Mary Llewellyn's Staging Area

I personally loved the actual course! It wasn’t very scenic in the dark, but having a good headlamp made quite a difference to be able to see where I was running in the night time hours, until the sun started to rise. I also made it to the observatory overlook right when the sun was starting to rise so the views there were spectacular! This observation point in the race is most scenic that I’ve experienced, it also had fantastic aid stations with great goodies and well stocked fuel for the racers. The last few miles were primed for the runners since it was well marked with ribbons to guide you along the course. I found that part most unique in how well the race course was marked.
The course is challenging with hills to climb, along with fast turns and downhill portions so having good trail shoes makes it easier to run. While there wasn’t much to improve from the race, perhaps having some warming lamps or blankets to offer the runners at the finish line would have been nice since the temperatures were cooler than expected for the month of May!
I would absolutely recommend this race to my friends! Especially the trail addicts who run trail more than road races since the challenges of the course seemed to be in the middle of the race towards the end with the up and down hill portions. Great crew, upbeat staff, and felt the motivation the entire time!