Madelyn Marino's Staging Area

I picked this race to check Alabama oh my 50 states quest. I really didn’t enjoy the race, but that could be because it was more difficult than I expected. Even though I didn’t enjoy it, it might be a good option for someone else.

The morning of the race was fairly warm, about 60 degrees. There were no corrals at the start, which made it very difficult to navigate. It was so crowded, I was nervous I wouldn’t make it into the line-up before the start of the race. They did have timed flags on the side of the start chute, but it was difficult to stand near my estimated time.

The first couple of miles of the race was nothing special. It was a mix of flat portions and hills. By mile 6 I hit a very large uphill portion of the race. It felt like hills went on for the next couple of miles. By mile 9 there was a brief downhill. I made sure I ran as fast as I could down that portion. The last portion of the race had a long finish chute.

Overall, I am happy that it is over and am glad I can check Alabama off the list.

I was looking for a race in March when I came across the Caesar Rodney half in Delaware. It’s been called the oldest continuously running half marathon in the nation. I picked it because it was a short drive from New York and perfect for a short weekend trip.

The first mile was a nice downhill which provide some momentum and excitement for me. After the downhill the first couple of miles were fairly flat. These first miles were through the streets of Wilmington. There were many people outside cheering the runners on.

While the first couple of miles were quite enjoyable, that was shortly lived when I hit mile 6. From mile 6 to 9 there was a steady incline that was not fun. The only benefit was that from mile 9 to 12 was the downhill portion of that.

The last part of the course finished with another uphill. At the end of the race they had pizza and drinks for the participants.

I stumbled upon this race via a youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anLa-AzW2bI.

The race was in the town of Bucyrus, which is about an hour south from Kansas City.

The expo was tiny with limited merchandise. What the expo lacked in merchandise was made up in the personalized cow bibs and t-shirt. The t-shirt was blue with a cow on it, probably the coolest tech t-shirt I own.

There were a lot of interesting things to keep us busy at the race including tractors, a cow painted car, and lots of livestock. There was also breakfast they were serving inside of the church.

The course was through the farm town of Bucyrus. The course was very challenging with rolling hills throughout. They weren’t necessarily steep hills, but there were many of them. It was also a pretty monotonous course. It was an out and back race along numerous farms. There wasn’t much to break-up the scenery. Ironically, there weren’t many cows until the end of the race!

There were many aid stations throughout the course. The volunteers were also extremely helpful and friendly. I don’t recall anything unique about the race, until mile 8. At mile 8 was a horrific hill that was extremely steep. At that point in the race the last thing I want is a steep hill. Fortunately there was a downhill on the other end of it. The last leg of the race was also tough. I could tell that I was nearing the end of the race but the hills continued.

At the end of the race there was tons of food. The local community provided pizza, BBQ, sandwiches, and baked goods. It was amazing. I even had a nutella and peanut butter sandwich. That was delicious.

The race was held on a Sunday and started in the town center. Overall, the course was flat. There were so many spectators throughout the course. It was as if the entire town was out in attendance.

The last half mile is gated off so you are in a chute. There are tons of people cheering you on. This was an amazing experience to finish off the race.

If you are looking for an international race with thousands of spectators, I would highly recommend this one.

The race started on a main street in downtown Portland. The first couple of miles were fairly flat. We ran through some beautiful neighborhoods with large houses. Then there was mile 6. Mile 6 had a crazy incline hill of 90 feet over ½ a mile.
The second half of the race was picturesque. We ran along Back Cove, a pretty basin full of ships. Most of the remainder of the course was flat.
The best part of this race was the festivities following the event. At the pier they had food, beer and live music. To my excitement the band was a 90s cover band. I LOVE THE 90s!

This was a typical Rock and Roll race. Big expo, well organized and lots of participants. The first five miles were pretty flat. Then we hit the BIGGEST HILL EVER. It was horrible, but just a blip in the entire course.

The remainder of the course went throughout the DC area, passing many of the historic sites including the Washington Monument, the White House, and the Capitol building. It was a cool experience running through a city with many cool buildings.

Overall, I would recommend this half marathon if you are looking for a larger, well organized, race.

I completed this race in 2013.

This is a huge event with tons of participants. The expo was amazing with numerous booths and merchandise.

The parking lot for the race was packed and crazy. Make sure to arrive extra early. By the time we walked to the starting point we had about a half hour to spare. It was a good thing we had spare time because the lines for the port a potties were horrific. We ended up running into a hotel nearby.

Despite some of the production aspects, the race was wonderful. The weather was perfect. There were many spectators throughout the course cheering people on.

I ended up finishing the race with a new PR. It was a fantastic time!

I completed this race in 2013.

Sunday was the half and full marathon. There were 15,000 runners in the combined races. Because there were so many people, they were pretty strict about the running corrals. But they were also extremely organized. There were numerous porta potties set-up within the corrals. I thought this was an ingenious idea.

While the race was well organized and there were numerous spectators I didn’t enjoy the course. Overall, I thought the course was extremely difficult. It’s mostly an uphill race with a long stretch of that between miles 5 – 8. Despite the incline of the course there were many notable sights along the way. The course passes the Bengals field, goes over multiple bridges, and through a park around a lake.

While overall, I enjoyed my time in Cincinnati the actual race was not my favorite. But if you are looking for a large well organized event, you should check this out.

I completed this race in 2012.

I HIGHLY recommend this race. One of the best aspects of the race is the final ¼ mile. This portion of the race is completely downhill!

It is a smaller race but extremely organized. The race begins at 7am in downtown Richmond.

There are numerous spectators cheering on the crowds. Since the bibs are customized with your names, everyone call out and cheers your name.

The course takes you through the suburban city streets. A decent stretch of the race takes you down a street with gorgeous houses. A later part of the race takes you through a park.

I completed this race in 2012.

The race starts at 6:30 probably to beat the heat of the day. The race starts and finishes in Grant Park. This race was extremely organized with roped off corrals.

The course takes you through downtown Chicago and over one or two small bridges. You will get to see many of the major buildings throughout the run. There is a portion of the race that is also along the Chicago River.

The worst part of this race was the temperature. It was HOT! However, I have to give the organizers credit because they were prepared for the heat. At almost every mile there was water, ice, and cold wash clothes. I was so hot that I stopped at every mile to pick up ice which I shoved down the front and back of my shirt. Please note – while this cooled me off the ice became a little sharp and I suffered some battle scars.

Tough course due to the heat. But if you can handle it, more power to you!

I completed this race in 2012.

In order to enter this race you need to be selected through a lottery that opens in November.

The race was held on a Saturday, St Patrick’s Day. It was incredibly windy at the start so bring layers.

The race starts out with the first 11 miles through the canyonlands on Route 128. The views were amazing throughout this portion of the course. This portion was also relatively flat. However, the wind was so intense it was a tough run. Once you hit mile 10 there are professional drummers on the course providing entertainment.

At mile 11 you exit highway 128 uphill. This was not fun! You then begin to run through downtown Moab. The race finishes in downtown Moab with live bands.

I completed this race in 2011.

This race was one of the toughest races I have ever run. Not only was it incredibly hilly throughout, but the wind was crazy.

The race started at 9:45 which is later than usual. It begins in downtown Maryland at the outside of Camden / Baltimore Orioles Arena. As soon as the race began there was a big hill.

There were many positives of this race as well. There were many people outside cheering us on throughout the race. The course also takes runners through many beautiful sights including the inner harbor.

I ran this race in 2011.

The race was fairly small with close to 4,000 runners. The course takes you over paved road and through a patch of a trail run. The course was a mix of flatness and numerous hills throughout. The scenery throughout the race was great. There was a mix of running along water, through a trail of through the streets of Anchorage.

The worst part of the race was at mile 13. As you turn a corner you notice a huge steep hill for the last .1 of the race. I can’t understand why the course would end with such a steep hill at the very end of it.

I completed this race in 2010 so things may have changed since then.

The race began at 7am. The first mile or two is through downtown Detroit. The course was relatively flat. One of the most appealing aspects of this race was that it takes you over the Windsor Bridge into Canada. In fact, at the Expo you need to show your passport as part of the registration process. The run over the Windsor Bridge was a pretty cool experience. Following that part of the race you run through Ontario along the river. It was a very scenic run.

The next exciting part of the race is on the way back from Canada. Please note there was security checking that everyone had a bib (which meant a passport). The course then takes you through an underwater tunnel connecting Canada with the US. This was by far the coolest portion of the race. In fact, I ran the fastest mile(s) of the overall race through that portion.
Overall, I reccomend this race. It was medium in size and well organized. It was a cool experience getting to run from the US to Canada over a bridge and back through a tunnel. This was also the best t-shirt I’ve received.