Meagan Cooper's Staging Area

The race start was chilly, and it took a bit of time to get through security and to get the waves started. The race was well organized once you got into the runner area. The course overlapped itself several times, and we looped around a park for a bit. There were more hills than I anticipated. I completed the half the day prior with my 14 yo son. The marathon the next day repeated a lot of the half. It was an all around good experience. dress warmly!

I don’t know what my deal was this marathon. I was just not feeling it. Nerves, lack of sleep, weather. I don’t know. I just did not do well, and I felt sick for most of it. My son and I traveled to Chicago, and it was easy to maneuver around the city. Expo was HUGE and packed. Lots of goodies there to choose from for race swag. The course winded through a lot of neighborhoods, but I felt like it was a blur for me. Very well supported with fans lining the street. It is large and very well run I thought.

This was the year we swam more than we ran. Thunderstorms were a little unnerving while running on the steel bridges. There was standing water some areas of the course that we needed to wade through to get to the next section. It was sloppy, but it was not miserable. I cannot believe the crowds that were STILL out there passing out water, snacks, supplies while getting dumped on in the rain. We are running and keeping up our body heat, and they are just standing and cheering us on. That was a huge motivator for me. I felt like I was just trudging along, but my pace was better than I anticipated. My boys came out with me and did the 5K and 10K the day prior. It was overall a weekend we will remember forever. Definitely should be on your list of runs to do.

Iconic must do race. You line up in corrals based on your ability. There is planety of room and tons of crowd support. It is an early start in the city so traffic is a bit of a nightmare. I am local, and I get driven in to the start and dropped off by my husband. It has worked out well. Love going about the city on foot. great scenery and great environment.

The course winds you through the streets of Baltimore, the zoo, and by the harbor. Nice mild fall day, so the weather was decent. excellent crowd support. Lots of runners, but it not feel overwhelming. easy race logistics.

It was my very first time toe-ing the line for a marathon. Nerves were out of control. It was windy and cold. I started out too fast, and I definitely lost steam around mile 16 on a cold windy bridge where there was a station JUST for candy. I felt like it was MADE for me. Definitely the boost I needed. I burst into tears when I crossed the finish line. I was so proud of ME. I did it. I will keep doing it. I will always show up for myself, and I proved it. Such an amazing city. We got blankets as part of our swag, which was perfect at the finish line. It was so cold. Pizza and beer for snacks at the end!