Beverly Nestor's Staging Area

This small race is run on a 13+ mile loop along paved rural roads. Run two of the loops for the full marathon. The course has some hills that can challenge the unprepared runner. Course support was adequate. Runners received a long sleeve tech shirt with finishers earning a medal and a locally made piece of pottery. Hot soup and quesadillas awaited the finishers.

I’ve reviewed this race before, so I will just add details specific to this year.

The race was moved a month ahead to January instead of February. This is probably why the trails were in the best condition of the 4 times I’ve run this race. The course was also slightly different as they needed to avoid a part of the trail that was being worked on.

The hooded sweatshirt was great as always.

The medal featured a beautiful stained-glass effect.

With options of 3, 6 or 12 hours, this is a great choice for someone wanting to run their first ultra. Some runners run in costume. The course is a converted rail to trail out and back of 5 miles each way (10 miles total). Once you do as many of the 10-mile out and backs that you can within your event, you start doing the shorter 1 mile out and backs until time runs out. Runners can also stop at any time they choose…there is no pressure to run more than you want to. This year, there was a nutcracker medal in addition to a hoodie.

The ONLY Thanksgiving Day run in Raleigh that offers a half marathon, 10K, 5K, 1 Mile, and kid’s dash, and all are stroller and dog friendly.

I ran the half marathon, which had basically two different out and back sections. My watch registered over 940 feet of gain, so there’s plenty of hills. The races started at different times, so the beginning wasn’t crowded. The half merged with the 5k runners around mile 5, then merged with the 10k runners just before mile 6. Since the course was on roads, there was plenty of room for everyone.

There’s ample parking, a cute medal, soft t-shirt, and packets can be picked up on race morning,

The post-race offered a small water bottle, half a banana and bag of chips.

This was a small race, with no frills. Participants got a t-shirt. Medals were awarded for top 3 overall and top in each 10-year age group in each gender. The course was flat and ran through neighborhoods. Parking was ample at the start/finish line at a small park.

I have mixed feelings about this event.

The pros: TONS of free race photos. Flat course. Just over 2-mile out and back that breaks up the distance. Very laid-back event.

Cons: Just over 2-mile out and back that can be boring with nothing to look at except sand and water.

State # 13 with half marathon or longer (plus DC & Canada)

This was a very difficult course. As the name says, there were lots of roots and rocks on this single loop course. The trail was well-marked for the event. The shirt and medal were nice. The race director showed he cared about all aspects of the event.

I pretty much covered everything in my review from last year. I can add that there was a long-time participant named Bill that recently passed away doing what he loved…running. He had accumulated over 1150 miles at Hinson and was honored on the event shirt this year.

Just like most Rock n Roll races, this race had music on the course, great aid stations, medical tents on the course, a nice medal, a nice tech shirt and lots of runners. There was a monster mile-long hill in the middle and an uphill finish at the end. The nicest feature of the course was all the trees along most of the route that provided plenty of shade. The host city of Bellevue was pleasant.

This is Carolina Animal Rescue & Adoption’s (CARA) largest fundraising event of the year. I ran the challenge, which was running both the 5k & the 10k. The 5k started at 7:30, the 10k at 8:00. Like all previous years, only the challenge runners received a finisher’s medal and age group awards were given to the top finisher of each age group. Cotton/poly blend shirts were available to purchase. Starting at Kiwanis Park, both races ran along the greenway and into residential areas, with the 10k following an additional 3 miles worth of greenway.

This event offered a 5 (actually 5.5) mile and a 10 mile run. Both started at the same time, with the 10 mile route being two loops of the 5 miler. The course was mainly double and single track trails with occasional views of the lake. The trails were not overly technical, but there were plenty of roots/stumps to watch out for. The race didn’t start until 8 AM, so it was quite hot by the time I finished the 10 mile race. Runners got a nice short sleeved shirt. Pint glasses were given as age group awards.

Bear Lake Trifecta-3 races, 3 states, 3 days
The Bear Lake Trifecta offered both full and half marathon options. I chose half marathon, with Idaho being on Thursday, Wyoming on Friday and Utah on Saturday. We stayed in Garden City, Utah, which was a quaint and very friendly little town. The Idaho race was 25 minutes away from there, the Wyoming race was 50 minutes away and the Utah race was in Garden City itself. There were plenty of beautiful views in the area, including Bear Lake itself. We even went to the Teton mountains, about 3 hours away.
The T-shirts were tech material, with all featuring the same design. The bear logo and state name were a different color to designate which state it was for. The finishers medals were the same shape and design for each state. The ribbon and bear logo on the medal were different colors, depending on the state.
Each race was a timed out and back, with a rolling start and 100-120 runners completing the half marathon distance. Each race had water/aid stops roughly every two miles, with a porta potty every other water stop. A deejay welcomed runners back as they finished each race. The age group awards were just like the finishers medal, but were gold, silver or bronze. Runners who completed all 3 races received a nice medal hanger featuring the bear.
This series of races was difficult for me, but not because of the 3 races/3 states/3 days. I was not accustomed to the altitude (6000-6500 feet above sea level). While not sore at all, my legs felt like they just did not want to move, from the very beginning! I was surprised by just how much the altitude slowed me down.
Idaho-Idaho had the best views, especially of Bear Lake. My watch registered over 500 feet of gain. The mountains provided some shade early, but the race ended with lots of sun exposure.
Wyoming-Wyoming was the flattest of the three, yet my watch still registered over 380 feet of gain. Wyoming was also the coolest of the three days.
Utah-Utah had the longest and steepest hills and was my least favorite of the 3 races. My watch registered over 600 feet of gain. This course started in the middle of town, so we didn’t get the great views until after mile 4. The middle 3 or so miles was on dirt/rock trail that went up in the hills of sagebrush. We had to watch our steps, not just for rocks and ruts, but also cowpies!
I’m glad I completed this series but was even more glad when it was done…the running anyway!

Bear Lake Trifecta-3 races, 3 states, 3 days
The Bear Lake Trifecta offered both full and half marathon options. I chose half marathon, with Idaho being on Thursday, Wyoming on Friday and Utah on Saturday. We stayed in Garden City, Utah, which was a quaint and very friendly little town. The Idaho race was 25 minutes away from there, the Wyoming race was 50 minutes away and the Utah race was in Garden City itself. There were plenty of beautiful views in the area, including Bear Lake itself. We even went to the Teton mountains, about 3 hours away.
The T-shirts were tech material, with all featuring the same design. The bear logo and state name were a different color to designate which state it was for. The finishers medals were the same shape and design for each state. The ribbon and bear logo on the medal were different colors, depending on the state.
Each race was a timed out and back, with a rolling start and 100-120 runners completing the half marathon distance. Each race had water/aid stops roughly every two miles, with a porta potty every other water stop. A deejay welcomed runners back as they finished each race. The age group awards were just like the finishers medal, but were gold, silver or bronze. Runners who completed all 3 races received a nice medal hanger featuring the bear.
This series of races was difficult for me, but not because of the 3 races/3 states/3 days. I was not accustomed to the altitude (6000-6500 feet above sea level). While not sore at all, my legs felt like they just did not want to move, from the very beginning! I was surprised by just how much the altitude slowed me down.
Idaho-Idaho had the best views, especially of Bear Lake. My watch registered over 500 feet of gain. The mountains provided some shade early, but the race ended with lots of sun exposure.
Wyoming-Wyoming was the flattest of the three, yet my watch still registered over 380 feet of gain. Wyoming was also the coolest of the three days.
Utah-Utah had the longest and steepest hills and was my least favorite of the 3 races. My watch registered over 600 feet of gain. This course started in the middle of town, so we didn’t get the great views until after mile 4. The middle 3 or so miles was on dirt/rock trail that went up in the hills of sagebrush. We had to watch our steps, not just for rocks and ruts, but also cowpies!
I’m glad I completed this series but was even more glad when it was done…the running anyway!

Trivium Racing took over as the timing company/race director of this race in 2022. Communication from them has always been top-notch. T-shirts were gender-specific tech with a cool looking owl printed on the front. This was the 3rd of 4 trail races in a series where the finishers medals connect together to form a larger medal. Age group awards were a nice metal placard with the same owl design as the shirt.

The trail was not the most technical I’ve been on, with minimal rocks but sections with lots of roots. There were numerous views of the lake. I had hoped for a better finish time, but two weeks in Vegas with over overindulgence and no running really slowed me down.

Due to the nature of the course, there were not very many water stops and only one location with a portapotty (around mile 9). I was glad I wore my hydration belt.

I would consider running this again.

I ran the 4-mile and 10-mile races, termed the Double Down. The 4-miler started at 7:15 am and the 10-miler at 7:45 am. Runners in the Double Down had until 8 am to start the 10-miler after running the 4-miler first. With that kind of pressure, I PR’d my 4 mile race. I took it a little easier on the 10-miler and enjoyed the beautiful neighborhoods that we ran through. I even stopped and took pictures of an amazing tulip garden.

Double Down runners got a special medal in addition to the 4-mile and 10-mile medals, and also received two tech t-shirts.

The courses have plenty of hills to test your endurance.

My only disappointment was that the Double Down runners did not get listed in the 4-mile or 10-mile results.

The 10 mile trail race was mostly single track, out and back with a small loop at the halfway point. There were a lot of up and down portions so that the effects of the 500 feet of loss and 500 feet of gain were easier to handle mentally. This year, there was a huge rainstorm the night before the race, right up to the start time. This made the trails very wet, muddy and slippery. Since the race started and finished at a high school, there was tons of parking. The race is also one of a series of 4 trail races where the finisher’s medals will all connect to form a big spider web. The shirt is a short sleeved tech shirt.

I’ve reviewed this race before, so I’ll just add that the trails were very muddy and slick this year. The middle section of 3-4 miles was so slick as to be almost unrunnable. I’m sure the front of the pack didn’t have as much trouble, but by the time the middle and back of the pack runners got there, it was slip-city. Everything else was excellent, from communications from the director to parking to the awesome hoodie.

I got talked into running the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World on Marathon weekend and I am so glad I did. Even though it was rough getting up at 2:30 each race morning, it was also nice to be done the race and still have time to go to a park.

The 5K and 10K races both started in the parking lot of Epcot. The half marathon and marathon started out on the road near Epcot. Be prepared for a long walk from Epcot out to the start line for the half marathon and full marathon. Each race had several characters along the route where you could stop and get your picture taken with them. Most of the time, the wait was not very long to get a picture taken, but the more popular characters had a longer wait.

The races also had many very large aid stations with water and sports drink. I was very grateful for the medical stops, especially for the marathon. I was able to stop and get some Vaseline for chafing that I was experiencing, but they also offered biofreeze, bags of ice and sunscreen.

The 5K ran only in and around Epcot. The 10K briefly went in Hollywood Studios and then back to Epcot. The half marathon went to Magic Kingdom and then back to Epcot. The full marathon went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, the parking lot of Blizzard Beach, briefly in Hollywood Studios and then back to Epcot. Excluding the 5K, each race had stretches of highway that could have been boring except that they had character stops and some entertainment.

My husband ran just the half marathon but the entire week he kept saying he wished he had done Dopey also. We will go back in a few years when he is ready to run all the races. The only thing I would do different next time is to run the races first and leave the park visits for the week after the races.

Transportation during the races was easy as buses were provided for those staying on Disney property to get to and return from the start/finish in Epcot.

For the Dopey Challenge I got six tech long-sleeved shirts and six medals. That’s one shirt and metal for each race plus a shirt and metal for the Goofy Challenge (completing both half marathon and full marathon) and another shirt and metal for the Dopey Challenge (completing all four races).

The only disappointment for me was the Expo. Packet pickup was fairly straight forward, but shopping for merchandise was time-consuming and a waste of time. The Expo opened on Wednesday morning at 8 AM. We didn’t get there until Wednesday around 1 PM. It took a couple of hours waiting in line just to get in to look at merchandise. By then, there was very little worthwhile merchandise left to buy, and I ended up getting just a Dopey Challenge magnet. The Expo was open several days but anyone who didn’t get there very early on the Wednesday (and was willing to wait in line for 5-6 hours) did not have a good selection.

The most fun thing about these races was the costumes. I dressed up in a different Disney character for each race, as did many, many other people. It was so much fun looking at everyone’s costumes, from the very simple to the very elaborate.

I can’t wait to go back!

I got talked into running the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World on Marathon weekend and I am so glad I did. Even though it was rough getting up at 2:30 each race morning, it was also nice to be done the race and still have time to go to a park.

The 5K and 10K races both started in the parking lot of Epcot. The half marathon and marathon started out on the road near Epcot. Be prepared for a long walk from Epcot out to the start line for the half marathon and full marathon. Each race had several characters along the route where you could stop and get your picture taken with them. Most of the time, the wait was not very long to get a picture taken, but the more popular characters had a longer wait.

The races also had many very large aid stations with water and sports drink. I was very grateful for the medical stops, especially for the marathon. I was able to stop and get some Vaseline for chafing that I was experiencing, but they also offered biofreeze, bags of ice and sunscreen.

The 5K ran only in and around Epcot. The 10K briefly went in Hollywood Studios and then back to Epcot. The half marathon went to Magic Kingdom and then back to Epcot. The full marathon went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, the parking lot of Blizzard Beach, briefly in Hollywood Studios and then back to Epcot. Excluding the 5K, each race had stretches of highway that could have been boring except that they had character stops and some entertainment.

My husband ran just the half marathon but the entire week he kept saying he wished he had done Dopey also. We will go back in a few years when he is ready to run all the races. The only thing I would do different next time is to run the races first and leave the park visits for the week after the races.

Transportation during the races was easy as buses were provided for those staying on Disney property to get to and return from the start/finish in Epcot. I would recommend getting there very early to have a good position in the starting corral.

For the Dopey Challenge I got six tech long-sleeved shirts and six medals. That’s one shirt and metal for each race plus a shirt and metal for the Goofy Challenge (completing both half marathon and full marathon) and another shirt and metal for the Dopey Challenge (completing all four races).

The only disappointment for me was the Expo. Packet pickup was fairly straight forward, but shopping for merchandise was time-consuming and a waste of time. The Expo opened on Wednesday morning at 8 AM. We didn’t get there until Wednesday around 1 PM. It took a couple of hours waiting in line just to get in to look at merchandise. By then, there was very little worthwhile merchandise left to buy, and I ended up getting just a Dopey Challenge magnet. The Expo was open several days but anyone who didn’t get there very early on the Wednesday (and was willing to wait in line for 5-6 hours) did not have a good selection.

The most fun thing about these races was the costumes. I dressed up in a different Disney character for each race, as did many, many other people. It was so much fun looking at everyone’s costumes, from the very simple to the very elaborate.

I can’t wait to go back!

I got talked into running the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World on Marathon weekend and I am so glad I did. Even though it was rough getting up at 2:30 each race morning, it was also nice to be done the race and still have time to go to a park.

The 5K and 10K races both started in the parking lot of Epcot. The half marathon and marathon started out on the road near Epcot. Be prepared for a long walk from Epcot out to the start line for the half marathon and full marathon. Each race had several characters along the route where you could stop and get your picture taken with them. Most of the time, the wait was not very long to get a picture taken, but the more popular characters had a longer wait.

The races also had many very large aid stations with water and sports drink. I was very grateful for the medical stops, especially for the marathon. I was able to stop and get some Vaseline for chafing that I was experiencing, but they also offered biofreeze, bags of ice and sunscreen.

The 5K ran only in and around Epcot. The 10K briefly went in Hollywood Studios and then back to Epcot. The half marathon went to Magic Kingdom and then back to Epcot. The full marathon went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, the parking lot of Blizzard Beach, briefly in Hollywood Studios and then back to Epcot. Excluding the 5K, each race had stretches of highway that could have been boring except that they had character stops and some entertainment.

My husband ran just the half marathon but the entire week he kept saying he wished he had done Dopey also. We will go back in a few years when he is ready to run all the races. The only thing I would do different next time is to run the races first and leave the park visits for the week after the races.

Transportation during the races was easy as buses were provided for those staying on Disney property to get to and return from the start/finish in Epcot.

For the Dopey Challenge I got six tech long-sleeved shirts and six medals. That’s one shirt and metal for each race plus a shirt and metal for the Goofy Challenge (completing both half marathon and full marathon) and another shirt and metal for the Dopey Challenge (completing all four races).

The only disappointment for me was the Expo. Packet pickup was fairly straight forward, but shopping for merchandise was time-consuming and a waste of time. The Expo opened on Wednesday morning at 8 AM. We didn’t get there until Wednesday around 1 PM. It took a couple of hours waiting in line just to get in to look at merchandise. By then, there was very little worthwhile merchandise left to buy, and I ended up getting just a Dopey Challenge magnet. The Expo was open several days but anyone who didn’t get there very early on the Wednesday (and was willing to wait in line for 5-6 hours) did not have a good selection.

The most fun thing about these races was the costumes. I dressed up in a different Disney character for each race, as did many, many other people. It was so much fun looking at everyone’s costumes, from the very simple to the very elaborate.

I can’t wait to go back!