Mallory Potter's Staging Area

This was my third time doing this race, and once again I really enjoyed it. It was well organized for having so many participants, and the swag was great this year. My only complaint was that there is no drop off option at the race start. You have to go to either the Naval Academy Stadium or Community college to be dropped off. I live less than a mile from the bay bridge, so it was very inconvenient to drive all the way to the community college when the race is basically in my backyard.

This was such a fun race to do! Other than a bridge at the beginning, the course was nice and flat. Race production was very well run and they had the best snacks at the end! I loved the race shirt, it’s so soft! One of my favorites to wear. The medal was also great. I know it’s supposed to be a part of a series, but it looks good on it’s own too. If you need a half to check off New Jersey for your 50 states challenge, this is the one to do.

If you want a race with beautiful scenery, this is a good one. Vermont is a beautiful state in general, and this took you through the heart of the countryside. That being said, after the first 10K, it got boring real quick. There are three covered bridges but you only get to cross one of them. The course has rolling hills, with one major hill.
My main issues had to do with runner drop off and pick up. We got stuck in the runner parking traffic, but once we got past that it was fine. There wasn’t any information about runner pick up after the race. My ride had to park before 10:00 and wait for well over an hour for me to finish. I would have rather just finished then jump in the car without my ride having to wait for me.
The highlight of the race was a dog named Hank that we met in Woodstock around mile 4 and he was a very good boy!

This is a wonderful 5K! You start off downhill and then it’s pretty flat from there (maybe a few little hills). Charm City Run does an excellent job with this race and the post race party is one of the best. Highly highly recommend this race!

So the best part of this race is getting to run down the Las Vegas Strip at night. That part is really awesome. It’s also a flat course if that is something you’re looking for.
My biggest issues with this race were a lot of the little management things that just didn’t make sense. The corral staging area was at least a mile from the start line. There were very limited port-o-potties for the amount of people. Although once you got through the tunnel when your corral was called, there were plenty of them! But of course, at that point you’re just trying to get to the start. You also had to pass through a tunnel once your corral was called and people from other corrals were just standing around blocking the entrance.
Then we walked to the start line and just… went? There wasn’t a separate wave start. I’ve never experienced that before at a big race like this.
The medal was nice. The shirt was okay. I think what really bothers me about all of these little things is that this race is really expensive, so I would expect top notch planning and execution, especially from a race group that’s been doing this for 25 years. I’ve done big races for less money that were way more organized. It was just disappointing and I don’t think I’ll ever do another RnR race.

This was such a great race. The weather was perfect, the course is pretty much flat (just a few little bumps over bridges), the race was well run, and the crowds were awesome!! I’m very happy with how everything went.

I just had a really fun time running this race. I wasn’t going for a PR or anything and I made sure to stop for pictures with the characters. This was very well run, pretty easy course, and pure joy.