You'll do this race because of the finish line in a great small city and because you expect to have a good time. The scenery is nothing special, but isn't … MORE
You’ll do this race because of the finish line in a great small city and because you expect to have a good time. The scenery is nothing special, but isn’t anything to complain about either. The first four miles are rolling along a road and sidewalk and the next nine miles are along a paved greenway. This has everything you could want in a race: easy packet pickup, port-a-potties at start and aid stations, plenty of aid stations, great post-race support, and the typical medal and t-shirt at finish.
The only two things that would make this race better are both possibly beyond expectation. The first is to have the packet pickup at the high school where everyone parks. That would avoid the 4-lane hwy crossing by 2,000 runners and it would provide an indoor place to wait, particularly in case of bad weather, which we narrowly avoided this year. It would also mean a lot less walking to packet pickup. Traffic up here for an hour before the race is jammed. Plan to arrive earlier than you think you need to arrive, just to get through traffic and parked. Heaviest traffic I’ve seen for a race, even for much larger races.
The second thing is to drop the cap of runners. 1,850 for the half was a bit crowded, although I’ve certainly run races that were more crowded, so that’s a minor issue, imo.
Another reviewer mentioned bag pickup. I didn’t use this so I have no observation. I also didn’t notice the food shortage, although that could have been after I finished.
If you are a runner who clocks a sub-9 minute mile but who doesn’t typically care where you start, or who likes to start in the back of the field, this is one race where you may want to reconsider. I’ve done that in previous years at this race and it’s not easy working your way up once the trail narrows down to a greenway after mile 4. I started near the pacer whose time I expected to match and things moved pretty much my preferred speed after the first quarter mile or so. So if you start with your pacer time then you should be fine.
I drove four hours to get to this race and this is my third time. And I’ll probably be back. It’s a really nice race and a great weekend destination. This is one that the non-runner wife is happy to return to each year.
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Downhill, great city to finish in.
You'll do this race because of the finish line in a great small city and because you expect to have a good time. The scenery is nothing special, but isn't … MORE
You’ll do this race because of the finish line in a great small city and because you expect to have a good time. The scenery is nothing special, but isn’t anything to complain about either. The first four miles are rolling along a road and sidewalk and the next nine miles are along a paved greenway. This has everything you could want in a race: easy packet pickup, port-a-potties at start and aid stations, plenty of aid stations, great post-race support, and the typical medal and t-shirt at finish.
The only two things that would make this race better are both possibly beyond expectation. The first is to have the packet pickup at the high school where everyone parks. That would avoid the 4-lane hwy crossing by 2,000 runners and it would provide an indoor place to wait, particularly in case of bad weather, which we narrowly avoided this year. It would also mean a lot less walking to packet pickup. Traffic up here for an hour before the race is jammed. Plan to arrive earlier than you think you need to arrive, just to get through traffic and parked. Heaviest traffic I’ve seen for a race, even for much larger races.
The second thing is to drop the cap of runners. 1,850 for the half was a bit crowded, although I’ve certainly run races that were more crowded, so that’s a minor issue, imo.
Another reviewer mentioned bag pickup. I didn’t use this so I have no observation. I also didn’t notice the food shortage, although that could have been after I finished.
If you are a runner who clocks a sub-9 minute mile but who doesn’t typically care where you start, or who likes to start in the back of the field, this is one race where you may want to reconsider. I’ve done that in previous years at this race and it’s not easy working your way up once the trail narrows down to a greenway after mile 4. I started near the pacer whose time I expected to match and things moved pretty much my preferred speed after the first quarter mile or so. So if you start with your pacer time then you should be fine.
I drove four hours to get to this race and this is my third time. And I’ll probably be back. It’s a really nice race and a great weekend destination. This is one that the non-runner wife is happy to return to each year.
Wouldn’t do again
I probably wouldn’t recommend this race. The first 3-4 miles was too crowded on a small path, the port a pots were a 1/2 mile from the start, there were … MORE
I probably wouldn’t recommend this race. The first 3-4 miles was too crowded on a small path, the port a pots were a 1/2 mile from the start, there were no bananas at the end and they ran out of snacks, I had to grab my own GU at the stop, and there wasn’t much crowd support along the way. The worst part was they had bag check in a van at the start and I found my bag (along with others) behind a building sitting on the ground not near the finish, with no one watching them. RIDICULOUS! The course was mostly flat and downhill so that’s a plus.
A great PR race
This course is great. The first four miles are rolling. The next six are on a slight decline. And the remaining three are a mix of down and flat. If … MORE
This course is great. The first four miles are rolling. The next six are on a slight decline. And the remaining three are a mix of down and flat. If you don’t get a PR here then your PR is already on some other downhill race. This isn’t the sort of downhill that leaves you with sore quads for a week or two after either. It’s a very gentle, almost imperceptible, downhill. Quite a nice run, actually.
My only complaint is that this year the packet pick up and port-a-potties were about a quarter mile from the start line and there were no clear markings or signs. I understand that there would be complications with moving the packet pick up to the start line, but why not move the start line to the packet pickup, and then just have runners cross the road (after the race begins) a quarter mile sooner?
But this is a great race and that’s my only gripe. And even then, if they had sent a few emails out about this, or had signs posting where things were, it would have been okay. It probably did not help that I arrived to the start line, sans packet, only about 15 minutes before the race started. Traffic was clogged with all the runners and there were a lot of us who arrived in the nick of time because of the bad traffic. And there was even a shuttle bus that arrived at the same time as we did; presumably some of them needed packet pick up as well? Bottom line, that bit needs work. But the rest is great. I’d absolutely recommend a weekend in Greenville if you come out for this race. You’ll love it and you’ll be back.
Super fast course
This course is fast but not hard on the body. Once you pass the first few miles of some easy rolling hills, the course picks up the swamp rabbit trail. … MORE
This course is fast but not hard on the body. Once you pass the first few miles of some easy rolling hills, the course picks up the swamp rabbit trail. It is a gentle decent into Greenville. The most downhill part of the race is between miles 4-10. I like this course. The trail was pretty and peaceful. The swag was ok – cute medal and tech shirt. There wasn’t really an expo. The finish line did have nice warm burritos for runners. Course support was good. Getting to/from the start and/or finish was tricky if you didn’t have a ride since it was a point to point and transportation was not guaranteed. Definitely worth going – stay in Greenville and enjoy the town.
This will be your PR race.
This is a great race, in just about every regard. If this isn't your PR race then you aren't trying hard. It's up and down for the first few miles … MORE
This is a great race, in just about every regard. If this isn’t your PR race then you aren’t trying hard. It’s up and down for the first few miles and then the rest of the race is downhill. And not like falling-down-the-mountain downhill. It is almost imperceptible, which is the best downhill you can have when running. The course is on a paved greenway and you have only a few road crossings. It’s pretty, but it’s not running by waterfalls, cliff edges, or spectacular views. But no complaints, really. It is a nice course. There are also amply stocked aid stations every few miles which is always a plus. For context, I finished 508 out of 1,052. Pretty average.
The organization of the race was also great. Timely emails, easy start and finish, and the race starts (point to point) downtown, so if you want to stay at a hotel near the start line, you can. But you’ll need a ride up to Traveller’s Rest, where it starts. And Greenville is such a cute town! I grew up only an hour away and don’t remember Greenville being such a nice town, but it’s definitely worth a weekend trip. If you do this race, I would highly recommend staying at a hotel in downtown Greenville and exploring the town. And the spouse can drop you at the start line, then go back, sleep a bit longer or eat breakfast, and then wander down to the finish line to watch you finish.
And the post-race party at the end, despite Covid, was great. This was my first time in this race – 2021 – and I think the norm is to have a more lively post-race party. And at the finish line you are in the Falls Park area of the city. Lots of bridges and benches to walk and sit on, and nearby cafes to eat at… if you are still hungry after eating the post-race meal.
In 25+ half marathons and 25+ other races, this is easily in my top 5 races, all things considered. Highly recommend.