Mary Jo Boyles's Staging Area

There were plenty of inclines and declines throughout the course. I train on flat terrain, but this was not terrible to me. The course had adequate hydration stations throughout. The volunteers and the city of Sydney really showed out and supported this race in its first year as a World Major. The views throughout the course kept me motivated and pushing forward. The initial 5km onto the Sydney Harbor Bridge was amazing, and the finish at the Opera House was truly an emotional experience. I went to the expo on the first day, and it was chaotic. They needed to expand the Asics merchandise area and structure the checkout line, which, from what I heard, they rectified on the 2nd day of the Expo. Overall, runners need to be a little kinder and have some respect for one another. Lots of apparel was thrown to the floor while looking for sizes, and others did not have the patience to look through items. The public transportation around the city was inexpensive and useful for touring the area. There were also lots of food options everywhere!

Great swag bag! Beautiful scenery! Great crowd support!! This was an inaugural event so they need a bigger venue for the expo and more merchandise. Hydration was roughly every 2 miles and for a marathon every mile should have a water station and-or electrolyte. Overall great experience and detail from airport pickup to medal engraving station!

The course runs mainly through a neighborhood. It’s flat and easy. The staff and volunteers are amazing, from sending communication before race day to packet pickup options several days before race day. When you finish, the medal, coffee mug, and CHOCOLATE TREATS are always a treat. You also get free race pics to download, and there are a ton of them!! The photographers always make you look like you’re having a good time (even if you’re not feeling it at mile 11).

Nice, flat course. They had water and hydration every 2 miles or so. Small town crowds came out of their homes to cheer and support the runners. Being from a military family and vet myself, I loved the flyby during the National Anthem and the Coast Guard demos during the post race celebration. Food and beer options were great after the run. If the wind didn’t slow me down I would’ve finished with a PR. Great race overall!

If you’re running the full or half marathon, you have to pick up your race packet at the expo the day prior. If you’re traveling, the expo is only open from 10-2. Most of the course is through the neighborhoods and the crowd support was really nice. The course is right off the beach and the after party was really nice!