This race was beyond spectacular! From the time you sign up they began to inform you on everything that is involved leading up to the big day. You get a … MORE
This race was beyond spectacular! From the time you sign up they began to inform you on everything that is involved leading up to the big day. You get a training plan but most importantly they enlisted runners/walkers to guide us through the journey. The race expo was nice but I wish more vendors were there. The race shirt was very nice, you also received feetures socks, a race belt that held tons of stuff among some other swag. The sponsor of the race was milk so free milk was everywhere. The expo had exercise classes, cooking classes and different speakers. The Girl Scouts held a pep rally the evening before the race. There were shakeout runs offered throughout the city. The day of the race the DJ was going strong and the announcer knew how to hype us up. There were plenty of porter potties and some were PINK! The course had a couple hills but not to bad and there was plenty of course entertainment. The spectators were fun with their beers, doughnuts, salt, orange slices ect.. Forrest Gump was passing out chocolates. There was plenty of water provided on the course. Once you cross the finish line you get your medal and lots of snacks! You walk less than a block to the party which includes a concert, beer, food truck and stretch zone. Oh they also had an app for your family to follow you and send you inspiration and someone was talking to you through the app encouraging you. I will say it again this race was amazing! The volunteers went above and beyond
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It’s truly a race for every woman
This race was beyond spectacular! From the time you sign up they began to inform you on everything that is involved leading up to the big day. You get a … MORE
This race was beyond spectacular! From the time you sign up they began to inform you on everything that is involved leading up to the big day. You get a training plan but most importantly they enlisted runners/walkers to guide us through the journey. The race expo was nice but I wish more vendors were there. The race shirt was very nice, you also received feetures socks, a race belt that held tons of stuff among some other swag. The sponsor of the race was milk so free milk was everywhere. The expo had exercise classes, cooking classes and different speakers. The Girl Scouts held a pep rally the evening before the race. There were shakeout runs offered throughout the city. The day of the race the DJ was going strong and the announcer knew how to hype us up. There were plenty of porter potties and some were PINK! The course had a couple hills but not to bad and there was plenty of course entertainment. The spectators were fun with their beers, doughnuts, salt, orange slices ect.. Forrest Gump was passing out chocolates. There was plenty of water provided on the course. Once you cross the finish line you get your medal and lots of snacks! You walk less than a block to the party which includes a concert, beer, food truck and stretch zone. Oh they also had an app for your family to follow you and send you inspiration and someone was talking to you through the app encouraging you. I will say it again this race was amazing! The volunteers went above and beyond
Not Just Hype - EWM was Everything!
I loved everything about this race from the pre-race activities to the custom cars that offered free rides from the airport. The race directors truly rolled out the red carpet. … MORE
I loved everything about this race from the pre-race activities to the custom cars that offered free rides from the airport. The race directors truly rolled out the red carpet. The vibe on race morning was amazing. Black Girls Run! truly brought the energy at the start line. There were plenty of port-a-potties. I walked right up to one with no line and there were feminine products for those who needed them. Most of the course was shaded as we ran through the parks and downtown. There were only a couple of hills as we ran over bridges and along the highway. The only part of the course that I didn’t like was running on brick pavers. My ankles felt unsteady running on them. I didn’t stay for the after party. All I saw was someone performing on the stage and I took a couple of pictures with my medal. I was also hungry and only saw the typical snacks at the finish line and a food truck. I was disappointed that there were no aid stations on the course with pain meds, Vaseline, Biofreeze, or pickle juice. There were plenty of hydration stations with water and Gatorade. Overall I had a great experience and would recommend this race to EVERY WOMAN. Oh yeah, I love love love the free race photos.
Good Vibes and Excellent support
Overall, the production was very smooth, especially for an inaugural race. The only hiccups I experienced were chaos at the expo and limited merch, especially in larger sizes. No gels … MORE
Overall, the production was very smooth, especially for an inaugural race. The only hiccups I experienced were chaos at the expo and limited merch, especially in larger sizes. No gels were available on the course when I reached the stations, and they had already closed the recovery station before I finished, which was disappointing. The events offered at the expo were fantastic, the swag was high quality, and the support of women for women was unbelievable.
Amazing even
Great swag bag! Beautiful scenery! Great crowd support!! This was an inaugural event so they need a bigger venue for the expo and more merchandise. Hydration was roughly every 2 … MORE
Great swag bag! Beautiful scenery! Great crowd support!! This was an inaugural event so they need a bigger venue for the expo and more merchandise. Hydration was roughly every 2 miles and for a marathon every mile should have a water station and-or electrolyte. Overall great experience and detail from airport pickup to medal engraving station!
Best run with friends
I ran this race solo, as I always do, but this was a race unlike most others and I wished I’d had some girlfriends at my side! The energy and … MORE
I ran this race solo, as I always do, but this was a race unlike most others and I wished I’d had some girlfriends at my side! The energy and excitement surrounding this race was palpable before, during, and after race day. This is a GREAT first marathon experience for anyone looking to run their first.
PROS: Great location for the race, expo, and finish festival; free race photos by FinisherPix; Awesome high quality swag, smooth start, lots of lady-focused amenities and activities. I wish I’d taken advantage of the hair braiding bar, shakeout runs, and panels with the running legends present at the expo but I didn’t arrive in time. I was, however, VERY thankful for all the clean, well-stocked portapotties (this has been a recurring theme for me this year) – I NEVER waited in line! Finally, the recovery focus at the finish festival was really great. Stretching and normatec boots and plenty of milk/chocolate milk!
CONS: This was the first year so there were bound to be some kinks in the execution. Bib pickup was a little slow and chaotic. The space was very small and crowded and made the expo less than enjoyable. The race itself started with a bang but quickly fizzled out into a quiet, run-down part of town that really killed the vibe for a while. Back in downtown Savannah it was better but there are a LOT of turns, so if you’re not paying attention to your tangents, you’re definitely running closer to 27 miles. It would’ve been nice to run by the river and spend more time in the more scenic parts of the city.
I’d run it again if I had a group to run with.
Hyped!!!
I wasn’t impressed with the expo. It was phenomenal but limited. The race was extraordinary. Running with 7000 women was over the top! I’m not good with a lot turns. … MORE
I wasn’t impressed with the expo. It was phenomenal but limited. The race was extraordinary. Running with 7000 women was over the top! I’m not good with a lot turns. However this is the first race where you had someone cheering you on or there was entertainment. There was a lot of drink and gel stations. The garage parking was nice but we had to walk a ways and climb stairs. Perhaps a trolley would’ve been nice. I was so excited and absolutely loved this race!!! Overall, this was fabulous race.
Oh so many women!
This was a race by women for women and it did not disappoint. For an inaugural room with a 7,000 runner cap, race organizers did it all incredibly well. Standout … MORE
This was a race by women for women and it did not disappoint. For an inaugural room with a 7,000 runner cap, race organizers did it all incredibly well. Standout to me was the excellent and frequent communication leading up the actual event. We received base training plans, strength and stretching exercises, and on and on. It was pretty amazing.
Packet pick-up was a surprise. Their venue wasn’t nearly big enough and the biggest miss was the lack of SHOPPING at the expo – 6,800 ladies and you aren’t going to give us all something to shop for? I love Running Rabbit gear and the space was so crowded you couldn’t get near anything. Disappointment there.
Race day was pretty great, though. Excellent on-course support and crowds turned out all over the very pretty town of Savannah. I would encourage race directors to change that 2 mile stretch on the highway (yes, you read that right) to something else next year. From mile 20-22 running on a highway (albeit a closed one) was physically (very warm, no shade) and mentally (very ugly) challenging.
Finish line was electric.
Well done, EWM! Super impressed.
Inaugural Marathon! Partied in the City!
This was the inaugural marathon, and I'm fortunate enough to participate in it! Usually, inaugural events are rocky and there are tons of ways for the organizers to improve, but … MORE
This was the inaugural marathon, and I’m fortunate enough to participate in it! Usually, inaugural events are rocky and there are tons of ways for the organizers to improve, but I don’t have any major notes for this one.
The organizers were proactive with their news and information (ex. bib pickup, race day training tips). The expo was at the Trustees Garden and had tons of personal touches that made it seem like the organizers have been doing this for years! For example, runners could pick up their name tags on a wall that was alco color coded with the number of marathons someone ran (ex. first time, 11-30, 60+). The race swag was ok for me since the shirt and wind breaker jacket were bland. Additionally, Rabbit (the clothing partner) didn’t make nearly enough merch for people since they sold out early on in the day.
As for race day, the weather was perfect in the beginning since it was in the 50s. As the day went on, it warmed up and there was next-to-no shade, so the sun was blasting me in the eyes (I know the organizers can’t control that). It was mostly flat since there were a few elevation changes, but it is possible to PR (my performance was meh since I had hip pain sadly).
*EDIT: My major complaint about this race is that tons of runners were routed to the front for being slow (swag wagon) and their “results” were still on the page. Therefore, the rankings aren’t accurate*
The city really came out to support us! I felt like there weren’t many dead spots, so I didn’t feel alone or bored. This is great for first-timers and 6+ hour runners.
Inspiring and beautiful event
Inaugural events are often a little rocky, but not so at Every Woman's Marathon. It was incredibly well-organized and filled with small touches that made it feel special. The race … MORE
Inaugural events are often a little rocky, but not so at Every Woman’s Marathon. It was incredibly well-organized and filled with small touches that made it feel special. The race expo was small but in a beautiful garden space where you could sit outside and meet up with other runners. The race swag was amazing – a high-quality shirt from rabbit, socks, a race belt, and k-tape in a reusable bag. There was even a nice sign-making area for spectators.
Race morning was totally smooth for me; I stayed about 2 blocks from the start and just walked over. Before the race started, Katherine Switzer welcomed us!! And there was something just so special about being at an event that was 90%+ women, many of whom were doing their first marathon. The course was fun because there were several out-and-back parts where you could see other runners. From mile 5 to 6, it felt like the longest high five line ever and cheers of, “you go, girl!” were constant. The lap around the Savanah State University track while the band played was special, and the Savanah Banana Nanas were out to cheer as well.
The only thing that was challenging for me was the weather. It started comfortable but got to 68 by the time I finished which felt quite warm. I also (desperately!) needed a portaloo during the last 5 miles but there were not to be found. Please have bathroom options every 1-2 miles!!