Marc Taricani's Staging Area

This is a big one. As a first timer, I wanted a race that had as much enthusiasm as I did without prerequisites. I could not recommend this more to a first-timer that has TRAINED properly. There is a cutoff time to where you can no longer run the race as the highway opens back up. I’ve heard this race is very challenging to acquire a spot for in the past, so do not postpone signing up. Unbelievably, as of Aug 20th, the race was listed as full, but they still had registration open. I successfully registered two days later for $200.

I was a little confused at first as it was hard to get to the starting line. Turns out you have to walk a couple miles to the line and there is no way around this. Plan to arrive 90 minutes early, get street parking, and take the public transportation. One of the garages mentioned was completely full and annoying getting in and out – wasted at least 20 min there.

I have no advice for spectators on getting to the finish line. A volunteer I asked said there was no parking around, so they would have to also take public transportation and walk (not as far as the starting line trek). The finish line and surrounding areas are very guarded, so make sure you are familiar with the process for spectators.

There were around three hills in the beginning of the race that I completely demolished and passed people on. The only other challenging part of the course was the .1 mile (small) incline at the end and the highway. The highway bridge is brutal. Void of spectators and any views, it’s almost like a gateway to hell. You’re so tired and at that point you are at the sun’s mercy. Be mentally prepared for this, there are some huge water jugs around.

For a city race, other than the highway, very scenic. You get to run along a river early morning and watch the rising fog. You run through some quaint little areas. There’s also a straight mile or two along a state park where fallen marines are represented by small signs in the grass. Some stopped to pay their respects and get pictures. This was incredibly somber and heartbreaking, even if you are not a political person in nature.

The production was great, the only thing I would change is the information and resources for getting racers to the starting line. Emails need more of a description on what to expect for that walk. And COMPLETELY different instructions for parking and taking public transportation (don’t even mention those parking garages).

I don’t know how to compare swag with that of other races. But what I will say is that there were a good amount of water and Gatorade stations with fantastic volunteers and marines. I was carrying a hydropack as I trained with one. Do not bring a hydropack, you will not need it. I earned a medal in the end and gifted it to my father, as one of the few people that cared I finished this race. My other favorite thing was the synthetic long sleeve. This will be perfect for my future athletic ventures in colder temps. Weird last thing here – I got my bib sent to me and it was missing a free beer coupon, I only got one. Odd, but I didn’t stay for the beer anyway. It would be cool if along with a medal I was handed one beer instead. Not sure if that can be a thing.

This last part is the most important. In the last three miles I just couldn’t run anymore. I identified a hole in my training/preparation a little too late, and had to continue by walking. DOZENS of people came up to me to see if I was ok and if I needed anything. I’ve only experienced this type of community and support from strangers one other time in my life at a non-related event, and it wasn’t consistent the following year. I can only assume the ones who stopped for me were experienced runners and possibly repeaters of this race. I wouldn’t doubt they would be right there for me next year if I needed them. Thank you.