and with your bib, you got to have 4 tags for free food (hot dog) or free drinks. There was free beer available after the Saturday 5k, but either they had run out, or due to liquor laws (being in the South), they didn’t have any after the Half Marathon on Sunday. Easy to get in/out of the parking lot. The medal was a nice size, and if you ran both the 5k and Half, you got a belt buckle. The shirt was unisex, so a little large (got a Medium), but felt soft.

Overall, decent race production and course. Would recommend for a race in Alabama!

Decent race. Most of the half marathon runs on a trail, so it was pretty wooded. Some decent views, but nothing that really screams Alaska. Although, there were a few moose in the woods when we ran, so everyone stopped to take a few pictures. I had checked out the area by the airport the night before (for the midnight sun experience) and seen a bear, but alas, no bears on race day. The race ends with an uphill (brutal!). There was a nice finish area with a beer garden (free beer included), and some food vendors. The day got hot and sunny, so keep that in mind as well. We took a shuttle from downtown to the start, which was nice, and walked back to our downtown hotel from the finish area. The medal was gorgeous, and the shirt is decent.

Definitely stay longer in Alaska and drive out of Anchorage – the state is so beautiful!

Great race production and set up. Ran the International Half – across the bridge into Canada, and through the tunnel back to the States. Lots of support around (although quiet in some areas). The year I ran the weather was beautiful but a tad hot. I also ran the 1 miler and 5k on Saturday for the challenge medal. A little disappointed there wasn’t free beer at the finish (there was beer, but it was only for sale).

Ran in 2022, and this course still has my half PR.
Great race production – easy bib pickup, and lots of hotels in downtown Indy to get to the start/finish. Great crowd support (especially as you get closer to the finish), flat and fast course. Loved the lap around the Indy 500 racetrack (lots of people stopped to kiss the bricks, but I was on a PR mission!). Decent finish area festival, but there were long lines for the free beer. Definitely recommend this race for Indiana!

Typical Rock n Roll race production. Easy packet pick up, OK course (flat and fast), starts and finishes downtown so easy to get to. Did the 5k on Saturday for the “remix” medal.