This was my first half marathon, and I hadn't planned on doing one; I was looking for a 10k to do while I was doing some research in Grand Rapids. … MORE
This was my first half marathon, and I hadn’t planned on doing one; I was looking for a 10k to do while I was doing some research in Grand Rapids. I happened to see this race and that the cost was only $25, so I figured why not. I’m glad I did, and after this race I immediately began searching for more half races, and have never looked back. I credit this race with getting me into half marathon running, and that is largely due to the cheap entry price and the pancake flat course, both of which were good things for a newbie. And I think that this is exactly why this race director does this sort of no frills, cheap, and easy course kind of races – to make running, racing, accessible to more people.
There wasn’t really a pre-race festival or post-race party, which was fine. I wasn’t even sure I was in the right place when I got to the start line, there was just not much going on, and only a few runners. So if you are looking for a festival sort of environment, this isn’t the race you’d want. I don’t recall any post-race party, except people standing around drinking water at the finish line. It may have changed in the last few years, I ran this race in 2015.
The course isn’t terribly scenic, although there are a few miles that were pretty. Otherwise it was just along park sidewalk or the sides of the roads. Pretty flat. I like a course with some hills, but for a newbie the flat course was a real plus. The race director had set up the course so that he was able to move his mobile water stops and he personally handed out water at most or all of the aid stations. This course was not chip-timed – volunteers wrote down the times when you came across the finish line.
Swag was nothing fancy but I could have cared less, I had run my first half marathon! And now that I’ve run quite a few races I’d still do one of these Run Michigan Cheap series races if I lived in Michigan. A cheap race series is a real asset to the increasingly expensive world of racing. And with a drawer full of medals that never see the light of day after I get home from the race, who really wants or needs all that stuff anyway? Keep the medals and let me keep my money.
Cheap, flat, small race (50 runners?) had aid stations, and an enthusiastic race director. Lots to like about this no frills race.
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Great cheap race for newbies.
This was my first half marathon, and I hadn't planned on doing one; I was looking for a 10k to do while I was doing some research in Grand Rapids. … MORE
This was my first half marathon, and I hadn’t planned on doing one; I was looking for a 10k to do while I was doing some research in Grand Rapids. I happened to see this race and that the cost was only $25, so I figured why not. I’m glad I did, and after this race I immediately began searching for more half races, and have never looked back. I credit this race with getting me into half marathon running, and that is largely due to the cheap entry price and the pancake flat course, both of which were good things for a newbie. And I think that this is exactly why this race director does this sort of no frills, cheap, and easy course kind of races – to make running, racing, accessible to more people.
There wasn’t really a pre-race festival or post-race party, which was fine. I wasn’t even sure I was in the right place when I got to the start line, there was just not much going on, and only a few runners. So if you are looking for a festival sort of environment, this isn’t the race you’d want. I don’t recall any post-race party, except people standing around drinking water at the finish line. It may have changed in the last few years, I ran this race in 2015.
The course isn’t terribly scenic, although there are a few miles that were pretty. Otherwise it was just along park sidewalk or the sides of the roads. Pretty flat. I like a course with some hills, but for a newbie the flat course was a real plus. The race director had set up the course so that he was able to move his mobile water stops and he personally handed out water at most or all of the aid stations. This course was not chip-timed – volunteers wrote down the times when you came across the finish line.
Swag was nothing fancy but I could have cared less, I had run my first half marathon! And now that I’ve run quite a few races I’d still do one of these Run Michigan Cheap series races if I lived in Michigan. A cheap race series is a real asset to the increasingly expensive world of racing. And with a drawer full of medals that never see the light of day after I get home from the race, who really wants or needs all that stuff anyway? Keep the medals and let me keep my money.
Cheap, flat, small race (50 runners?) had aid stations, and an enthusiastic race director. Lots to like about this no frills race.