Matt Redmond's Staging Area

This is a great race in Columbus, Ohio. The course is mostly flat, with a few small, short hills (though they did not feel short or small on this day). There is a lot of fan support through most of the race. Around 5,000 runners for the half. There is also a quarter marathon and a 5k. Start of race in the southern part of the city, then run through some cool neighborhoods, then back through the city, then run around Ohio State University, past bball stadium and around the fball stadium, then through campus. The last couple of miles are tough. Weather got a little warm at the end and most of the hills are at the end. The race shirt is ok, runs small and the medal is huge and seems to weigh almost 2 lbs. I would suggest staying at the Westin Great Southern Columbus hotel. Race price was around $200 for 1 night, 4 blocks to the packet pick up, 3 blocks to the race start and finish.

I’ve run this 6 times over the 15 years. Good shirt, medal, and put together well. The roads are a bit treacherous in the beginning, city roads are in terrible condition. The weather is typically cold and windy.

This a good race for Arizona. The course is pretty flat. A couple of hills, one around mile 3 & another around 9. They are long but not real steep. The weather was low 40s, never got more than 50s. Race starts in Tempe, which has a great street of restaurants & bars, plus ASU is right there. Packet pick up is in Phoenix, very basic. I recommend staying in Tempe. There is a light rail train that goes between the 2. Lots of energy in the race & the scenery is great. Shirt is basic, medal is pretty cool.

Nice smallish race in Fairfax VA put on by Pacers Running. Run through park trails on concrete , dirt/cinder, & some roads. Some hills here & there, but nothing terrible. Out and back in 2 different directions, but not boring. Some great scenery around Lake Accotink. Trails are about 3-4 runners wide, but the race thins out after a mile or 2. There is race morning packet pick up which is great, an average zip up hooded sweatshirt as a premium, snowflake medal. Snacks at the end are decent, bottles or water, Gatorade, muffins, etc. really no spectators due to the trails, & the weather was terrible. Started raining about 30 minutes in and then the deluge started about 60 minutes in. Made the trails very muddy & flooded. I’ve run tough mudders with less mud. Volunteers at water stops were great. I think the rain made the race more fun for me. Overall well put together, great local race. I would highly recommend if you live in the area.

Charm City Run does a great job with races. I have done this one twice. Course is on mostly paved paths 2-3 people wide. About a mile and a half on closed streets. If you run fast get in the first group. Most of the race is running through wooded areas, last mile is through an industrial park. Ends at Hysteria Brewery which is great, you get one free beer. Snacks at the end are in abundance, a nice bottle opener medal and a soft t-shirt. My only gripe is that the last 2 years the course is short of 5 miles. .10 last year, .20 this year. I ran extra after crossing the finish line to get me true time. Overall a great short race to get some fast miles in.

The packet pick up is very small. The sweatshirt given was not my favorite but of good quality. The race is produced well, lots of porta potties at the start. Big race feel to it. It was very unseasonably warm on race day, there were many runners having issues the last few miles. Lots of medical help. Water stops were fine. Route had some nice areas, but overall very average. Very nice medal at the end (if you are into that). A couple of free beers and lots of snacks at the finish line. I did this trying to get 50 states. It was pretty good. Providence is a beautiful city, there may be other races with better routes though. Watch out for the hill at the end.

Really cold start to for Baltimore, warmed up as the race started. Route through safer parts of the city, a lot of hills and a really big one in the middle. Great shirt and medal. Good snacks at the end and 2 beers from Key Brewing.

Good race, a bit pricey when you added in the cost of parking, but well put together. If you live in Maryland or have ever driven across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, it is fun to run across it. Cold time of year and can be windy. Everything was put together well. Park at satellite sites and then take busses to the start. There are lots of walkers, the course is flat other than running up the bridge which is not too bad. The race is not over after crossing the bridge, there is still at least another 1.5 miles after it to get to the finish. There is a nice finish line party with music, snacks, and beer. The long sleeve shirt is really nice and the medal is a puzzle piece that fits together with medals for past and upcoming bay bridge races. Its a great race if you have always wanted to run across the bridge.

Corrigan puts on great races, if you see them associated with a race, it will be well put together. Can be cold, but typically warms up during the race. The route is through Wilmington DE, mostly in the nicer areas. Course is not difficult going through parks and neighborhoods. Nice long sleeve UA shirts, great snacks, cold beer, and nice medal. Worth doing at least once, and many times if you live locally.

Rock & Roll does a good job with races. Be careful in Vegas before the race. Food poisoning got me and ruined the half marathon hopes, but the 10k was good. Packet pick up was decent, depending on where you stay there can be a lot of walking to get there. Race set up was awesome. The Vegas strip road is shut down and you have to walk a mile to the start. Walking down the middle of the road is really cool. The race starts in the day light, but by the time you pass the welcome to Las Vegas sign and head back towards the strip it gets dark and running in all the neon lights is something you have to do. Great race, a lot of fun. Lots of non-alcoholic drinks at the end (beer, wine), decent snacks. Medal and shirt are ok. Running down the Vegas strip at night is awesome. The 10k allows you to see most of it. There are some fun bands also. Highly recommend, just be careful what you eat.

This race is all hills, going up and going down. They are a lot more fun running down. The route is through park dirt trails, roads, and hills. You run through 3 different park areas, some of the trails were not marked well. Then through Harper’s Ferry which is cool. Small race that starts and ends at a river tubing place. No race shirt the year I did it, bought a shirt online to help out the race, and it sucked. Wood finishers medal which was cool. Beer and snacks at the end. Ok race, it was driving distance for me. Did mention there were a lot of hills. My legs actually gave out at the end. I swear there is one hill that is over 1.5 miles long, if not longer. Challenging, but I enjoyed it.

I have run this race before and there have been mileage issues in the past but this year they were really bad. Heading toward the finish line it was at least half a mile short of 13.1, so I ran around the parking lot before finishing to get the correct mileage. The route is kind of an out and back, a lot of it is outside of city of Annapolis. The part in the city is cool with interesting scenery (look you for the brick and cobble stone roads). Run by the Naval Academy and finish (and start) at the football stadium. The shirt and medal are decent. I have heard that a new company has taken over this race and I expect It will be run much better.

Atlanta is a great city, but lots of hills. Starts and ends in the middle of the city, the route goes through so many parts of the city, suburbs, parks, and Georgia Tech University. The last couple of miles before the finish are boring. Long Sleeve shirt and medal were decent. Great snack stops along the course. There are a lot hills.

I ran this race twice, the first time I could not finish. If the weather is bad in Philly, this can be a tough race. Typically cold, overcast, and windy in my experience. The 1st half is pretty decent, running through interesting areas of the city, the 2nd half is an out and back which can be boring when you are worn out. The turn around at the out and back has a lot of fans, and the end has a ton, in between, not so much. I got a cool medal with the liberty bell, the shirt was ok, lots of snacks at the end. Good race if you are looking for something in Pennsylvania, but I have not tried any others in large cities in this state.

Burlington is a beautiful place. The race runs through the city 2-3 times, crossing through different areas, some neighborhoods, some highways. There are some great views, and some boring ones. The weather was warm for the locals from up north, I did not have too many issues due to being from further south. Best parts are running through the city. Great race to get you 50.

The Marine Corps Marathon is a must do. Great race and production. The course takes you through a lot of suburbs or VA, into DC through great monuments, the back to VA. This can be a tough race is the if the weather is not good. It can be warm at times during this time of the year. The worst part is crossing back into VA after running through DC. The highway sucks, incline, hot, no fans. The last couple of miles before the finish are hot and boring with no fans also. There is no feeling like running up that last hill before the finish with all of the Marines lining the route. Medal is great, shirt typically is ok, may want to buy a better one at the expo.

Nice race in the city of Baltimore. You get to see lots of different parts of the city. Join the marathon at their halfway point. Good expo, shirt and medal are nice. Must do race in Maryland.