Monica Napolitan's Staging Area

This is a flat course! But, this was my worst running experience out of 10 full marathons. No PR here.

We had a humid & foggy morning. It was hard to see much of anything. We did run through many neighborhoods. You lose any kind of shade past the back half, except for miles 21-23 which you run along trees. The half marathoners & full marathoners run together until appox mile 11.5. I didn’t really care for the course, it was very boring. I think it would have been better with a less humid and hot day, so take that into account.

The race was at 6:35am. I stayed on Ocean Blvd because I wanted to be on the beach. If you choose this option be careful since the course closes one side on the road. Getting to the race start was only a 8 min drive. They had many porta potties at the start, but could have had more. They have 2 corrals A & B that are assigned. It was a smooth race start.

Fuel/Hydration: No issues. Every few miles there was water & Gatorade. There were handful of stations with fuel (GU).

Other: Crowd support in the 1st portion was solid. There were people out and cheering people on. The volunteers and police were amazing. I absolutely love my medal, which is a seashell that opens up and revels highlights of the course.

Inspiring & Empowering. EveryWoman’s Marathon in Scottsdale, AZ was such a fabulous run with many amazing runners (mostly women, but I saw a few men too!). Race Production was on point, vibe was amazing, course in Scottsdale, AZ was not the best.

Expo: Well planned and executed. Bib pickup was easy. There were quite a few lines to get Rabbit race gear and then to get free screen printing. There was also free hair braiding, friendship bracelets, yoga, KT taping, and so much more. It was easy parking. There were not a ton of vendors only a select few, but it covered everything that I needed.

Race Day: The race was at 7am, but delayed because we were waiting on a few shuttle buses. It was a perfect morning with temps low 60s but cloudy, and 2 mins of rain waiting in the corrals. It got really hot and no shade in afternoon. I took a bus to the start and they are the luxury buses, no school buses here. They had so many porta potties, no issues with long lines. They had bananas and granola bars at the start. Also, toiletries! If there was something you needed they had it…bandaids, petroleum jelly, sunscreen, deodorant, and more. Amazing!!! This is the first race I have ever been to that had this at the start. Good job to all the volunteers and race director. It was very well executed.

Course: Last year this race was in Savannah. It was moved to Scottsdale this year. Road and concrete sidewalks (mostly). I was expecting to be more scenic based on the course description. It was a good course, but had more views of the golf course than mountains. There was great live music which was my favorite part. This is for full marathoners only. I really liked this since relay or half marathons throw off my pacing. The course had an overall net descent, but, it didn’t seem like it. I thought the toughest part is that it is hard to pass anyone on the sidewalks. Overall, I didn’t really like the course. This course stays open for 7hr & 45min. Love that it is walker friendly.

Fuel/Hydration: No issues. Every few miles there was water & mortal hydration. Fuel on the course was liquid GU and waffles.

Other: Crowd support was great. There were so many people out cheering us on. There are sections of the course that are tucked away with no crowds. But, overall people showed up. It was really sweet seeing dads, boyfriends, husbands, kids, ect bringing flowers to the women they were supporting at the end. There were so many volunteers. They brought such a positive vibe, really encouraged us all. Great job volunteers.

I have mixed feelings about this race. It was a fun race, all about encouraging women, but I would never want to run this course again.

Uff-dah!! Grandmas was a beautiful course, but a HOT one today for me. I guess the weather is very unpredictable. Some years cold, some perfect, other humid & hot. The lake effect did cool it down at parts, but it was a tough weather year. Overall, this marathon impressed by excellent coordination throughout the whole event.

Expo: We stayed at the Holiday Inn downtown, it was easy to take the Skyway to get to the expo. Great expo. Lots of runners=lots & lots of people. Many, many vendors. Lots of free samples. I loved trying the Maple Syrup fuel that will be provided on course. Bib pickup was a breeze. They did sell out of official merchandise pretty quickly on the 2nd Expo day. We opted to get the unlimited spaghetti meal. It was in the same building and a nice way to chat with other runners.

Race Day: The race was delayed by 30 mins due to storms overnight & the very early hours. They needed to make sure everyone was safe. You need to train or bus to the start. My bus took about 40 mins. It was super easy to jump on a bus.

Course: Asphalt. All on the road. This course has rolling smallish/medium hills. The infamous Lemon Drop hill around miles 22 is not too bad. It is steeper than the others, but short. The course runs along Scenic Hwy 61 for appox. 18 miles. The race kicks off with fighter jets flying off and the train passing by. You run along beautiful trees and Lake Superior pops out around mile 6, but makes a grander entrance in the double digit miles. Then you head into the city by first running in a neighboorhood followed by downtown duluth. The course profile and scenry is very enjoyable. There is little shade. We lucked out for the 1st couple hours and had some clouds.

Fuel/Hydration: No issues. Every 2 miles there was water & powerade. I dumped water on my head and took advantage of the ice and sponges provided. Fuel is not provided until the later miles. I am glad I brought my own. Fuel on course was maple syrup, bananas, strawberries. Supporters were handing out lots of goodies, watermelon, popsicles, pickles, candy, ect.

Other: Crowd support was solid. Definitely went in sections due to how supporters could get course access. Volunteers were all amazing.

This race is wonderful and would possibly do again since I enjoyed it so much, and they change the theme every year.

Expo: Little Rock is a small town. You can walk anywhere you need. I stayed at the Hilton downtown, and it was a 10-minute walk to the convention center. The expo was bigger than I expected. It had plenty of vendors (gel, gear, ect). There was a DJ and some concession food if needed. Race pickup was a breeze. The volunteer walked me through the course because there is a 1/2 marathon split around mile 6, but eventually the full marathoners rejoin, and I guess it is confusing. They also have a mat to verify that your race chip works.

Race Day: They offer an early start for anyone who needs 2 more hours. Love that it is inclusive! The regular start was at 7am, and you had to walk through the convention center to get to the start line. This was great since you can use a real bathroom before starting and stay warm inside if it’s a cold morning. I recommend arriving around 45 mins before your race start to get ready.

Course: Asphalt and Concrete. All on the road. It does have some hills. The race starts downtown and crosses the Broadway Bridge at Mile 1 and then comes back across after a short run in the neighborhood. The run goes through most of downtown. Eventually, around Mile 15 goes up the “big” hill. The grade is not horrible, it just goes up for a long time. When it starts to decline, you run in mature trees. Around mile 20, you run an out-and-back by a golf course. There are a couple of steep inclines near mile 24, but they are short. I needed to take some walk intervals because I was tired. You finish where you started at the convention center.

Fuel/Hydration: Hydration was never an issue. They have water and lemon-lime Gatorade about every 2 miles. Sometimes, more frequently due to spectators also having some. There were bananas, orange slices, and gels. I brought and used 2 of my own gels, but otherwise used the fuel provided. Post fuel is pasta in a cup, banana, apple or orange, a water bottle filled, yogurt, seeds… honestly, so much! Plus again, you end at the convention center, so there are light snacks you can buy if you want.

Other: Crowd support is great for a small town. People are out and cheer you on! I still brought and used headphones for quiet areas.

Overall, the full marathon race was fine. It is an out & back. A little repetitive on the way back. No corrals at the start. You run approx.. 2 miles downtown/city before running along the paved trail next to the Rio Grande. You don’t get to see the river much, but the trees were beautiful. Also, you do get to see Hot Air Balloons in the distance. Even though it is a flat course approx. between miles 12-14, it has rolling hills, much more than I expected. The city section of the race was blocked off, but the paved trail was open for others’ use. We only incurred one upset cyclist. Otherwise, everyone not in the race was pretty nice. Crowd support is pretty low. There were about 500 full marathoners. More people completed the half.

Fuel/Water: They had plenty of water/Gatorade stations. However, for anyone who plans to finish in over 5 hours, a couple of their water/Gatorade stations were bone dry. I suggest bringing your own water. Also, have a post-race fuel plan. They had a slice of bread and an apple. We were staying at the DoubleTree a block away from the start & finish, so we were able to grab food and drinks.

Bathrooms: Porta potties around miles 0, 2, 6, 20 & 24. Many men are taking a break in the bushes along the paved trail since there is a long gap between 6 and 20.

I completed as a training marathon. I was just out there to have a good time. I would suggest this course for half-marathoners.