John Mueller II's Staging Area

Friday – Expo – Smaller than expected but smooth as silk.
Saturday – 5K – 8am start time is not my favorite I prefer an earlier start time. However they closed off roads pretty early making uber & public transit much harder than expected. Thankfully they updated WAZE so as long as someone is using it you will be fine. Renting a scooter to get to and from is my suggestion for a smooth exit especially if you have sore legs.
The Start line is about .75-1.5 miles from the finish line so be prepared to limp back to the car. Renting a scooter to get to and from is my suggestion for a smooth exit especially if you have sore legs.
I hope they move the 10K to Saturday as well

I know Madison Wisconsin isn’t really a “small town”, however this race has all the beauty and feel of a small town all packed into one; from Running through the town on streets and trails feeling safe, coupled with so many people coming out to help. I would imagine this is what it’s like if a town of 5,000 wanted to create a tourist event. Homeowners coming out and waving, cars driving past honking horns (in a positive way).
Plenty of time to walk 4 hour time limit. Weather is so nice (this year was a bit muggier than usual per a few regulars I talked to) The elevation is a bit of a challenge but only if you live with ZERO hills in your city like Houston.

For those coming from other places. Wisconsin is AWESOME and has tons of fun things to see and do including but not limited to:
Wisconsin State Capital
Capital Square (Farmer’s market every weekend)
State Street
University of Wisconsin – Madison Campus
Restaurant Suggestions: Culvers’ / Bandit Tacos /
Wisconsin Dells (not technically in Madison but worth a 2 hour drive away)

We went on vacation in Chicago for the week and then took the 3 hour bus ride into Madison for the one night to run the race.

This race was their first time on this course (From what I have been told) add in COVID and it showed quite a few cracks in their plans. That being said… Here is an honest review.

Location Overall:
You are close to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Knoxville (closest airport) however Southwest only flies to Nashville so we rented a car and made the trip a few days longer and experienced Tennessee by droving through Chattanooga & Nashville as well.

I am Assuming you’re doing the Black Bear Challenge because who doesn’t want an extra medal? (5K Friday Night + Half Saturday Morning) so some of this is copy/pasted from my 5K review and I will add stuff for the half as well.

5K & Half – Packet Pick-Up:
Packet Pickup was outdoors in the sun the day of the 5K (10a – 5p) then the 5K doesn’t start until 6p (if you’re lucky enough magically to get the first wave) which leaves you stuck sitting in your car at a random hotel that is in the middle of nowhere for at least an hour unless you are staying at one of the few small town hotels.

5K – Start Line:
Just before 6p we did the anthem and then walked across the street ALL 1,500 OF US (Guestimate) there was no organization what so ever there were people with signs up but they were marked with times like 2 hr 45 min (for the half marathon) so that was useless. Walkers and people/children doing the fun run (untimed) mixed with us competitive runners. We stood on a sidewalk in the sun forever!!! They released us in like 15 small waves and my group (which was not the last) didn’t even start until the well after the first 10-15 runners crossed the finish line (18-25 minutes).

Half – Start Line:
This raceis a P2P (point to point) so you have 2 choices: #1 Get Dropped off at the Start line by your non-running teammate (we did this option) or #2 Park at the finish line and they shuttle you to the start line. The last shuttle bus SHOULD have stopped at 6am so the race can start at 7am… I should have known this wouldn’t have happened based on the day before’s start line. We waited over 25 minutes at the split in the road where you had to decide which option you were going to choose because it was taking too much time to get people through the intersections/parking lot entrance. This delay caused the race to start a bit later. There was no PA system that I ever heard because we barely could hear the Anthem.

5K – Actual Race:
Course was fine except you started and finished on a sidewalk along the main street (albeit a small town main street) Walkers and people/children doing the fun run (untimed) mixed with us competitive runners. After a ton of zigging and zagging along the course to get around all the non-runners from all the previous waves.

Half – Actual Race:
This course WAS BRUTAL on my body. The elevation isn’t bad however the pitch of the roads that we ran on were sloped so the rain can run off the road. On a normal street the middle (where the center lines are) is the high point and the road slopes down to the edges of the roadway. Quite a few of the roads were sloped to one side one way from edge to edge. My hips, ankles and knees are sore days later which is never usual for me. There was a good amount of water stations (every 2 miles or so) so soak up that energy because that will be the only time you see someone who isn’t a homeowner having morning coffee or driver trying to get around you. The race pictures are free but keep in mind if you are a 2:45 or greater runner like me you will end up with very few race pictures. I only got pictures at mile 11 and the finish line whereas the faster runners also got a picture at mile 4.

5K – Finish Line/Post Race/Escaping to cars:
PERFECTION – ZERO COMPLAINTS – Beautiful Medal!
They had this zone down like world freaking champions!

Half – Finish Line/Post Race/Escaping to cars:
Once Again…. PERFECTION – ZERO COMPLAINTS – Beautiful Medal(s)!
They had this zone down like world freaking champions!

I highly recommend doing the Black Bear Double
5K on Friday Night
Half on Saturday Morning

Expo was good, a lot of other races trying to get you to come back to Arkansas. The temp was great both days. Races started a bit later than I had anticipated/preferred (730 on Saturday and 8am on Sunday) so be prepared for a full race in the sun. There are quite a few hills that you should prepare for.

#1 point – Don’t make this part your first time coming to Greece… Mostly because you are coming during the “Off Season” and many places aren’t open or are closing down. This is a great race for someone who’s been to Greece before or has a followup trip planned in the future.
#2 point – If you are a runner who goes slower than 6.5 hours this race isn’t fun.
(More will be forthcoming)

Obviously I am not the “Target Demographic” for this race however I enjoyed the chance to run with my wife.
On a positive note I won 3rd place in my Age/Gender = LOL

The Course is open for 5 HOURS! The insanely long amount of time allows runners to run a variety of distances and speeds at the same time. (3.1, 6.2, 9.3, 13.1, 16.2, 19.3, 22.4) I chose to do the 19.3 (Half Marathon then a 10k) the half started at 4pm and the race closed at 9pm so if you are a walker wanting to walk a half or if you are training for a marathon like myself you have the ability to have the pottys and water stops. It is a night course so you get to see it but despite the medals having the Dallas skyline you aren’t in downtown.

Would I run it again? NO
GREAT MEDALS, Weak Shirts, Course was good but if I didn’t bring my own music it wouldn’t have been a ROCK & ROLL race.

THE BLUE MILE WAS AMAZING – It is the only reason this course gets 2 stars. FYI for those that don’t know you run a mile through picture after picture of fallen HEROs with US flags and if you don’t tear up you don’t have a soul….

The course didn’t go pass any of the must see things in Seattle… You only see the Space Needle if you do the Marathon, neither distance passes Pikes Place and the original Starbucks… There were a few places were you can almost get a cool view but overall nothing special was seen.
The medal was eh at best the shirt was weak also… I have been very disappointed with R&Rs shirts and medals overall (NOLA and Vegas were the exceptions)

This year the race was almost canceled due to a massive (texas) blizzard. We had 1.5 – 2″ of snow. You laugh if you’re from the North however Texas can’t handle that stuff.
They managed to clear the half marathon course so anyone who wanted to run was able to do so however the full and ultra were canceled.

If you live in the Houston area… you KNOW we don’t have any elevation, so when a Race Director says let’s run over a bridge it peaks your interest. The 3 race series takes place in September (10K on the Kemah Bridge) October (10K on the Galveston Causeway Bridge) and finishes with the Half over the LaPorte bridge. The medals normally link up in some fashion and they give out a bonus medal if you do all three.
It’s one of very few races I hope to run every year if scheduling permits. It’s not a race I would travel from out of state for but i would if I was out of town.

I started running in mid 2013 and signed up for this to be my first half. After overtraining I decided the half would be so easy that I would make it a challenge and do the full. I have lived in Houston (too damn long) and never looked at the course. The course is boring lots of turns and while I had a horrible run time wise I would NEVER suggest this course for a person trying to check off TX on the road to 50. Do the Cowtown it’s a much nicer course better time of year (Jan for Houston and Late Feb for Cowtown) which means you get to start training later in the year for people living in hotter areas you can start training in August vs. starting in late sept means the temp drops a few degrees and it helps