This is a downhill point to point half marathon in Albany, NY. I chose to do this race because Albany is halfway between Rochester and NH and had a race … MORE
This is a downhill point to point half marathon in Albany, NY. I chose to do this race because Albany is halfway between Rochester and NH and had a race in NH on Sunday so it worked out perfectly. I actually had plans in Syracuse Friday night so I stayed in Utica before the race which is in-between Syracuse and Albany so can’t comment on lodging in Albany but I’m sure there are convenient hotels in downtown Albany. The race had excellent production with a participant guide that had all the details. Luckily there is race day packet pick as I would not be able to get my packet early. For the race it is recommended you park in downtown Albany and take a shuttle to the start which is in a park in a small town outside Albany. They have some recommend parking garages and it was easy. The shuttle went very smooth and all the issues from the earlier reviews about the race seemed to be fixed so this race company clearly listens to feedback and works on improvement. Everyone appeared to be at the start with plenty of time to spare. The start was also well organized. I liked that they had water jugs set up and there was a good amount of porta potties. The race day packet pick-up was at the start and you got the bib before the race and shirt after. The start had signs to line up by pace and started on time. There are a few thousand runners and people seemed to line up well. The first two miles are on road which is good since it allows everyone to space out. There is a small uphill near the start (the only hill for the course) and then a steeper downhill. After mile 2 you spend most of the rest of the race on a rail trail with a very gradual downhill. It is the perfect course for being fast but the rail trail portion is not too steep so it is not a quad killer which was good since I had another half tomorrow. You are on the trail for about 8 or 9 miles then a couple miles more through the city which were flat. Course was very well marked. The trail was wide enough for runners to pass and all paved and well groomed. Since it was point to point it never got too crowded. There were aid stations about every 2 miles. The first 2 were just water. The rest had water and Nuun and one in the middle had gu. I believe they all had porta potties. It was kind of a hot day and close to 80 by the end of the race. For normal April weather there was the perfect amount of aid stations. In the heat, I’d prefer a few more but the weather was unusual. There were lots of spectators at intersections on the trail though obviously not many on the trail. There were police at all road crossings. There were also lots of back of packers so I was running with people the whole race. The scenery was okay. It was pleasant but a bit monotonous. The end in the city was mostly under roads and bridges and not that scenic. The finish was in a park across the bridge from the parking lot and downtown Albany. Given the elevation profile I was hoping to have my fastest race of the year and thought this might be the race to beat my next goal of 2:50 but when I saw the weather report of temps in the high 70s I knew that was too ambitious as I haven’t done any heat training and was happy that with the heat I was still under 3 hours. At the finish you get your medal. The medal is nice but not outstanding. This race is part of a challenge with a 10 miler in May and the medals connect. I think the medal would be really cool if you do the challenge but it’s fine on it’s own (the 10 miler is the same day as the Buffalo half so I can’t do the challenge as I want to do Buffalo one more time before I leave western NY). You also pick up your shirt if you do race day packet pick-up and bought a shirt (there is tiered registration with option for shirt or no shirt which I think is great). I got a shirt. It is a fine cotton shirt. I’d prefer a tech shirt. One minor production critique is the line for the shirt took forever because they were also selling merch at the booth. I wish they had separate pre-bought line and purchasing line to make it quicker. They also had box lunches and I was very excited for a vegan option. It included a hummus sandwich, chips and a delicious vegan dessert. If you want a huge vegan meal though the finish line is also a couple blocks from the delicious vegan burger place Wizard Burger. Overall this was a very good race. It is inbetween 4 and 5 sneakers. Production and elevation profile are definitely 5 sneakers although scenery and swag were just average. Vegan options at the end though round up the score to 5. As this race is only a 3 hour drive from me I would definitely consider it again. I’d recommend it for 50 staters if you prefer a mid-size, quieter, convenient NY race.
Please login to reply to this review.
Fast, Great Production & Vegan Food
This is a downhill point to point half marathon in Albany, NY. I chose to do this race because Albany is halfway between Rochester and NH and had a race … MORE
This is a downhill point to point half marathon in Albany, NY. I chose to do this race because Albany is halfway between Rochester and NH and had a race in NH on Sunday so it worked out perfectly. I actually had plans in Syracuse Friday night so I stayed in Utica before the race which is in-between Syracuse and Albany so can’t comment on lodging in Albany but I’m sure there are convenient hotels in downtown Albany. The race had excellent production with a participant guide that had all the details. Luckily there is race day packet pick as I would not be able to get my packet early. For the race it is recommended you park in downtown Albany and take a shuttle to the start which is in a park in a small town outside Albany. They have some recommend parking garages and it was easy. The shuttle went very smooth and all the issues from the earlier reviews about the race seemed to be fixed so this race company clearly listens to feedback and works on improvement. Everyone appeared to be at the start with plenty of time to spare. The start was also well organized. I liked that they had water jugs set up and there was a good amount of porta potties. The race day packet pick-up was at the start and you got the bib before the race and shirt after. The start had signs to line up by pace and started on time. There are a few thousand runners and people seemed to line up well. The first two miles are on road which is good since it allows everyone to space out. There is a small uphill near the start (the only hill for the course) and then a steeper downhill. After mile 2 you spend most of the rest of the race on a rail trail with a very gradual downhill. It is the perfect course for being fast but the rail trail portion is not too steep so it is not a quad killer which was good since I had another half tomorrow. You are on the trail for about 8 or 9 miles then a couple miles more through the city which were flat. Course was very well marked. The trail was wide enough for runners to pass and all paved and well groomed. Since it was point to point it never got too crowded. There were aid stations about every 2 miles. The first 2 were just water. The rest had water and Nuun and one in the middle had gu. I believe they all had porta potties. It was kind of a hot day and close to 80 by the end of the race. For normal April weather there was the perfect amount of aid stations. In the heat, I’d prefer a few more but the weather was unusual. There were lots of spectators at intersections on the trail though obviously not many on the trail. There were police at all road crossings. There were also lots of back of packers so I was running with people the whole race. The scenery was okay. It was pleasant but a bit monotonous. The end in the city was mostly under roads and bridges and not that scenic. The finish was in a park across the bridge from the parking lot and downtown Albany. Given the elevation profile I was hoping to have my fastest race of the year and thought this might be the race to beat my next goal of 2:50 but when I saw the weather report of temps in the high 70s I knew that was too ambitious as I haven’t done any heat training and was happy that with the heat I was still under 3 hours. At the finish you get your medal. The medal is nice but not outstanding. This race is part of a challenge with a 10 miler in May and the medals connect. I think the medal would be really cool if you do the challenge but it’s fine on it’s own (the 10 miler is the same day as the Buffalo half so I can’t do the challenge as I want to do Buffalo one more time before I leave western NY). You also pick up your shirt if you do race day packet pick-up and bought a shirt (there is tiered registration with option for shirt or no shirt which I think is great). I got a shirt. It is a fine cotton shirt. I’d prefer a tech shirt. One minor production critique is the line for the shirt took forever because they were also selling merch at the booth. I wish they had separate pre-bought line and purchasing line to make it quicker. They also had box lunches and I was very excited for a vegan option. It included a hummus sandwich, chips and a delicious vegan dessert. If you want a huge vegan meal though the finish line is also a couple blocks from the delicious vegan burger place Wizard Burger. Overall this was a very good race. It is inbetween 4 and 5 sneakers. Production and elevation profile are definitely 5 sneakers although scenery and swag were just average. Vegan options at the end though round up the score to 5. As this race is only a 3 hour drive from me I would definitely consider it again. I’d recommend it for 50 staters if you prefer a mid-size, quieter, convenient NY race.
Fast! Straight! Downhill!
This race was awesome! It was well organized with lots of prerace communication about what to expect. It is a point to point race, mostly on a well maintained rail … MORE
This race was awesome! It was well organized with lots of prerace communication about what to expect. It is a point to point race, mostly on a well maintained rail trail. I grew up in the neighborhood but there were several areas that I had never seen. Several natural areas, some historical. Would love to do this race again!
It's All Downhill; Fast & Fun Race!
Fun race with a good size, fast, field. Two miles of paved roads transitioning to a paved railroad trail. The trail was extremely clean and there was plenty of room … MORE
Fun race with a good size, fast, field. Two miles of paved roads transitioning to a paved railroad trail. The trail was extremely clean and there was plenty of room for runners. Lots of people cheering at intersections and a great finish along the Hudson River. Park at the finish and bus transportation to the start at a municipal park. Finish directly across for the the parking garage. The race production was very well done with multiple emails sent prior to the race, plenty of amenities at the start, and food and merchandise at the finish. I picked up my bib on race day at the start and picked up my sweatshirt after finishing (separate purchase option for shirt/sweatshirt). Very nice, folding magnetic finisher medal. Overall, i highly recommend this race if you are looking for a fast, downhill course with great race support and quality swag.
Fast half on narrow path.
Nice medal. Good shirt. Easy course, although it is narrow the whole way. It was not organized well. The buses did not run on time. I waited for over an … MORE
Nice medal. Good shirt. Easy course, although it is narrow the whole way. It was not organized well. The buses did not run on time. I waited for over an hour before I saw a bus. Even though I was there waiting 45 minutes before the last bus was to run, I ended up getting to the back check while they played the anthem. Even though it was their fault we were late, they started the race. So, there I was having to run behind almost the entire field of over 1,000 runners. If it is you fault Runners are late, give them 5 minutes after they get off your bus to check their gear and hit the potty. That being said, I bet they get it right next time. It was the first year for the race. See the medal in the picture.
Well organized, flat course
This was the first year of this race, and it went off almost seamlessly! When an issue with buses caused a delay, the race organizers clearly communicated the new start … MORE
This was the first year of this race, and it went off almost seamlessly! When an issue with buses caused a delay, the race organizers clearly communicated the new start time and made sure it went off smoothly. The course was well maintained and fairly flat, with lots of amazing cheering groups. The after-race party was great, with a beer tent, sandwiches and free massages. I hope to run this one again.
Beautiful Inaugural Race!
This was was the first year for this race and it was fantastic. Beautiful course along a rail trail and the Hudson River. Continual communication and updates from race organizers … MORE
This was was the first year for this race and it was fantastic. Beautiful course along a rail trail and the Hudson River. Continual communication and updates from race organizers and a cool medal at the finish. Will Run next year for Sure!