Running with the Cows
Bucyrus, KS
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Running with the Cows is a Half Marathon and 5K school fundraiser in rural Bucyrus, Kansas, just 30 minutes south of Kansas City. Fully supported course, fantastic volunteers and post race festivities distinguish this event from all others! “You race it once, I guarantee you’ll come back” says one finisher … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 09):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 83 | 76 | 75 | 83 | 88 |
| L (°F) | 52 | 54 | 53 | 62 | 68 |
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Perfect combo of hills, food & cows
Let's cut to the chase - RWTC, or affectionately known as Cows, is must do race. Do the rolling hills and stretches of shadeless road scare you? Pssh! Nonsense! Those … MORE
Let’s cut to the chase – RWTC, or affectionately known as Cows, is must do race. Do the rolling hills and stretches of shadeless road scare you? Pssh! Nonsense! Those are battlefields to be conquered and destroyed. The reward? Some of the best, well-designed medals and shirts, a huge spread of homemade and commercial goodies (I’m talking fruit, yogurt, sandwiches, pulled pork, chicken nuggets, cookies, brownies, cupcakes….) and, of course, bragging rights.
Cows is a THE fundraiser for this local Catholic elementary school and they pull out all the stops. As soon as you come off the highway, volunteers are directing traffic. With the recent mishaps I’ve had with Google maps, I think I need to turn to these guys for directions instead. Once into the parking lot, don’t get too distracted from the local Knights of Columbus smoking racks of ribs (sold separately). The parking lot has plenty of porta johns. (Insider tip: go to the ones facing the grassy area. There were NO lines compared to the growing lines for the porta john facing the parking lot.). My favorite pre-race tradition is probably going into the small church for a prayer. It’s a great way to start the day and multiple runners can be seen going into to say a prayer.
The pre-race is relatively small, but plenty of things to keep the energy going. Arrive early and check out the merchandise table and the multiple cows – real and fake. Father will start things with a prayer for all the runners and then one of the students will sing the National Anthem. It’s a personal start to an excellent race.
As mentioned, this is a fundraiser for the school. The school family volunteers SHOW UP with a smile! The “cow crew” jeeps control the road, families have table full of water and Gatorade. And of course, there are cowbells and cows along the way. The cheers are sincere and the assistance is genuine. For example, at one of the later aid stations, a young volunteer noticed I was tired and sprang into action to get me a cup of water. That is the attention to detail you will see on this race.
As for the race itself, we start off in the parking lot and head toward Metcalf for about 2.5 miles before turning right for another mile. Miles 4.5 to 7, or so, are an out and back to Metcalf. I always like crossing the other runners. It’s motivating to see the faster runners, as we all encourage each other. Once we get back to Metcalf, less than a mile from the finish, we turn left for the last bit out and back. Last year, I hated this stretch. It seemed like the miles kept getting longer. Yet, this year, it wasn’t as terrible. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still tired, but this year, it wasn’t as bad.
The course did not change from last year, but my time did. I was able to shave about 10 minutes off last year. It was nothing compared to jkelling shaving 20+ minutes off this time! The hills didn’t go anywhere, but apparently, training miles do pay off. I really can’t give enough props to jkelling for being the perfect race partner. There are more days than not that someone (me) will procrastinate or stall running miles. I’m surprised my eyes haven’t rolled down a hill as much as I have rolled them at the hills. Yet, jkelling keeps pushing me and sees through the stalling and eyerolls. It’s races like these that hold a greater victory than a medal.
I’m not sure how many runners were behind me, but with the numbers of volunteers and energy at the finish line, you would have thought tons more. Was I that fast? Nope. This is what they do at Cows. They wait. They wait and cheer on EVERY runner. They also make sure that EVERY runner can partake in the huge buffet. Even if your plate is full, there is no doubt that a volunteer will tell you to take more.
As we ate our plateful of food, jkelling and I shared how much we loved the race. We celebrated our time accomplishments and asked each when next year’s race will open. Yes, it’s that good of a race. Cows – if you are reading, when you have sign-up at the finish line for the following year, jkelling and I will probably fight each other to see which one of us will be the first one to sign-up.
When the weather agrees...stampede on!
...this course can be rough when it's hot out. Real rough. There are like three trees on the out and back and if you stand just right behind the stop … MORE
…this course can be rough when it’s hot out. Real rough. There are like three trees on the out and back and if you stand just right behind the stop sign you can get a brief respite on a hot day, but with a cool breeze and reports saying 54 degrees Fahrenheit when I got up, my vest didn’t feel as heavy today. The course consists of a lollipop with a right turn followed by a long stretch towards the finish line, but 1/2 to 3/4 miles away you go down a perpendicular out and back to eat up the last 3 miles. That part of the course can honestly suck a lot of motivation out of you, as you can hear the DJ at the finish line hyping up the lead runners coming in (and every runner coming in up until the last one, which I know to be true because I always stay here to cheer them on, with a whole lot of other people). It’s hard to NOT want to be done with that out and back to get your medal and your victory, but honestly, this year, with the weather far more forgiving than prior years, I was less pressed for it to end. The final stretch is pretty flat, but there is a gradual downhill onto the final straightaway on MetCALF Avenue (haha).
Here’s the thing that never changes here regardless of weather. People show up. The community rallies. There’s buy-in from everyone. The feast at the end is a good ol’ fashion potluck buffet where everybody cooks their favorite goodie and the aid station volunteers want to be there. It shows. They have a job to do to make this race stand out and they do. On particularly oppressive days I’ve seen them out in golfcarts ferrying water to runners in between official stops and giant ice baths to dip your hat/cooling towel in, and everybody is paying attention, and everybody is smiling, and everybody is legitimately cheering you on and wanting you to do your best. This is a small community. People only know Bucyrus because of this race a lot of the times, being nationally recognized on list after list as a must do race, and they’re not about to half-step it. If you need the big pyro and shut down highways of the larger races, sorry, this isn’t Indy, but it doesn’t try to be. It tries to be the small-town race with the big heart that punches well above its weight class and invites you inside afterwards to share in some good home cooking and talk with friends. The ones you came with or the ones you made on the course, as I’ve managed to do every time I did this event, 5k or half marathon.
It was with profound happiness that ccruiz03 and I both managed to destroy our prior course times, and honestly, 5 degrees cooler and I might have PR’ed it. Or if the sun didn’t start gearing up towards the end of it. Under the gazebo with our mountainous portions of food we reflected that it was a great race, but we were sad it was over, because RWTC (Cows, locally) is the one that you talk about for months before the starting prayer and anthem are even being practiced. This is the one you’re ready to sign up for as soon as you finish, and this is the one you end up running extra the week after to burn off all those extra calories from afterwards. One year there was talk of it being the last iteration of the race, and a lot of us for miles around were traumatized by that. I’m glad whatever hurdle was overcome and this icon has been extended. The swag is always a great design and there was an awesome raincoat/1/4-zip pullover with a zippered pocket available for purchase this year, which of course I picked up, and I can already tell it’s going to get a lot of use.
Thank you Bucyrus, for letting me come “home” again. I’ll be signing up opening day.
Amazing atmosphere and fun.
Getting there was easy. So many friendly volunteers lead you right to a parking spot and a very quick walk to packet pickup. The hype crew had an A+ game … MORE
Getting there was easy. So many friendly volunteers lead you right to a parking spot and a very quick walk to packet pickup.
The hype crew had an A+ game getting everyone ready.
The course had plenty of aid stations with great volunteers.
Once you get past the start, the scenery is okay. But again, the plentiful aid stations make it a non factor. Far from ever a boring section.
There are a couple of 180 degree turns but it is on a wide enough road so it’s easy. Plus, there are exciting spectators at each one cheering you on.
The course is very fast. I used this race as a training run in preparation for a race in two weeks and I still managed to hit a great result.
Amazing people and incredible experience and I can not recommend this race enough.
If you love the rural feel.........
To start...you will not be running with cows. Having said that this is a nice little half-marathon in a small town. Course has quite a few rolling hills with 2 … MORE
To start…you will not be running with cows. Having said that this is a nice little half-marathon in a small town. Course has quite a few rolling hills with 2 out and backs. There is very little shade so the sun will beat down on you and make it feel hotter than what it actually is. Scenary is subjective. If you love the rural feel then this is the course or you. Good amount of hydration stations and one of them had gels. Nice finishers medal and shirt. Very nice spread is waiting for finishers at the end with a nice selection of sandwiches, chips, fruit, etc. Great community support and you feel that midwestern hospitality. Overall a good experience.
Cool Race, Rolling Hills
Well-produced small town race. As someone coming from out-of-state, I had no idea what to expect, but basically Bucyrus is a small town just outside Overland Park, which is a … MORE
Well-produced small town race.
As someone coming from out-of-state, I had no idea what to expect, but basically Bucyrus is a small town just outside Overland Park, which is a reallly nice suburb of Kansas City–you’re essentially running through roads by farmland/fields, and the rolling hills are pretty much 100-150 feet of elevation climb/drop each mile. Also note it’s decently sunny (I think it was around 60 degrees for most of the race).
The race bib pickup was at a sporting goods store in Overland Park, small and nothing fancy but well-coordinated.
Really cool medal, and the race t-shirt had a cool design.
Super-friendly people, and tons of homemade food that people bring for post-race. Loved the vibes here!
Stampede to this one
This race I legitimately look forward to this race all year. I hate the overuse of bucolic so much I'm going to resist the urge to put it here, but … MORE
This race I legitimately look forward to this race all year. I hate the overuse of bucolic so much I’m going to resist the urge to put it here, but I’m tempted. How hard this race filled with lightly rolling hills comes down to the temperature that day, as there is next to no shade on this course. The volunteers are all highly motivated and the aid stations are well spaced. I do wish the last out and back was added to the first part of the course instead of the last part because I hate getting close to the finish line then going away for 4 miles, but the plethora of food laid out on the buffet at the end of it all is amazing. Plus, there are little cows out there and they’re super cute. The medals and shirts are always wonderfully designed, and there’s other branded swag to buy. I’m ready to sign up for 2026, so say hi when you pass me on the course.
Awesomeness
First I must give a shoutout to the pacers, they were all great and super motivating. Secondly, thanks to the members of the cow team making sure we were all … MORE
First I must give a shoutout to the pacers, they were all great and super motivating. Secondly, thanks to the members of the cow team making sure we were all safe. The volunteers were so great from the must needed cowbell, to the preparation of the buffet. Lastly, from an out of towner, the other participants made me feel welcome and I appreciate it. Very nice race, I see why it’s best rated.
Small town feel, hot!, good production
Easy parking, friendly volunteers and overall easy to navigate. The guys MC-ing and the guy in the cow costume were great - the cow danced on a hay bale for … MORE
Easy parking, friendly volunteers and overall easy to navigate. The guys MC-ing and the guy in the cow costume were great – the cow danced on a hay bale for the runners for 3 hours! The actual course was not my favorite as it was an out and back without much shade and I was hot by the end from just the 5K. Maybe moving the race up a month to April would help? I didn’t personally prefer the shirt this year but really liked the medal! After the race, there’s a huge buffet which was fun – I grabbed some pasta salad, fruit, snacks, and a biscuit and gravy – but there was plenty more. And there were two VERY cute cows at the end to take pics with.
Not great but the food at finish!!!
Out of seven states completed in my 50-state half marathon journey, this one sits last. I'll own part of that — it was my first out-of-state race, and I'm not … MORE
Out of seven states completed in my 50-state half marathon journey, this one sits last. I’ll own part of that — it was my first out-of-state race, and I’m not sure I knew exactly what I was looking for when I picked it. I chose it largely for proximity to Kansas City, where I have family. It was a nice visit, but Kansas City is a city I’ve been to multiple times and it didn’t add anything noteworthy to the trip. If you’re building a race weekend around an experience, this probably isn’t the one.
With roughly 1,000 runners, this is the smallest race I’ve done by a significant margin. That’s not inherently a problem — small races can be charming — but the combination of size, course design, and scenery creates long stretches where you’re essentially running alone through cow fields. If that solitude came with beautiful scenery, I could forgive it. Kansas flatlands in May offer neither company nor views. You’re just out there grinding.
The course is my biggest frustration. Nearly 500 feet of rolling elevation gain with long, slow climbs and very little downhill reward. No shade. It was 70 degrees by the time I finished and I felt genuinely overheated. The layout itself is hard to understand — a loop plus two separate out-and-back segments. One turnaround is forgivable. Two feels unnecessary and deflating. What makes it stranger is that the course runs through open cow fields laid out in a literal grid pattern. There’s no obvious reason this couldn’t be one continuous loop. I don’t know whose decision that was, but it’s the kind of thing that makes miles 8 through 11 feel longer than they are.
No expo either — packet pickup was at a local sports store where you grabbed your bib and shirt and left. Crowd support along the course was limited, which you’d expect at this size, but it added to the sense of running in isolation.
Now for what this race genuinely gets right. The entry fee supports a good cause and it shows — the money clearly goes toward the race experience rather than disappearing into overhead. The swag is minimal: a medal that’s probably my least favorite of any race I’ve done, and a cotton-blend shirt that I initially dismissed and now wear constantly. Not a tech shirt, but perfect for everyday use.
And then there’s the finish. It’s the best finish line party I’ve experienced — and the only thing that comes close is Huntsville. Think church picnic in the best possible way. I sat down in cool grass and worked my way through an impressive spread — not gourmet, but the variety and volume of it was outstanding. The relaxed atmosphere, the photo ops, the cows wandering nearby — it was genuinely memorable in a way that a lot of bigger, flashier races aren’t. The finish alone is the reason this race isn’t rated lower.
Overall this is a fine race, but it’s a one-and-done. It’s not beginner-friendly given the heat, hills, and lack of shade. I’m glad I checked Kansas off the list, though I’ll be honest — I’m not sure what other Kansas races exist that would rank higher. I just don’t see this one leaving last place on my list anytime soon.
Exceeded our Expectations!!!
Wow!!! This race is put on by the parents of the Catholic School as a Fundraiser. Every volunteer that came in contact with us told us Thank YOU for coming! … MORE
Wow!!! This race is put on by the parents of the Catholic School as a Fundraiser. Every volunteer that came in contact with us told us Thank YOU for coming! Communication was second to none, weather was gorgeous, the medal was very nice, there is a huge buffet after the race with home cooking of everything you can imagine! Excellent Pacers – Bethany was AMAZING!!! This was our 33rd State on the journey to run 50 Half Marathons. We flew into Kansas City, Missouri and stayed at the TownePlace Suites in Overland Park, Kansas – It was a great area with so many shopping centers and about a 20 minute drive to the start of the race on Saturday.
Nice rolling hills
I’m from MD so I like to stay out of cities but this was close enough to the airport and worth adding to your state….. Pretty area. Actually enjoyed (until … MORE
I’m from MD so I like to stay out of cities but this was close enough to the airport and worth adding to your state…..
Pretty area. Actually enjoyed (until last mile :)) the rolling hills. Pretty views and jump a casual up and down. Worked out that you could slow down a bit going up and then pick up some time going down. Nice mix to help rest while going down. Again, nothing big to climb. All smooth rolling. Great people and volunteers. Very enjoyable and happy I selected this race for KS.
Good Rural Race, No Cow Pastures
This race hits near the unofficial change of spring weather to summer weather in the Midwest. The weather was very hot and there is little to no shade. The course … MORE
This race hits near the unofficial change of spring weather to summer weather in the Midwest. The weather was very hot and there is little to no shade. The course itself is rolling hills so the weather change will not drastically affect your performance, but it is something to be mindful of. The race is a good time. The name suggests that you will be running with cows, but the course went through 0 cow pastures, not an issue, just kind of funny. The course takes you through the rural outskirts of the town and finishes at the school. The after race party is amazing. The parents of the school students throw an amazing buffet together for the runners. Overall, it was a good experience, just didn’t quite live up my expectations as Kansas’s best half marathon.
15th Anniversary for a great race
Course was a series of out and backs, relatively flat, but very hot this year. They had plenty of food after the race even for the last finishers. Water and … MORE
Course was a series of out and backs, relatively flat, but very hot this year. They had plenty of food after the race even for the last finishers. Water and hydration available on course, but could have used more as it was very hot, would definitely run again.
Great race, just hot!!
This was the 15th anniversary, and they really went all out with the birthday decorations... the medal had a cake on it! Even with being crazy slow due to the … MORE
This was the 15th anniversary, and they really went all out with the birthday decorations… the medal had a cake on it! Even with being crazy slow due to the heat and being sick the previous week, there was SO much food left even when I got there. It was completely paved country roads, and nearby farms brought their cows out near the race course. Would be interested in doing this one again!
There is a reason it's said this race...
is the best in Kansas. It's well organized, small, yet the whole town comes out to support it. I paced this race & nailed my time. Probably one of the … MORE
is the best in Kansas. It’s well organized, small, yet the whole town comes out to support it. I paced this race & nailed my time. Probably one of the better races I’ve run. Despite sunny course, great support throughout. The after party has all types of food. Worth repeating.
Walking with the Cows
Kansas is kind of a far place for me to go just for a weekend but I love cows so this race has been on my bucket list. I am … MORE
Kansas is kind of a far place for me to go just for a weekend but I love cows so this race has been on my bucket list. I am also attempting to get to sun level in half fanatics and have a pretty insane half marathon schedule this spring and found 2 back to back half marathons in Kansas with no time limit so it was perfect for a “break” weekend to go and walk these races with no stress about finishing. There was good pre race communication and a simple athlete guide with all the information. For the race you can do early packet pick-up but it is also available race day. I flew into Kansas City Friday evening so got it race day. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Overland Park, KS. It is about 40 minutes from the Kansas City airport and 15 minutes from the race. My flight got delayed so I didn’t get to my hotel room until around 2am so it was a short sleep before the race. The race was easy to get to and parking was easy on a field. Packet pick-up was smooth and there is a nice short sleeved tech shirt. It was the 15th anniversary of the race so the swag and decorations were extra special. There is just a shirt and medal for swag but there is so much food at the end I rounded the swag up to 5 sneakers. There is a bunch of cow decorations and a big cow to take pictures with making it a very fun pre and post race environment. This raises money for a local Catholic school which is where the race starts and finishes. The race has about 400 participants in the half so it is on the smaller side but not super small. For a small, more local, charity type race production and everything was excellent. The race is chip timed and has the same start and finish. There are no waves but there are pacers to help line up. I stayed near the back knowing I would be mostly walking the race as it was my “weekend off.” The course is pretty nice but a bit boring. It is through farmlands and is what you picture when you think of Kansas. The scenery is nice but it gets a bit repetitive as there are some out and back sections. There were some farm animals though I was hoping for a little more. I did love the spectators who brought cows with them. It’s a very rural area so there aren’t a ton of spectators but I appreciate every one out there. It’s kind of a low key, calm race environment. I don’t find races like this very fast but I do find them peaceful and enjoyable. The course has gentle rolling hills. That is actually what it is. It is constant up and downs but they are gentle with no monster hills. The biggest challenge was the heat and it is unshaded. I would say course difficulty is average and a bit above average with the heat but I rounded down to 3 sneakers given there is no time limit. There was excellent aid stations. They were very frequent. There were 6 but 4 you past twice so 10 total so they were almost every mile. All had water and gatorade, many had mini donuts, one had gels and one had fruit snacks. No issues running out of anything at my slow pace. The only production issue I noticed was the mile markers starting with mile 5 were off by 0.1 miles so I thought the course was going to be long but there was only 1 mile between the mile 12 marker and the finish so the course length seemed accurate. I think they may have been placed wrong but at least they were placed so you would end up with a faster finishing time if you relied on the mile markers for pacing. The finish line is nice and they give you water and an excellent cow medal. Definitely a top 10% half marathon medal though I’m not sure it is this nice every year or just because it was an anniversary year. After the finish you go to the cafeteria for a huge buffet with pasta, tacos, pizza, and tons of dessert. There were a lot of vegetarian options. Some options seemed vegan though it wasn’t labeled so I am not 100% sure. There was plenty of food for the later finishers. Overall I thought this was an excellent smaller, charity race with a super fun theme. It also had no time limit which made it stress free and allowed me to just enjoy myself. I have also done Prairie Fire in Kansas (though I did the full not the half). I thought both races were very good. I’d recommend this one if you prefer smaller, rural, low key races and Prairie Fire if you prefer more urban, larger races although you can’t go wrong with either. Kansas is a bit of a trek for a weekend but I’d definitely do this one if I lived closed and I could be convinced to come back and do it again.
Long live the cows!
This race was once on the verge of disappearing, which saddened me to no end. It's always been my favorite 5k so this year I figured I'd try the half. … MORE
This race was once on the verge of disappearing, which saddened me to no end. It’s always been my favorite 5k so this year I figured I’d try the half. Weather is odd this time of year. I’ve been out there on cold runs and out there on hot ones, this unfortunately was the latter, as 99% of this course, there is zero shade available. My shoes, despite having only 100 miles on them were rubbing my ankle raw. Sporting $150 running shoes this time around, I usually do races in combat boots. This is why. By mile 3 I was miserable, so it was going to make for a long race. On the upside, the volunteers were amazing at motivation and water and gatorade felt like it was available every mile. If not it was pretty close, and it was always cold. I appreciated that immensely.
The course is rolling hills, and if you like the country, it really is quite beautiful out there. If you think “big ol’ open field of nothing” then this probably isn’t going to get you psyched up. If nothing else, what should is the gargantuan spread at the end. It seems like everyone in town brings a dish, and I stopped counting at 30 different offerings, plus the standard cookies/oranges/apples/bananas. Some of these folks can really cook, too.
I’m honestly sad it’s over. I’m sad my shoes betrayed me, though I did manage to somehow eek out a not-horrible time, which, between the shoes and a stress fracture that I told my physical therapist I’d go easy on (sorry, Doc), sort of surprised me. I think it would actually be a fast-ish course were it not for the oppressive heat and humidity on what really is the first warm race of the year. Time to get used to that again I suppose.
The medal is always nicely done and features the cartoon cow mascot in tennis shoes in a different scene/pose each year. It’s a colorful cutout medal that still has nice weight to it and the ribbon is beautiful and features the date, length and 15th anniversary. I feel like ribbons are an afterthought too often, but this is truly part of the medal. The 5k shirt is a nice cotton that wears well and the half is a tech T. They also have nice mugs and water bottle available for sale.
This has been a bucket list race for me since my heart attack when they didn’t know if I’d ever do a quarter mile again. While I’m glad to check it off, I’m looking forward to hitting it up next year for a faster time. Hope to see you all there.
Beautiful day in Kansas but hot
This race is put on as fundraiser for school and you saw the parents, kids, police, and local folks come out to support the race. The enthusiasm of these folks … MORE
This race is put on as fundraiser for school and you saw the parents, kids, police, and local folks come out to support the race. The enthusiasm of these folks helped on the rolling hills and a special shut out for all the water stations . I poured water on my shirt at every water station and the shirt was dry by the time I reached the next water station. Special thanks to the folks that dressed as cows or brought their cow to race. Another thanks to the pacers. I started with 2:30 and finished in front of 2;40 but they were all encouraging. The post party food was wonderful and there was plenty to choose from. Thanks to the school for a race well done.
OUTSTANDING RACE!
This race was nothing but amazing! It is a low key local race. There is no huge expo or anything like that. However, I wish that the packet pickup was … MORE
This race was nothing but amazing! It is a low key local race. There is no huge expo or anything like that. However, I wish that the packet pickup was a little earlier in the day. It did not start until 4pm, so if you are flying in it’s ok to get a later flight. The communication and logistics of the race was well organized. When they say there is a post race buffet, that is exactly what they mean. You will NOT be disappointed. There was enough food to feed two armies. I am guaranteeing you that you will not leave hungry. More races need to get this lesson. They absolutely came together as a church, school and community.
Support, support and more support!
I've done this race every year except for when I was recovering from a heart attack. It admittedly is not the easiest 5k on a warm muggy day, as shade … MORE
I’ve done this race every year except for when I was recovering from a heart attack. It admittedly is not the easiest 5k on a warm muggy day, as shade is sporadic, but on cool years you can really fly. What’s it going to be this year? Who knows…welcome to the midwest. The hills aren’t obnoxious but do mix it up. Slow and rolling mainly but I don’t think there are any true flat stretches. Of the 60+ races I have under my belt in 2023, this one is the top 5k and within the top 5 of all the races.
The swag is great, the medals are always nicely done and heavy, the tshirts are quality, but what really sets this race apart is the FEAST that occurs afterwards when what I guess is the whole town makes a giant potluck and brings in everything you can imagine. I think I must have tried 2 dozen things, all wonderfully made. There’s ribs on the grill outside and burgers for additional purchase, but really there’s so much food inside I never tried them. They seemed popular though.
What sets this race apart from others (aside from the mammoth spread) is the on-course support. Water stations are plentiful, and when it’s punishingly muggy they’ve been out there in golf carts ferrying water out to individual racers who were between stations and looking like they hated life. The course is a ring with multiple out-and-back fingers on it, so you’ll always have somebody coming at you and cheering you on even when you’re in between stations. The race had a great energy and so many strangers were veering towards the center to pound a fist or slap a high five as we passed each other I couldn’t even feel the 30lbs I was wearing that day. No, I could still very much feel it, but they made it much better.
I’ve done marathon/half marathons (a few in-between lengths), 15k/12k/10k and more 5ks than I can count. If I could only do one race a year it would be this one.
For the first time I’ll be doing the half marathon (no time limit!), and I have little doubt that it won’t be my favorite half as well. A top-notch production every year and truly kudos to the RD and supporting staff.