Some friends suggested this race to me, one of them lives about a half hour from Stillwater. The Minnesota vs Wisconsin theme is fun, though I don't see any actual … MORE
Some friends suggested this race to me, one of them lives about a half hour from Stillwater. The Minnesota vs Wisconsin theme is fun, though I don’t see any actual race results related to MN vs WI runners and the winner of the showdown.
Packet pickup was Friday at an inn/restaurant in downtown Stillwater. Parking was a little scarce and I ended up paying $3 to park in a nearby lot. If you have time to spend there it is a nice area by the Saint Croix River with some cute shops and eateries and a paved bike path nearby.
Early August weather in the Midwest can be quite hot and humid. We were lucky to get a cloudy day that started in the mid 60’s with moderate humidity.
The course is a point-to-point, with shuttles from the finish. Since my friend drove me to the start line I avoided using the shuttle. My goal for the race was in the 8:45 min/mile range so I lined up between the 1:50 and 1:55 pacer.
The first mile is relatively flat and when I looked at my watch the pace was 8:13. A bit fast! I slowed down and let the pacers go. The rest of the course is rolling hills and we ran through some nice neighborhoods. The course is not closed but traffic was not too busy. A couple miles were along a long, straight country road, which wasn’t too thrilling.
Course support was very good, with water stops and porta potties about every two miles. The last few stops seemed misplaced, there were a couple within a mile of each other and then the next one was about 3 miles away, with the last stop in the last mile. Perhaps those were placed there for the 5K or 10K.
The last portion of the race took us over a bridge over the Saint Croix River on a sidewalk alongside the interstate, with cars zipping by at about 80 mph. That was loud. There appeared to be photographers at the finish. Finish line food consisted of water, bags of chips, and bananas. There was a nice photo op next to a large timing sign that looked like it would display your finish time when you stood next to it.
The finisher medal was very large and heavy. It pictures a bridge that I am fairly sure that we did not run over. 😉 The only other race swag was a short sleeve tech tee.
Overall, I thought the race was fine, though I would not go out of my way to run it again. The scenery is similar enough to races close to me in Wisconsin that I don’t need to travel to MN to run it. But I can say that I ran from MN to WI. 🙂
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Well supported small-town race
Some friends suggested this race to me, one of them lives about a half hour from Stillwater. The Minnesota vs Wisconsin theme is fun, though I don't see any actual … MORE
Some friends suggested this race to me, one of them lives about a half hour from Stillwater. The Minnesota vs Wisconsin theme is fun, though I don’t see any actual race results related to MN vs WI runners and the winner of the showdown.
Packet pickup was Friday at an inn/restaurant in downtown Stillwater. Parking was a little scarce and I ended up paying $3 to park in a nearby lot. If you have time to spend there it is a nice area by the Saint Croix River with some cute shops and eateries and a paved bike path nearby.
Early August weather in the Midwest can be quite hot and humid. We were lucky to get a cloudy day that started in the mid 60’s with moderate humidity.
The course is a point-to-point, with shuttles from the finish. Since my friend drove me to the start line I avoided using the shuttle. My goal for the race was in the 8:45 min/mile range so I lined up between the 1:50 and 1:55 pacer.
The first mile is relatively flat and when I looked at my watch the pace was 8:13. A bit fast! I slowed down and let the pacers go. The rest of the course is rolling hills and we ran through some nice neighborhoods. The course is not closed but traffic was not too busy. A couple miles were along a long, straight country road, which wasn’t too thrilling.
Course support was very good, with water stops and porta potties about every two miles. The last few stops seemed misplaced, there were a couple within a mile of each other and then the next one was about 3 miles away, with the last stop in the last mile. Perhaps those were placed there for the 5K or 10K.
The last portion of the race took us over a bridge over the Saint Croix River on a sidewalk alongside the interstate, with cars zipping by at about 80 mph. That was loud. There appeared to be photographers at the finish. Finish line food consisted of water, bags of chips, and bananas. There was a nice photo op next to a large timing sign that looked like it would display your finish time when you stood next to it.
The finisher medal was very large and heavy. It pictures a bridge that I am fairly sure that we did not run over. 😉 The only other race swag was a short sleeve tech tee.
Overall, I thought the race was fine, though I would not go out of my way to run it again. The scenery is similar enough to races close to me in Wisconsin that I don’t need to travel to MN to run it. But I can say that I ran from MN to WI. 🙂
Meh...
This course has a fun theme - you get to pick which state to run for: Wisconsin or Minnesota. Evidently there is a winner in terms of participation, but I've … MORE
This course has a fun theme – you get to pick which state to run for: Wisconsin or Minnesota. Evidently there is a winner in terms of participation, but I’ve never seen it announced.
Start is at the fairgrounds in Stillwater. Its just okay. It has all the basics that are required, but still seems a little flimsy. The medals (if thats your motivation) have a wide margin for improvement. They are nothing special (one year it was plastic and didn’t have the Gopher or the Badger on it, which leads me to believe perhaps they are having some licensing/proprietary issues? IDK).
The course is rolling hills, so be prepared. One porta-potty at the half way mark. Finish line party is nice with plenty of food, a professional photographer and ends in Hudson by the beach close to the downtown area. Take a dip in the St Croix river to cool off after this hot August race then grab pizza at Dough Boys or beers at Pier 500 just a block away. Don’t park at the start line as there is no shuttle back to the fairgrounds after the race starts. You don’t want to get stranded.
Pick a side - MN or WI
I like the theme of the race (Minnesota Vs Wisconsin). Race support was good. Course was mediocre - especially the last couple of miles to get into Wisconsin on the … MORE
I like the theme of the race (Minnesota Vs Wisconsin). Race support was good. Course was mediocre – especially the last couple of miles to get into Wisconsin on the side of the bridge. Swag was a cotton nice fitting shirt, knee high socks and a ok medal. Last year’s gear was a little cooler. I would do this race again. It wasn’t a wow course but the race was well run. Make sure you leave time for the shuttle!!