Local race in Columbia MD. Smaller race, runs through the suburbs and rural areas. Almost all of it is on the shoulders of open roads, there was not much traffic … MORE
Local race in Columbia MD. Smaller race, runs through the suburbs and rural areas. Almost all of it is on the shoulders of open roads, there was not much traffic on the roads, and there were lots of police and volunteers managing traffic. The hills are constant and never ending. Water stops were at appropriate distances and the volunteers were great, especially those stationed at all of the roads dealing with traffic. The course is kind of boring, there is shade on a third of it. The snacks at the end were very basic, unless I missed something better. Wet towels, bottle water, pretzels, granola bars. This race does raise money for cancer research. The medal was average and the shirt was one of the soft cotton types, pretty good. The race is what it is, a nice close to home race if you live in the area.
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Rolling hills? How about all hills.
Local race in Columbia MD. Smaller race, runs through the suburbs and rural areas. Almost all of it is on the shoulders of open roads, there was not much traffic … MORE
Local race in Columbia MD. Smaller race, runs through the suburbs and rural areas. Almost all of it is on the shoulders of open roads, there was not much traffic on the roads, and there were lots of police and volunteers managing traffic. The hills are constant and never ending. Water stops were at appropriate distances and the volunteers were great, especially those stationed at all of the roads dealing with traffic. The course is kind of boring, there is shade on a third of it. The snacks at the end were very basic, unless I missed something better. Wet towels, bottle water, pretzels, granola bars. This race does raise money for cancer research. The medal was average and the shirt was one of the soft cotton types, pretty good. The race is what it is, a nice close to home race if you live in the area.
May have outgrown its location...or visa
Pro: Easy check in, easy parking, restaurants nearby, pre-race sponsors had lots of swag, good weather, lots of bucolic scenery, well placed and stocked aid stations. Con: Continuously rolling hills, … MORE
Pro: Easy check in, easy parking, restaurants nearby, pre-race sponsors had lots of swag, good weather, lots of bucolic scenery, well placed and stocked aid stations.
Con: Continuously rolling hills, but more concerning, a lot of the course was on asphalt shoulders of two lane roads, and there was a *LOT* of traffic. The volunteers and police did their best, but there were still cars blowing by me. I think the area is just too built up to keep hosting this event.
Also, be warned. Even tho the course has a 4 hour time limit, if you come in much past 3:25, the only things left are bananas, cold towels, and I presume water. Not even the finishers medals were left. Between the course and the traffic on it, I won’t do this one again.
Great Race, lots of unexpected elevation
Had a good time running this race. Ran it with my wife and pregnant sister-in-law. Even though I reviewed the elevation map pre-race, the elevation kicked my behind. Best story … MORE
Had a good time running this race. Ran it with my wife and pregnant sister-in-law. Even though I reviewed the elevation map pre-race, the elevation kicked my behind. Best story I got from the race was stopping at a Chik-fil-a on the race course for breakfast for my wife and sister-in-law and sprinting to catch up with them, and then running into the manager who’s team was volunteering to man a water station further along the course. He thought it was hilarious and gave us vouchers for free food lol. Overall had a great time and the swag was great. Race is a fundraiser for UM cancer research so I felt like it was a good cause to run for.
First Marathon! Would do it again!
This was my first half marathon. I did really well considering the travelling out of town and not having best nights sleep. Aid stations helped, very nice arrangments, enthusiastic people … MORE
This was my first half marathon. I did really well considering the travelling out of town and not having best nights sleep. Aid stations helped, very nice arrangments, enthusiastic people made it feel best. I followed the pacers and they helped me get through.
Hot Half Marathon!
Maple Lawn MD is a good location for a Half Marathon. It provides some challenging hills, that are even more challenging in the June heat. It'd be great to see … MORE
Maple Lawn MD is a good location for a Half Marathon. It provides some challenging hills, that are even more challenging in the June heat. It’d be great to see this even grow even further!
I loved this race
I decided to do the 5k instead of the half because of a continuing knee injury. Packet pickup was easy and quick at Fleet Feet. Parking was a breeze! Plenty … MORE
I decided to do the 5k instead of the half because of a continuing knee injury. Packet pickup was easy and quick at Fleet Feet. Parking was a breeze! Plenty due to it being located in a shopping center. The music and festive decorations (balloons and such) made for a fun atmosphere. There were people with dogs, a children’s event and booths, so it was a good family event. There were multiple vendors with freebies and things to try and Dunkin Donuts had some kind of coffee shots, a water station along the route, and munchkins at the end.
The 5k route was not bad. There were a few people out watching from their porch and some had signs of support, which were fun (“run like you stole something”). It was a partially closed route through a residential area of nice town homes and houses. The event was for the UMD cancer center, so there were people supporting cancer survivors and honoring the memories of those lost. One water station was setup in honor of a veteran who had lost his battle with cancer and the motorcycle club had all of their 3 wheelers lined up, they were beautiful and the members thanked us for running and gave out water and Gatorade. It was funny that when right before the first mile, 5kers see a sign that says 10 miles, obviously for the halfers, that happened a couple of times as the route is shared. The halfers start at 8, they were late starting, and 5k at 8:30, we still started on time. 5kers are guided to a left turn because going straight will take you on the halfers route.
I heard someone say that there was a shortage of volunteers, but everything still went smoothly and there was plenty of support and people directing you on the route, and they were friendly and encouraging. I loved that they are getting instant results, so they call your name as you cross the finish! Nice medal. The 1/4 zip long sleeve is nice, but seems to run big. I got a medium and could have probably used a small. There was cold water, cold towels, carrot cake/bread (?), potato chips, bananas, and munchkins at the finish. One of the vendors had fresh popped pop corn, which I love as a recovery snack.
This was an awesome, fun event! There was a man walking on stilts and the photographer was really cool about taking special photos, so I got a few with my mom, who attended as a spectator and loved it. I recommend this race! There were a couple of hills, but nothing that really bothered me. The weather held out, but it was humid, although there was a breeze every so often, so not too bad. I think because I was enjoying the day so much, everything else was just icing on the cake. I signed up during the week before packet pickup, so this was a last minute decision for me and I am so glad I decided to do it.