Patrick Ames's Staging Area

The overall race production was top notch, as I expect from runDisney events. The course was not as fun as previous incarnations, but still well marked with plenty of on course entertainment. I did miss the run through Angel stadium that was part of previous years. My wife was frustrated by the “virtual queue” as there was no communication about return times outside of the group number. Also, there was not a lot of instruction for spectators trying to reach the finish line area.

We enjoyed this race overall. The views of the Gulf are amazing and you can’t get much flatter of a course. My only real complaint about the course was the fact that the only hill was a freeway ramp at about mile 12 and it felt like hurricane winds running up the ramp. The packet pickup/expo was relatively small, and was held at Centennial Plaza Resort, which is a renovated historical military base. This was about 10 miles from the finish line. I was staying near the finish, so it was an extra expense to get a ride-share to get there. This was also the location of the 5k race on Saturday making it a hassle to have people in my party doing each race.

I have run roughly 50 different and the production of this race was above all the others. Starting with the expo/packet pickup, the process was quick and easy. The course was very well marked. In fact, I think there was some kind of signage for every single intersection of the race telling runners where to go. The finish line festival was a great location, in the Guthrie Green, which is in the Arts district of Tulsa. The medal was also unique in that it came with a stand, so it could be displayed on a shelf.

Overall this was a decent race. This race definitely has some elevation which is part of why it has such picturesque scenery. The biggest problem was the finish line in the Presidio. Spectators couldn’t reach the finish and there were far too few shuttles back to the start. It took one hour to catch a bus back to the start.

I was pleasantly surprised by almost everything about the Indy Mini. The expo at the football stadium was well organized everyone was friendly and there were lots of great vendors. The start line was clearly defined with plenty of signage and the waves went off quickly. It would have been cool to run more through downtown Indianapolis, but I could not ask for better support along the route. There were water/gatorade stops almost every mile and there were TONS of spectators along the way. Running a loop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was pretty awesome too. I do wish the people kissing the bricks would have taken up less of the road. The finish line festival was also well organized and fun. Overall this was one of my favorite events.

My wife and I found this race a few years ago and loved it. The crew does a great job setting everything up and I love the option to go green with the swag. After running up and down the runway at Hiller, the course turns into an out and back along the edge of the SF bay. Overall a great event.

This is a very flat race along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. The scenery over the bay is amazing. My only complaint is with the runners. The organizers really needed a cycle to protect the leading runners from the pack, running on the wrong side of the road.