I signed up for this marathon on short notice in hopes of renewing my BQ that had lapsed. I had an easy enough time with packet pickup and getting to … MORE
I signed up for this marathon on short notice in hopes of renewing my BQ that had lapsed. I had an easy enough time with packet pickup and getting to the course. I got to the front and stayed there. *Big Complaint* the whole race is on an 8 foot wide trail. For some reason, the first half mile is an out and back and marathoners were sent first and then 5kers/walkers. I ended up having to weave in and out of oncoming traffic of hundreds of people with their dog who did not get out of the way. Additionally, the course is no frills. For the marathon, it is just two out and back treks on a trail that has some pretty tough hills on its furthest point. Near the end (mile 25.5 to be exact) I asked a volunteer if i needed to turn towards the finish. She said “i don’t know”. I ended up running straight to ensure I hit a full 26.2. Months later, I realized that the course was not Boston Certified. A quick google search told me that the only thing to do was fill out a form on USATF and pay like $70 to get the course sanctioned. I assumed it was a lost cause but reached out to see if they could do it retroactively or made a BQ in the future so someone like me doesn’t run into the issue. I got minimal to no response from the director. I ended up clicking “would not recommend” on facebook about the race and within 24 hours the owner of the company sent me a very hateful direct message on instagram and demanded that i take down my review. I told him no. I would not run another event that HRC puts on. Nice hoodies and swag, however.
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Race Director is Incredibly Unprofesh
I signed up for this marathon on short notice in hopes of renewing my BQ that had lapsed. I had an easy enough time with packet pickup and getting to … MORE
I signed up for this marathon on short notice in hopes of renewing my BQ that had lapsed. I had an easy enough time with packet pickup and getting to the course. I got to the front and stayed there. *Big Complaint* the whole race is on an 8 foot wide trail. For some reason, the first half mile is an out and back and marathoners were sent first and then 5kers/walkers. I ended up having to weave in and out of oncoming traffic of hundreds of people with their dog who did not get out of the way. Additionally, the course is no frills. For the marathon, it is just two out and back treks on a trail that has some pretty tough hills on its furthest point. Near the end (mile 25.5 to be exact) I asked a volunteer if i needed to turn towards the finish. She said “i don’t know”. I ended up running straight to ensure I hit a full 26.2. Months later, I realized that the course was not Boston Certified. A quick google search told me that the only thing to do was fill out a form on USATF and pay like $70 to get the course sanctioned. I assumed it was a lost cause but reached out to see if they could do it retroactively or made a BQ in the future so someone like me doesn’t run into the issue. I got minimal to no response from the director. I ended up clicking “would not recommend” on facebook about the race and within 24 hours the owner of the company sent me a very hateful direct message on instagram and demanded that i take down my review. I told him no. I would not run another event that HRC puts on. Nice hoodies and swag, however.
Great local run with all lengths
Great snacks, pizza and monster energy drinks. Super nice hoodie and great looking medal, growing race with locals, nice paved trail for most part, beginning and end part is gravel … MORE
Great snacks, pizza and monster energy drinks. Super nice hoodie and great looking medal, growing race with locals, nice paved trail for most part, beginning and end part is gravel for about 1/2 mile, nice trail with small bridges. Good water stops.
Fun Race! Great course for spectators
My friends and I really enjoyed this race! The race atmosphere was a lot of fun and we loved the theme. They somehow even convinced a Yeti to run the … MORE
My friends and I really enjoyed this race! The race atmosphere was a lot of fun and we loved the theme. They somehow even convinced a Yeti to run the 1/2 with the racers!
It’s a challenging course, first few miles were flat, then into the hills for the middle miles, before back to flat to the finish — but come on, its called Running From Yeti – how can you not have some hills/mountains to run in?? That’s where the Yeti lives.
A great race for spectators too – friends and family are able leap-frog their athletes with short drives between stops.
Aid stations were spaced out just right and volunteers where cheerful and helpful.
Looking forward to next year!!
Fun race!
I ran the 5k with my son. Cool location on a paved trail. There was great swag and a fun production. I loved the giant blow up yeti! I’ll run … MORE
I ran the 5k with my son. Cool location on a paved trail. There was great swag and a fun production. I loved the giant blow up yeti! I’ll run it again.
Great race especially for time of year
This is my first time running this half marathon, however, I was a volunteer last year. I can say this race was well organized, fun, and had more than double … MORE
This is my first time running this half marathon, however, I was a volunteer last year. I can say this race was well organized, fun, and had more than double the participants as last year.
This course is a bit difficult, but isn’t most of southern Missouri with rolling hills?!?!?! The weather was great and the course was on a nice trail where spectators could move around easily to witness their runners at different locations on the course. It definitely wasn’t my personal best run, but the volunteers, other participants, finish line help were all super nice and chatty.
The swag was fun and appropriate. Everyone needs a pair of gloves to run in with a comfy hoodie and stocking cap. The medals were unique, my children have already taken it as their own.
Finish line was friendly, lively, and had hot pizza waiting for us. The Yeti even chased a lot of people to the finish line! I did hear of some issues, however, witnessed the race director making a special attempt to make sure these things were corrected for future years. I will be back next year and only expect that it will be even more fun then!
Small town race
Picked this race because my wife has family in the area, so we saved $ on lodging and also got to see family. The race has an unmistakable small town … MORE
Picked this race because my wife has family in the area, so we saved $ on lodging and also got to see family. The race has an unmistakable small town quality to it. Here’s the pros & cons:
The Good:
* Swag. Okay, it’s bright and colorful and looks like stuff a kid would love…and that made it great stuff to give to my 7-year-old. High quality hoodie, high quality winter hat, and a fun medal.
*Communications. Race director made a pre-race video and did a lot to communicate details.
*Logistics. Easy to reach location, and close to the Springfield airport for out-of-towners. My wife was also able to drive from water stop to water stop so she could cheer me on multiple times, and never had to drive more than five minutes.
The Bad:
* Missed Turns. Volunteers set up a water table blocking a key race intersection, then told runners to turn the wrong way. About a dozen runners missed a two mile segment. My wife realized what happened and got the volunteers out of the way before more runners were affected, then tracked down the race director to ensure the runners who missed their turn could complete their full 26.2 miles. Mistakes like this doom races. After the Garmin/Land of Oz Marathon fiasco, important details like this should be a priority.
* Volunteers/Aid Stations. Some of the volunteers did a good job handing out water, but for the most part, volunteers seemed disinterested or were too busy chatting with each other to help runners. By late in the race, several aid stations had been abandoned, including several at road crossings where drivers where barreling through unchecked. Aid stations were water only.
Post-Race. There was pizza. That’s it. Pretty much the most anti-climactic finish line I’ve encountered.
The “Not Good, Not Bad”:
* Race Route. It was a nice route. Two laps on an out-and-back greenway. Starts out mostly flat for five miles, but after that there were some hills that were a doozy. Not sure why I didn’t anticipate them, but man there were some energy-suckers out there. Still…it was a pleasant enough route.
Overall, an okay race, and I hope it continues to grow…and that the race director gets more support. I give him credit for a good event in what often felt like a one-man show. I have no doubt this race will continue to improve as it builds upon a successful second running.