Maya Ellison's Staging Area

The CONs:
This was a great race, but I expected more for the expo. I also did not like the fact that we had to pay $15 for parking the day of the race to catch the bus that was not disclosed in the race packet. Also, it was confusing if we parked at the start line if the bus would take us back to our vehicles after finishing at the VBC. Nobody knew the correct information and it was not properly communicated across the volunteers. There was a lack of race support on the course, but I am going to chalk that up to the fact that it was raining, maybe. Hopefully, in good weather there is more crowd support.

The PROs:
I really like the swag of the quality medal and towel. The post-race food was definitely enough to warm you up. Also, before the start of the race, all of the runners congregated at the UAH campus in the student food court and we were able to stay warm and use real restrooms. That was definitely a plus of not having to use port-a-johns.

I paced my athlete for the half marathon as a training run. Some people will whine about the hills, but I love hills and a variety on a course. The crowd support is EVERYTHING. If you have not ran the BRF, well register. I promise you will enjoy it!

I paced this race for Beast Pacing. This is an absolutely beautiful course with lots of scenery, but it is TOUGH! The elevation is over 1,800ft. I suggest that you train on a lot of hills before committing to running this course. Keystone is a quaint town with lots of things to do and see. Sign up, enjoy this race, and stay an extra day.

This was my first time running this race and I was not disappointed. It was a warm evening, but it was a great course with great food. It is definitely a race I would run again next year.

The logistics of the race was hard to get to, but the course was all the hype was well worth it. It was fast and fun and spectators and entertainment did not disappoint. The con was the parking. There was not enough parking and we had to pay $10 daily to park at the convention center and the public park. With Grandma’s Marathon Weekend highly desired race to run by runners, the race itself have outgrown the small town. This race was definitely an experience, but it was a one and done for me.

Montana really surprised with the beauty of the state and city of Helena. The food was great, the people were welcoming and the race production was good. This is a one and done race for me, but I would recommend it to runners that really enjoy running hills. This race will not disappoint you :).

Cons: The award ceremony started too late, 1100. Most people were trying to shower, eat breakfast, pack their luggage, check out the hotel and get to the airport.

This race was nothing but amazing! It is a low key local race. There is no huge expo or anything like that. However, I wish that the packet pickup was a little earlier in the day. It did not start until 4pm, so if you are flying in it’s ok to get a later flight. The communication and logistics of the race was well organized. When they say there is a post race buffet, that is exactly what they mean. You will NOT be disappointed. There was enough food to feed two armies. I am guaranteeing you that you will not leave hungry. More races need to get this lesson. They absolutely came together as a church, school and community.

An absolutely GREAT race and entertainment along the course. The crowd support was top notch. I want to shout the RD for granting me a bib two days before the race. I used this as a training run, so I got a chance to slow down and really enjoy the route and the course.

The only downfall was waiting around for a long time for the race to start.

This was my first time running this race and I ran it as a pacer. This race will be in my repeat staple of races. I’m looking forward to 2025.

This race was COMPLETELY sold out in every event, and I know why. It is a very organized race! The communication is top tier, and everyone knows the medals are HUGE especially if you are chasing this bling. If you have not ran this race, do it. Hotels in the area are close by and are in walking distance, so you don’t get into the Marriott, do fret. Also, most of the hotel offer shuttles to and from the airport.

I can say is one of my favorites races so far. I absolutely enjoyed the communication, the vibes the course, the food and crowd support. I would run this race again I also wish that there was a race in NOLA.

The trailer runners are the only runners that will get rewarded, but that are not tracked to go through the mat like the road runners. They did not have a timing mat at their turnaround point and their distance was shorten two days. I know for a fact today the two half marathoners trail runners cheated and did not complete their routes. They were supposed to go back out to the cattle gate after they finished their last lap and they didn’t. They both ran from the trail straight to the finish line, yet they are Overall Female 1 and 2 for Day 3. Meanwhile, no one is looking at consistent times, the timing mat with the laps and making adjustments to the results. I was the first overall female for the road series and received absolutely NOTHING!

The trailer runners are the only runners that will get rewarded, but that are not tracked to go through the mat like the road runners. They did not have a timing mat at their turnaround point and their distance was shorten two days. I know for a fact today the two half marathoners trail runners cheated and did not complete their routes. They were supposed to go back out to the cattle gate after they finished their last lap and they didn’t. They both ran from the trail straight to the finish line, yet they are Overall Female 1 and 2 for Day 3. Meanwhile, no one is looking at consistent times, the timing mat with the laps and making adjustments to the results. I was the first overall female for the road series and received absolutely NOTHING!

This was not only a race, but it was an experience for all in attendance. The red carpet was laid out for the full weekend. If you have not ran this race make sure you mark your calendar for next year to experience the greatness of the culture, but make sure you train on the hills.

This was a great course with pre- and post-race snacks. The views were absolutely breathtaking, but train on the hills. The swag was also very nice.

A great race for women to bond and run together. I walked away with placing third in my age group 45-49. I would definitely run this race again.

As one of the music capitals, I expected more on the course. With it being the 50th Anniversary, I expected more of a production. The crowd support was boring and it rarely music or photographers on the course.

Great race, good music at every miles and lots of hydration along the course. The post race village was also amazing! The experience of running on the track.

I loved how all of the host hotels were in walking distance from the start line. this made it seamless.

This was a great course and they provided a great meal. I also appreciated that fact that they had same day race packet pickup. That is always a plus in my book!!! However, I think the gear should be gender specific. My shirt and hat is EXTREMELY big and I will not be able to wear it.

This was my first Disney Race and for me it was just too commercialized. It was over 14.5K people there and because I was put in Corral D, I had to literally bob and weave and sprint the first four miles to break from the walkers. People are there to have a good time to say they were and completed the race. There are not many serious runners at for these races. Oh, I was not a fan of waking up at 1:30AM to catch the 2:30AM bus for a race that did not start until 6:30AM.

Daufuskie Island rolled out the “red” carpet with breakfast and lunch (full sit down meal). Prepare and make sure that you pack your bag for Winter Weather. The temps were in the 30Fs.

The only thing that I recommend is that enough heaters need to be provided and the tent should be closed in to keep the heat in. Also, it is out of the RD’s control, but we waited around 2-3 hours before gun time.

The RDs kept changing the course while during the race. The volunteers were not clear on which direction for the runners to go at certain points. It was muddy, slippery and dangerous. I ended up running a little over 13.5 because the volunteers did not know the turning points.