Lisa Dickens's Staging Area

Race is held during the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. Course mainly on a paved bike/walk trail. Minimal incline/decline. Being able to see the balloons was really cool! Lots of photo ops. Some hiccups that included running out of cups at one of the late aid stations, no water at the finish line (Gatorade was available), ran out of beanies for the back of the pack runners but the race director said more would be ordered and mailed out. (Could swap for a t shirt or tank top) These are things that I’m sure will be fixed/addressed for next year. One concern though that the trail was open to “the public” during the race and while most bikers were considerate, some were a tad bit aggressive. Overall I would recommend the race. And stay for the Balloon Fest!
Side note: it looks like they did include a ticket to attend one of the events at the Balloon Fest last year. That would have been a really nice addition to the race swag! The swag did include the bib (really cool – balloon shaped), a nice medal (with balloons), a “silk” scarf (switch THAT out for the ticket?) and the beanie (as mentioned, they ran out).

Rolling plus serious hills in both the half and the 5K. Races were offered on Thursday for the 5K and Saturday for the half. Would rather have had them back to back. But they were both fun. Not an easy area to get to (Ithaca I think is the biggest “close” town) but it is a very pretty part of the state. Volunteers and race committee were very friendly, very responsive which is always appreciated! Would recommend!

This race was fantastic. Great communication by directors. Mostly paved (a stretch of packed gravel which was easy to run on, two bridges that were a little icy but great volunteers letting people know before you crossed), a couple of small hills. Really pretty course. Great community support. Would definitely recommend and will do this one again!

This is the first time for me doing the Fall Equinox and it won’t be the last. Everything was easy from packet pick up to taking the shuttle to and from the start/finish line. Can’t beat the beauty of Poudre Canyon at the end of the summer. Downhill/flat course. Very minimal uphill. Not too drastic of a decline. Only flaw is the road is really sloped. But it is manageable. Highly recommend. GREAT swag!

This is a really nice race through the hills, very pretty. The hill at mile 8 is a tough one though. Great support, nice after race. Space is limited so make sure you sign up when entries open. Otherwise there is an option to get sponsorship and run as a member of a fundraising team. But the hat? (No T shirt). Not a fan as I would rather have the T shirt.

This is a nice race, pretty, partly along the Connecticut River. Mostly flat. Good race support, swag and after race festivities. Parking is a bit tricky but we were able to utilize a parking garage close to the start/finish line.

Nice race along the Atlantic. Hampton Beach. Really flat. Runs along the ocean but due to the retaining wall, hard to actually see the water. Well organized. Good communication and support. Great swag and after race snacks! And how can you not run a race called the Smuttynose!