This is a half marathon in Norfolk, VA produced by J&A racing which is the race company that also produces the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach in March. I've done … MORE
This is a half marathon in Norfolk, VA produced by J&A racing which is the race company that also produces the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach in March. I’ve done the Shamrock Half Marathon twice and love that race so I wanted to check out another one of J&A’s half marathons and decided to do this one since I had to weekend off. There was very good pre-race communication with a detailed athlete guide. This would be too long a drive so I flew in Saturday morning and out Sunday afternoon. It was easy to find flights. The host hotel which is the downtown Hilton is right by the expo, start and finish so I did not need to rent a car. I arrived Saturday in the morning and got my packet at the expo. You can pay to have packet mailed or pick it up race day morning as well. The expo was kind of small but had the essentials and I got bought the cutest race shirt along with the swag item being a really nice sweatshirt. There was enough to do in the vicinity of the hotel and race area to entertain yourself for the weekend without having to drive anywhere. It sounds like in other years this race had cold weather but today the weather was absolutely perfect and it would not be possible to have better weather. Race morning was very organized and you are assigned corrals 1 through 7. I was assigned 6 which seemed correct. There were pacers as well. The slowest pacer being 2:45 which was the start on corral 6. I was aiming between 2:45 and 3:00 and decided to see if I could keep up with 2:45 which I could do for a couple miles. The race starts by the harbor. It is a nice course. It is a good mix of different areas of Norfolk and is a nice mix of more urban downtown views, suburban neighborhood views and more peaceful park views. You also go through Old Dominion University in the middle of the race. My only complaint about the scenery is only the last mile or so is by the harbor so there wasn’t quite as much waterfront views as I’d like. There are also a ton of mermaid statues in Norfolk and you could have fun trying to find as many as possible on the course. Race production was pretty much impeccable. Roads were closed with plenty of police and course marshals. There were lots of DJs and cheer stations, mile markers, and 5K/10K timing splits. Though the number of spectators was on the lower side for the size of the race. The spectators who were there were great though and very enthusiastic. Volunteers were also fantastic which was great compared to last weekend’s half. This had some of the most cheerful, enthusiastic volunteers. Aid stations were every 2ish mile and had water and Nuun. One in the middle had Gu and the best is the last one had mini pies. You could choose either chocolate or pumpkin and they were delicious. The finish is really nice by the water. I was happy to finish under 3 hours though I wasn’t quite as fast as Newburyport a few weeks ago. The medal is a nice mermaid themed medal. There is also a challenge if you do the 5K the day before. I didn’t do this as I didn’t fly in until Saturday morning but you get really great swag if you do the challenge. There is a fun finish area with beer and pizza and typical race snacks. I couldn’t stay too long as I had to check out of my hotel and catch my flight. Overall I thought this was a great race and I am glad I made the trip. I would definitely recommend this race. However if you are a 50 stater looking to only do one race in Virginia I do think Shamrock (which is the same race company) and Richmond (which is a different race company) had such amazing spectator support that they were a little bit more fun but this is still a great choice and a lot of fun if it works better with your schedule. It’s a bit of a trek for me to get to the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area but I would absolutely come back down to do this race or another J&A race again in the future.
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Mermaids and Mini Pies!
This is a half marathon in Norfolk, VA produced by J&A racing which is the race company that also produces the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach in March. I've done … MORE
This is a half marathon in Norfolk, VA produced by J&A racing which is the race company that also produces the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach in March. I’ve done the Shamrock Half Marathon twice and love that race so I wanted to check out another one of J&A’s half marathons and decided to do this one since I had to weekend off. There was very good pre-race communication with a detailed athlete guide. This would be too long a drive so I flew in Saturday morning and out Sunday afternoon. It was easy to find flights. The host hotel which is the downtown Hilton is right by the expo, start and finish so I did not need to rent a car. I arrived Saturday in the morning and got my packet at the expo. You can pay to have packet mailed or pick it up race day morning as well. The expo was kind of small but had the essentials and I got bought the cutest race shirt along with the swag item being a really nice sweatshirt. There was enough to do in the vicinity of the hotel and race area to entertain yourself for the weekend without having to drive anywhere. It sounds like in other years this race had cold weather but today the weather was absolutely perfect and it would not be possible to have better weather. Race morning was very organized and you are assigned corrals 1 through 7. I was assigned 6 which seemed correct. There were pacers as well. The slowest pacer being 2:45 which was the start on corral 6. I was aiming between 2:45 and 3:00 and decided to see if I could keep up with 2:45 which I could do for a couple miles. The race starts by the harbor. It is a nice course. It is a good mix of different areas of Norfolk and is a nice mix of more urban downtown views, suburban neighborhood views and more peaceful park views. You also go through Old Dominion University in the middle of the race. My only complaint about the scenery is only the last mile or so is by the harbor so there wasn’t quite as much waterfront views as I’d like. There are also a ton of mermaid statues in Norfolk and you could have fun trying to find as many as possible on the course. Race production was pretty much impeccable. Roads were closed with plenty of police and course marshals. There were lots of DJs and cheer stations, mile markers, and 5K/10K timing splits. Though the number of spectators was on the lower side for the size of the race. The spectators who were there were great though and very enthusiastic. Volunteers were also fantastic which was great compared to last weekend’s half. This had some of the most cheerful, enthusiastic volunteers. Aid stations were every 2ish mile and had water and Nuun. One in the middle had Gu and the best is the last one had mini pies. You could choose either chocolate or pumpkin and they were delicious. The finish is really nice by the water. I was happy to finish under 3 hours though I wasn’t quite as fast as Newburyport a few weeks ago. The medal is a nice mermaid themed medal. There is also a challenge if you do the 5K the day before. I didn’t do this as I didn’t fly in until Saturday morning but you get really great swag if you do the challenge. There is a fun finish area with beer and pizza and typical race snacks. I couldn’t stay too long as I had to check out of my hotel and catch my flight. Overall I thought this was a great race and I am glad I made the trip. I would definitely recommend this race. However if you are a 50 stater looking to only do one race in Virginia I do think Shamrock (which is the same race company) and Richmond (which is a different race company) had such amazing spectator support that they were a little bit more fun but this is still a great choice and a lot of fun if it works better with your schedule. It’s a bit of a trek for me to get to the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area but I would absolutely come back down to do this race or another J&A race again in the future.
Mini pies at mile 10, yes please!
The production of this race was wonderful and how can you beat mini homemade pumpkin and chocolate pie at mile 10? The course is very nice, taking you from the … MORE
The production of this race was wonderful and how can you beat mini homemade pumpkin and chocolate pie at mile 10? The course is very nice, taking you from the harbor around the city and even into Old Dominion campus. I love the sweatshirt (well not the color), it’s extremely soft and warm which was needed because it was cold and windy that day!
Cold but awesome event
The weather for this event was really cold. You run though downtown Norfolk, VA, and the event is held fight next to the Nauticus Battleship Wisconsin so it is very … MORE
The weather for this event was really cold. You run though downtown Norfolk, VA, and the event is held fight next to the Nauticus Battleship Wisconsin so it is very scenic. You got great SWAG, Beer and food for finishing the event, and it had a live band performing old rock songs. Its a really fun event and a must for anybody in the area.
Nice cold VA race
Windy near the start and finish probably because of the water. Relatively flat course. Really nice sweatshirt for swag. Music to hang around after while enjoying the 4 beverage tickets. … MORE
Windy near the start and finish probably because of the water. Relatively flat course. Really nice sweatshirt for swag. Music to hang around after while enjoying the 4 beverage tickets. My only disappointment was the e-mails mentioned hard cider at the finish but there was none at the after party, only beer and hard seltzer. The town is decorating for the holidays and they had a parade the night before.
It was a cold great event
The weather for this event was really cold. You run though downtown Norfolk, VA, and the event is held fight next to the Nauticus Battleship Wisconsin so it is very … MORE
The weather for this event was really cold. You run though downtown Norfolk, VA, and the event is held fight next to the Nauticus Battleship Wisconsin so it is very scenic. You got great SWAG, Beer and food for finishing the event, and it had a live band performing old rock songs. Its a really fun event and a must for anybody in the area.
Fun Event/Swag
This race was a lot of fun. J and A always seems to put on great events. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep well the night before and then drove 2 hours … MORE
This race was a lot of fun. J and A always seems to put on great events.
Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep well the night before and then drove 2 hours from Richmond early in the morning.
Pros:
-J and A gives out great medals, gear and puts on a great post race show.
-The course is flat and you get to see all the best spots in Norfolk.
Cons:
-Same day packet pickup was $25. Felt like this was gouging.
-The first water stop wasn’t until mile 3. I usually don’t drink much water the morning of a race because races normally have water stops every 2 miles. 3 felt like a long time.
Flat, Scenic, and Fun
This was a very enjoyable race for me as I was looking for a destination race that was relatively easy and enjoyable. The course was interesting and scenic passing through … MORE
This was a very enjoyable race for me as I was looking for a destination race that was relatively easy and enjoyable. The course was interesting and scenic passing through the downtown, clean neighborhoods, a short park trail (packed, crushed stone), and ultimately the harbor area. It was flat (with just a short dip down and up through an underpass which was refreshing after some hilly races earlier this year. The signup and packet pickup were easy for me, although I was staying at the Hilton downtown. I can’t speak for locals, but I did enjoy the ease of staying nearby for the expo, race start, and race finish. I recommend the Hilton as it is a nice new property and the race team arranged for a very affordable ($139/night) rate. Oh, and I’m no beer drinker, but I did enjoy half of a Blue Moon beer at the end (and the pie tartlet near mile 9). Overall, this was a very enjoyable race which I’d consider again (after I knock off a few more states:).
Flat course through Norfolk
It felt like the course took us all over Norfolk. Minimal cheering/crowds. It's flat and easy to run. Ending at the harbor meant it was quite chilly, but they have … MORE
It felt like the course took us all over Norfolk. Minimal cheering/crowds. It’s flat and easy to run. Ending at the harbor meant it was quite chilly, but they have tons of food and beverages after.