Very well organized. Shuttle service to the start line. Flat paved course, that wasn’t too difficult. Well spaced hydration stations and facilities. Great energy and motivation with volunteers and community … MORE
Very well organized. Shuttle service to the start line. Flat paved course, that wasn’t too difficult. Well spaced hydration stations and facilities. Great energy and motivation with volunteers and community along the course.
Great Race
Very well organized. Shuttle service to the start line. Flat paved course, that wasn’t too difficult. Well spaced hydration stations and facilities. Great energy and motivation with volunteers and community … MORE
Very well organized. Shuttle service to the start line. Flat paved course, that wasn’t too difficult. Well spaced hydration stations and facilities. Great energy and motivation with volunteers and community along the course.
Flat fast point-to-point course
Very well organized with shuttle taking you from the finish to the starting line 13 or 26 miles away. Plenty of water stations along this flat fast course. Runners receive … MORE
Very well organized with shuttle taking you from the finish to the starting line 13 or 26 miles away. Plenty of water stations along this flat fast course. Runners receive quality long sleeve race shirts, medals and two beers & food. Not very scenic and course can get boring during the long straight stretches. Highly recommend!
Great race and course support
Fairly flat with a few inclines. Plenty of water stops and course support. Pacers and good swag and after party. Packet pick up was great and inside bathrooms before start. … MORE
Fairly flat with a few inclines. Plenty of water stops and course support.
Pacers and good swag and after party.
Packet pick up was great and inside bathrooms before start.
5K the day before and challenge swag.
Nice News
This race was great! Well-organized, good communication, lots of course support. The course is fairly flat, point-to-point. The ptp arrangement requires a shuttle which makes for a very early start … MORE
This race was great! Well-organized, good communication, lots of course support. The course is fairly flat, point-to-point. The ptp arrangement requires a shuttle which makes for a very early start to the day. The start is in a pretty state park. Plenty of restrooms at start. Finish is downtown. Run winds through the park, then neighborhoods and then along the harbor road. Race medal is nice, but plain. I had a terrible performance, but the race was good.
Well organized. Good support
I ran One City to complete my "City" marathons (One City, Twin Cities, Quad Cities. If only Tri-Cities would finally race again). It's a small marathon (~350 marathoners), but very … MORE
I ran One City to complete my “City” marathons (One City, Twin Cities, Quad Cities. If only Tri-Cities would finally race again). It’s a small marathon (~350 marathoners), but very well run. There were a lot of “no crowds” parts, but where there were spectators, they were very enthusiastic and supportive.
Since it was very warm on race day, which threw me for a loop since I had been training in the teens and twenties all winter, I struggled a bit. At every water stop, I poured water over my head to help cool myself off. I loved the fact that at one of the water stops, one of the volunteers ran up behind me and poured more water over my head! He said it looked like I could use a little more 🙂
I normally envy those folks who get massages at the after-race parties. Because it is usually a long wait, I don’t get one, but at One City, I didn’t really have to wait. For the first time in 18 marathons, I got a massage! It felt so good. Maybe I should stick with the smaller races. 🙂
Well Managed, Flat Course, Not Scenic
I enjoyed this marathon. The race was managed very well. Everything from the expo to the starting line buses to the bathrooms was all smooth. The good: - The course … MORE
I enjoyed this marathon. The race was managed very well. Everything from the expo to the starting line buses to the bathrooms was all smooth.
The good:
– The course is relatively flat, which makes it great for a PR.
– The aid stations are frequent and well-staffed.
– There were both actual bathrooms at the start, and plenty of port-a-potties.
– The post-race party is sponsored by a local brewery.
– The start of the course is beautiful.
The bad:
– They only offered low-calorie sports drink (Huma Hydration) at the aid stations. That’s ridiculous and counter-productive for a marathon. If I’m burning over 2000 calories, I certainly don’t need a “low-calorie” sports drink.
– The course has some beautiful portions, like the start in Newport News park. However, the last 4 miles can be pretty ugly. Downtown Newport News is not scenic.
– There’s not a lot of runners at the faster paces. I ended up in no-man’s-land for the last quarter of the race, with no other marathoners in sight.
Great race, fast course, well managed
The first 14 miles are pretty mundane but the 15-22 segment is neat. Super easy course, point to point so check the wind. Race is very safe and well staffed, … MORE
The first 14 miles are pretty mundane but the 15-22 segment is neat. Super easy course, point to point so check the wind. Race is very safe and well staffed, and really well managed.
Great race with a lot to offer
This race was so much fun. From start to finish it was well structured. The fans at every corner and intersection cheering made the race so upbeat and fun. And … MORE
This race was so much fun. From start to finish it was well structured. The fans at every corner and intersection cheering made the race so upbeat and fun. And the post race celebration was everything.
My first race! It was a nice experience
This was my first race! It was really nice, not hard at all I didn't think, and the area(starting at City Center)is always nice to be in! Definitely want to … MORE
This was my first race! It was really nice, not hard at all I didn’t think, and the area(starting at City Center)is always nice to be in! Definitely want to do this one again. Overall I don’t know how anyone would not enjoy this race
Fun run and nice post race party
The 8k runs you through the historic shipping district of Newport News. the scenery is industrial and surrounding homes. It is a well organized race and has easy parking near … MORE
The 8k runs you through the historic shipping district of Newport News. the scenery is industrial and surrounding homes. It is a well organized race and has easy parking near by. The post race celebration is a lot of fun.
great start, great finish
On the 8k, there are two decent hills/overpasses to start you off, but that's the biggest challenge, and both are out of the way by the first 1/2 mile. After … MORE
On the 8k, there are two decent hills/overpasses to start you off, but that’s the biggest challenge, and both are out of the way by the first 1/2 mile. After that, it’s all flat, or even slight down hills. Course is well marked, has cops guarding all the roads for traffic. 2 aid stations both at great places. Huge area to run/pass in for 90% of the race. Nothing worse than bottle necking, and the other 10% is just 1 lane instead of 3 or 4 road lanes.
My favorite part of any J&A race is always the post event. Good food, great beer, massages!! OMG! The masseuses are magical. Don’t forget to stretch out in the yoga area and use foam rollers they provide after you run hard.
Great small town race on a fast course!
I was looking for a flat, fast course in early spring and this race delivered! Packet pickup was small and easy. Nothing fancy but it got the job done. Tshirt … MORE
I was looking for a flat, fast course in early spring and this race delivered!
Packet pickup was small and easy. Nothing fancy but it got the job done. Tshirt is long sleeve, tech, nice.
It’s a point to point course (I stayed at the host hotel so it was easy to take the shuttle from the hotel to the start). We were able to sit on the warm buses until 15 minutes before the race start, which was really nice. Newport News Park, which has bathrooms — no port o potties! Because the race was fairly small – 400 marathoners – the lines were short. Gear check was near the start line and very easy.
Temperature on race day was PERFECT – 29 at the start and low 40s at the finish, very minimal wind.
The race is point to point and south. The beginning is tree lined and very pretty. Some of the course is along a commercial road, which isn’t the best but it’s not forever. The race also goes through some neighborhoods, a museum, and along some paved trails. The mile markers are permanent street signs. It’s a fairly flat course – I think around 250 feet of elevation over 26.2 miles. The end is a long straightaway until you make a right turn and see the finish.
There weren’t tons of spectators but the ones that were out were loud and enthusiastic. The students were especially great, as were the guys in the animal onesies offering beer (I didn’t partake but it made me smile).
Water and Gatorade were very two miles and the volunteers were AWESOME.
I ran a 6 minute PR and a Boston qualifier time by almost 7 minutes.
Highly recommend for a fast course with great logistics!
Best Small BQ race, flat and fast
This was my 14th marathon and it was a fantastic event. A friend and I flew down from Toronto to run this marathon $99 hotel, $64 car rental from Norfolk, … MORE
This was my 14th marathon and it was a fantastic event. A friend and I flew down from Toronto to run this marathon $99 hotel, $64 car rental from Norfolk, expo in hotel, easy peasy.
Our Tokyo marathon was cancelled so we rushed to find a replacement, so glad we can here instead of Napa Valley! Superb organization with Expo in the host hotel, shuttles to and from the start/finish areas, warm buses at the start**, real toilets in the ranger station plus portos, fast bag check, warm tents at the finish, make your own granola, free toiletries, hot chocolate and food trucks, stand up tables, outdoor heaters, oh, and TWO free beer! The volunteers at the expo, the start, on course, everywhere were just incredible. Even saw our favorite expo volunteer at the finish for a hug. The weather was cool -2’c to +4’c, sunny, minimal wind and beautiful course thorough parks, waterfront, historic neighborhoods, downtown, it had it all. There was also just the right amount of turns and elevation to keep your legs awake and no long stretches that didn’t end. The permanent mile markers was also helpful and bang on. I stuck with the 3:30 pace bunny and had a 9 min PB at 45yrs old! 1st in my AG. For only having 3000 runners they had top notch attractions. I will be back for another girls racing weekend and will bring them all!! This is my favorite non-major marathon! If you are looking to BQ this course is it (better than Erie) and it felt almost downhill for most of it.
Only downfall was it was the first time I placed in my age group but they didn’t have those medals/award there and will be mailed out. It would have meant so much more to be able to pick it up at the end than getting it in the mail sometime in the future. Regardless I rate this race 99.9/100.
Small, Fast, and Super Well-Organized
I signed up for One City last minute after Tokyo was canceled and I am very glad I did! It was my first small (<10,000 people) marathon so I wasn't … MORE
I signed up for One City last minute after Tokyo was canceled and I am very glad I did! It was my first small (<10,000 people) marathon so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I have been training for a big PR and new this was supposed to be a fast course so hoping for the best.
– Traveling from out of town was easy. We flew into Richmond and rented a car for an easy drive. We didn’t get down to Newport News until late Saturday afternoon so had just enough time to get my bib before the expo closed
– We stayed in the hotel of the expo (holiday inn – hampton) and it was great. Despite the rooms not being ready after normal check-in but they were very accomodating and gave us restaurant voucher for our inconvenience. The check-in line for the hotel was also pretty long but the race staff was handing out snacks and water while we waited and one even offered to pick-up my bib for me so I would get it before the expo closed (my husband came to wait so I didn’t need them to)
– Long sleeve good quality race shirt came with registration
Race Day
– There are multiple buses leaving from the hotel – ones for half and one for the full. I originally got on the half bus and sat there for a few minutes until I realized. When I was getting on the next bus the driver specifically mentioned it was a bus to the full start – which I wish the other driver had done too. There are different starts for the half and full so be careful
– It was a cold morning. I brought sweats to donate since it’s what I’m used to but bag check seemed like it would have been super easy
– There were sections to line up based on pace per mile 6, 7, 8, 9, etc. and it was self-seeded
– Both porta-potties and full service bathrooms were available in the park where the start is. The porta-potties were right next to the start and there were plenty. The full-service were a short walk but close to where the buses dropped you off.
– It was a cold morning so the buses offered to let you stay on until 15 minutes before the start
– They had music at the start ‘village’ and despite being small it did have a good vibe like the really big races put on (obviously not to the full extent)
– Course was overall pretty easy. I would say generally flat but there were a few slight hills here and there, which I think is better than being a pancake the whole time. There are permanent mile marker road sides, which is cool, but easy to miss if you’re not paying atteniton
– I ran with a pace group – it was my first time ever doing this – and I am SO glad I did. The pacers were wonderful. We had 2 – they switched at the half. Both personable and really helped the miles fly. They were also super encouraging and the 2nd one did not let me give up at the end to get my time!
– Water stations were great – every 2 miles with gatorade at every other and gel at certain ones as well
– Spectators along the course were encouraging. They were not lined up along the entire way but there were definitely a lot more and a lot more energetic than I expected!
– My husband was a spectator and easily was able to drive to one point in the race we pre-determined and also get to the end to see me finish
– They had photographers along the course as well and some good pics
Post-Race Party
– Free beer, free food, free massages! The event coordinators really put their all into this race and it shows
Great event. I would highly recommend for a PR and fun small race!
Awesome marathon
Flat, fast, and fun course. Outstanding communication and organization. Probably the best one out of the 10+ marathons I have competed in. It wasn't my best performance (unlucky), but still … MORE
Flat, fast, and fun course. Outstanding communication and organization. Probably the best one out of the 10+ marathons I have competed in. It wasn’t my best performance (unlucky), but still placed Top 10 (won Masters) and had a great experience despite not feeling well. I highly recommend it and will be back next year.
Small but very nice race
Great community support that really pushed me to run faster. The course went through many of the scenic areas. The medal was very nice, the shirt was very nice, aid … MORE
Great community support that really pushed me to run faster. The course went through many of the scenic areas. The medal was very nice, the shirt was very nice, aid stations had plenty of water, gatorade & bananas!!