This is an average race. That isn't a criticism. Most races these days check all the boxes: nice course, good support on the course, chip timing, post race snacks, etc. … MORE
This is an average race. That isn’t a criticism. Most races these days check all the boxes: nice course, good support on the course, chip timing, post race snacks, etc. This race checked those boxes, with a few things better than average and a few worse than average.
First, the course was great. You can’t see beyond the trees on the path for part of the race, but it’s a nice surface and you do have river views for part of the run. It’s almost completely flat, so if you are looking for a soft surface flat course, this is your race… I’ve not raced too many (any?) non-paved trails that are this flat.
The aid stations were great. They had sports drink, water, and a few stations had gel. A few may have also had cut oranges. But the liquid was all in bottles which may have been a Covid-related thing. But it’s wasteful because runners don’t usually need more than a few ounces of liquid at each stop. Who drinks a 10 or 12 oz bottle of Gatorade or water? Wasteful, but again, it was likely Covid related. The post race food and drinks could have been a bit more robust. No chocolate milk? That’s becoming a fairly standard thing to see at races, and rightly so since it is widely considered nearly the perfect immediate post-race drink.
Parking was good and there were porta-potties at the start. This is a small race and I don’t think they’d be able to get much bigger due to parking limitations. But the nearby town of Covington is a cute town, worth walking around in, but as cute as it is, it isn’t real tourist friendly. I think I saw maybe only one or two places to eat on the main street, and one of them was closed. The other was a hot dog and ice cream joint, which isn’t exactly what races are looking for pre-race. Still, I loved this little town and the race. I probably won’t do it again, but only because it was a 6 hour drive for me to get to Covington from my home. If I lived only an hour away I’d do this one again.
Nice course, average race
This is an average race. That isn't a criticism. Most races these days check all the boxes: nice course, good support on the course, chip timing, post race snacks, etc. … MORE
This is an average race. That isn’t a criticism. Most races these days check all the boxes: nice course, good support on the course, chip timing, post race snacks, etc. This race checked those boxes, with a few things better than average and a few worse than average.
First, the course was great. You can’t see beyond the trees on the path for part of the race, but it’s a nice surface and you do have river views for part of the run. It’s almost completely flat, so if you are looking for a soft surface flat course, this is your race… I’ve not raced too many (any?) non-paved trails that are this flat.
The aid stations were great. They had sports drink, water, and a few stations had gel. A few may have also had cut oranges. But the liquid was all in bottles which may have been a Covid-related thing. But it’s wasteful because runners don’t usually need more than a few ounces of liquid at each stop. Who drinks a 10 or 12 oz bottle of Gatorade or water? Wasteful, but again, it was likely Covid related. The post race food and drinks could have been a bit more robust. No chocolate milk? That’s becoming a fairly standard thing to see at races, and rightly so since it is widely considered nearly the perfect immediate post-race drink.
Parking was good and there were porta-potties at the start. This is a small race and I don’t think they’d be able to get much bigger due to parking limitations. But the nearby town of Covington is a cute town, worth walking around in, but as cute as it is, it isn’t real tourist friendly. I think I saw maybe only one or two places to eat on the main street, and one of them was closed. The other was a hot dog and ice cream joint, which isn’t exactly what races are looking for pre-race. Still, I loved this little town and the race. I probably won’t do it again, but only because it was a 6 hour drive for me to get to Covington from my home. If I lived only an hour away I’d do this one again.
Good to be running a real race
After Covid 19 races aren't quite the same. We don't talk as much and get to know runners as well. The expo was a packet pickup. The shirts weren't there … MORE
After Covid 19 races aren’t quite the same. We don’t talk as much and get to know runners as well. The expo was a packet pickup. The shirts weren’t there on time. The course is great… we had a warm humid day to run. The heat and humidity really got to me. But I ran a real marathon in June.