Beverly Nestor's Staging Area

Mo’ Bell truly has something for everyone. The options included 100 miler, 75 miler, 50 miler, 24-hour, 12-hour, 100k, 50k, marathon, half marathon, 10k, 5k and 1 mile run.

Runners could also choose whether to run the 3 mile trail loop, the 1 mile road loop, or any combination of the two to cover their distance. There were hills with both loops and the trail had lots of roots and rocks.

Due to the variability of the course options, timing was not electronic. For my half marathon, it was simply pick up a brown rubber band after each trail loop or red rubber band after each road loop. The longer distances used clothes pins but I wasn’t present for the start of those events and didn’t hear exactly how the timing was done.

Swag included pajama bottoms for the half marathon and higher events plus a cute cowbell finisher’s medal.

If this event was local for me, I would consider running it again.

This was a fun race. The 10k was essentially 2 loops of the 5k course and was moderately hilly. There was good course direction along the city streets. The race started and finished near Southend Brewing, so there was plenty of beer (each runner was allowed 2 free beers, and of course could buy more). The age group awards were beer growlers and a certificate to fill them. This race was also part of Trivium Racing’s Greensboro series. The medals from all 5 races interlock similar to the Olympic rings.

Rock ‘n’ Roll announced that this was the final race at Virginia Beach, after 20 years. I’ve run a handful of Rock ‘n’ Roll races, and they are pretty much the same. Absolute fantastic race in terms of entertainment on the course, course support, bling, shirts, spectators, expo, just about everything. The course started close to and finished on the boardwalk. If they were to have it again, it would definitely be worth running.

CARA Run for their Lives is a nice local race that is the biggest fundraiser for the Carolina Animal Rescue & Adoption. Not a lot of fuss to this race. Only finishers of the challenge (running both 5k & 10k) earn a medal. The course has some hills as it runs through part of town and along a greenway.

Pros: This race is a huge fundraiser for a good cause: resources for those dealing with addiction or mental health ailments. The race entry included a nice cotton blend shirt and entry to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The course ran through the zoo, which was pretty cool. There was plenty of crowd support and the course was mostly shaded. My rating of the race swag would have been a 5 if there was a finisher’s medal. They did give out quite a few age group medals.
Cons: Registration was confusing and communication was non-existent.

I was unable to run this event in person due to scheduling conflict, but I needed the medal! This event is part of Trivium Racing’s mega medal series, where all the medals join together in a way similar to the Olympic rings. Trivium Racing always puts on a great race and they do their best by the runners.

Over a year ago, I decided I would wait until I turned 50 to run my first marathon. I had planned on making a trip out of it, going someplace that I hadn’t been before. Then COVID hit and races began getting cancelled. I ended up choosing the Myrtle Beach Marathon, so that even if the race got cancelled, we could still go and enjoy the weekend. The race happened and I did it! I ran my first full marathon!

The original scheduled date was March, which is definitely a better choice than May, as the temperature got to the upper 60’s by the end of the race. The course was quite flat and a great part of it was along Ocean Boulevard, which allowed for views of the ocean and a great breeze. Many runners complained about the headwind, but I found it refreshing.

The communications leading up to the race were great. There was tons of parking close to the race start/finish line. The race was also well executed for COVID restrictions, with wave starts every 2 minutes. With the number of runners (close to 1000 for the marathon alone), this allowed for ample spacing of runners. I was not crowded during the race, yet I was never alone either.

This stagger also meant that there was not a huge gathering at the finish line. While normally I would enjoy a cheering crowd, it was also nice to NOT have a crowd to (literally) run into at the finish. There was plenty of post-race, prepackaged food and water, though no beer.

The medal was a good size and very heavy. Every finisher also got a long-sleeved tech shirt and a tank top.

Overall, I consider it a great choice for my first marathon and look forward to running it again, when it’s in the cooler month of March.

The course had a few rolling hills but a nice downhill finish. Trivium racing did an excellent job dealing with the COVID restrictions. Plenty of beer at the finish, which is only to be expected since the race started and finished at the Pig Pounder Brewery. This was race #3 of this year’s Mega Medal series, where all the medals will link in manner similar to the Olympic rings.

This trail race normally has water crossings at miles 4.8 and 8.2 with the weather prior to race determining how deep the water is. This year it was too deep to safely cross, so the course was altered to avoid the river. Even without the water crossing, this was a tough course. Trivium Racing had great communication regarding every aspect of the race in the week or two before the race. This race is also the first of a series of 6 races where the medals all connect to form a mega medal.

This is a great event for the entire family. Strollers and dogs are allowed with an awesome Kid Zone for during/after the race. It was a bit hilly but with music at a couple of spots (live band! keyboard player!) to help with motivation. Shirt option included the choice of tech or cotton long sleeve shirt. There were very nice finisher medals for everyone and there was even fake snow at the finish line! Oh, I almost forgot…everyone got a set of antlers too!! If I had one suggestion to improve the experience, it would be to have maybe 1-2 volunteers on the course where the 12k and 5k merge to help remind the 5k walkers to stay right in order to allow the 12k runners room to run on the left. My last mile was a full minute slower from having to dodge walkers and strollers.

I cannot review the race as COVID forced it to be virtual only. I can review Trivium Racing, the organization putting the race. They did an excellent job of communicating with runners throughout the process of turning the event to virtual only. They also did their best to try to think of ways to safely hold the event until the City finally said absolutely no permit. I hope to run the event in person next year. I based the Course Difficulty and Scenery scores on the course map provided on the race site.

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.

CARA Run for their Lives is a nice local race that is the biggest fundraiser for the Carolina Animal Rescue & Adoption. Not a lot of fuss to this race. Only finishers of the challenge (running both 5k & 10k) earn a medal. The course has some hills as it runs through part of town and along a greenway.

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.

CARA Run for their Lives is a nice local race that is the biggest fundraiser for the Carolina Animal Rescue & Adoption. Not a lot of fuss to this race. Only finishers of the challenge (running both 5k & 10k) earn a medal. The course has some hills as it runs through part of town and along a greenway.

CARA Run for their Lives is a nice local race that is the biggest fundraiser for the Carolina Animal Rescue & Adoption. Not a lot of fuss to this race. The course has some hills as it runs through part of town and along a greenway. What really impressed me with this race was the support from other runners. This was my first times race and even though I was almost the last one to finish, many other runners were telling me good job! The support and encouragement in this one race is what really cemented my desire to run.