Matt Uram's Staging Area

Race was fairly well organized, I liked the way they kept me updated on the race (except for that email about the course change that added 300 meters to the 1/2, more on this later lol.) Course wasn’t too difficult with a long downhill start so your first couple of miles will be faster than your anticipated race pace goal. Course winds through the paved trail along the coast and was marked very well. The only major hills were those last extra 300 meters going to the finish line, definite quad burners. Getting to the race was very easy and stress free. My only complaint about the course was at about the 8 or 9 mile mark when the lead runners, marathoners, walkers and general public trail users were all sharing the same trail. There were people going in all directions and it was very crowded forcing you to weave in and out of people while trying to avoid people coming at you in the opposite direction for about 3-4 miles. Also the expo should not be called an expo. There are more exhibits at your local 5k. The race shirts left a lot to be desired, very drab and plain. The free finisher’s shirt was a million times nicer. Medal was nice. A big plus was being able to go to the scorer’s table and get your award right away, no waiting around for hours. Overall it was an ok race and I got to visit Alaska and check off another state.

The course itself is mostly flat with the exception of a long hill at apprx 6.5 miles and a few other small hills sprinkled in during the last miles of the half. Running through the military mile was especially somber with the photos of the fallen displayed on the sides of the road. A lot of twists and turns on the course as you wind through various neighborhoods. Support on the course was good. Only real complaint was the ugly shirt. Lol If you’re looking for a good destination race this is a good choice. San Antonio is a fun city with a lot to offer and you can’t beat the nice December weather.

I traveled from Pennsylvania to run this race and have run all over the country so here’s my review. The going out part of the course is slightly downhill so you guessed it the return trip is slightly uphill. It’s not difficult though. Great support along the course. Which was good cause it got hot fast. The army had the best water stop at the 1/2 marathon turnaround. I don’t know what happened but for some reason the chip in my bib did not record my time. I actually was 1st in my age group 50-54. I was hoping the finish line photos would have shown the clock as I crossed but they didn’t. Oh well stuff happens. They really need to stop calling it an expo. 3 booths of people trying to sign you up for phone service, insurance or recruitment into the army hardly qualifies as an expo. The shirt was awful. No thought or time went into the design. The finisher medal wasn’t bad, it’s about the size of a softball and made of metal. It would have been nicer if it had the date on it. All in all it wasn’t the worst race I’ve ever run, but for a race that’s been around as long as this one has it should be a lot better in my opinion. I wouldn’t go out of my way to run it.