Beverly Nestor's Staging Area

The 10 mile trail race was mostly single track so it was difficult to pass much of the time. It was also primarily out and back 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. Since the race started and finished at a high school, there was tons of parking. The race is also one of a series of 7 races where the finisher’s medals will all connect to form a mega medal. The t-shirt was a very nice long sleeve tech shirt.

There are many options for completing this marathon: solo, 2 person relay, 4 person relay, 5-8 person relay. The majority of participants, including my team, chose the 4 person relay. The first person ran a modified first lap of 2.2 miles. Each lap after that was a 1.6 loop around a park. It had roughly 80 feet of gain per lap, but the finish was down hill. Many teams made camp in “tent city” which was the area after the start line, along the course. The relay transition took place either just after the start/finish line or wherever it was that your team was camped. This made it easy to relax between laps. The only option for the 4 person relay teams was for each member to run one lap at a time. The other relay teams could break up the 16 laps however they chose, as long as each person ran at least one lap. This is a great event for socializing with other runners. Every runner received a medal and hoodie.

The course is flat and winds through beautiful neighborhoods and past the golf course and marshes on Kiawah Island. The full and half start together then split apart and rejoin again before the finish. The medal is huge with a spinner thing that says Marathon on one side and Half Marathon on the other side. The tech shirts have a unique artistic design. I have heard that shuttling onto the island on race morning can be stressful. I chose to stay at the Sanctuary Hotel on the island so that I could leave my room 15 minutes before race time. Very convenient if a bit on the expensive side. When I am ready for my first marathon, I believe I will choose this one. As it is, I have already registered for the half marathon for next year.

There was lots of pre race communication, with the exception of the decision to not have finisher medals. This was my second year running the race and since there were finisher medals last year, I expected one this year. Other than that, I enjoyed the race. It is one of the bigger ones in the area, with close to 3000 runners, and includes a Kids Dash. The shirt was a very nice long sleeve gender specific tech shirt.

This was my 4th Rock n Roll race. If you want bling, do multiple Rock n Roll races! Production is always well organized. Lots of course entertainment and support. The Rock n Roll races usually have race shirts for sale on which the participants names are screen printed. The print is tiny, but it’s possible to find your name. Transportation was, for the most part, well organized. Just be aware that the race start and finish lines are at separate locations. Unless you want to walk another mile back to the ferry for transport to the convention center parking, you need to prepay for a shuttle pass. Overall, I really enjoyed this race. It is also walker friendly, especially for the half marathon, which my husband did (he had a full knee replacement and the doc won’t let him run).

U Can Finish 2 miler was followed by the U Can Finish 5 miler. Runners could choose either or both. If completing both races, runners were awarded an additional medal. The 2 miler medal was a small shield, the 5 miler medal was a bigger shield, and the “Distance Dare” medal was a shield that attached to the 5 miler medal with magnets. There was an indication on the website that this was the final year for the Distance Dare.

I participated in this inaugural event, choosing the 10 mile timed option. There were also 5 mile and 2 mile (untimed) options. There were plenty of volunteers and the race was quite organized. There were no finisher medals but age awards went 5 deep and lots of give-aways, including 12 pairs of running shoes. The trail itself was quite technical for the 10 mile race with a lot of switchbacks, rocks and roots. Thankfully the trail was well marked, since as the runners spread out, it was common to not see any other runner ahead or behind. A physical therapist was on hand to provide both pre and post run assistance.

The 5k and 10k courses start and finish at the same location at Floyd Lamb park, with the 10k branching off in the middle to get the extra miles. The course is very flat but most of it is not shaded, being that Las Vegas is desert area. There were adequate aid stations but not really any place for spectators along the course. The shirt was a very nice tech shirt and the medal was very pretty. All Moms finishing the race received a flower as well. Overall, it was a pleasant race and I would run it again, especially since it raised money for a great cause.

Nice local race, very festive with live bagpipers. Raised money for a great cause. The medal is a half circle, which interlocks with the medal from the Oktoberfest race later in the year to complete the circle.

The course is flat and winds through beautiful neighborhoods and past the golf course and marshes on Kiawah Island. The full and half start together then split apart and rejoin again before the finish. The medal is huge with a spinner thing that says Marathon on one side and Half Marathon on the other side. The tech shirts have a unique artistic design. I liked the one from last year so much that I bought two more at the expo this year. I have heard that shuttling onto the island on race morning can be stressful. I chose to stay at the Sanctuary Hotel on the island so that I could leave my room 15 minutes before race time. Very convenient if a bit on the expensive side. When I am ready for my first marathon, I believe I will choose this one. As it is, I have already registered for the half marathon for next year.

I was in San Antonio on business and wanted to run a race while there. I chose this one. I wish I could have been there for the entire series of four races. Those who completed all four races received an extra medal. The race organizer, Scallywompus, is the best. Very responsive to questions and posts on Facebook. The course was a flat and fast greenway.