This was a great race to run except for the wind. 25 mph winds with 40 -45 mph gusts made it difficult race. The race starts out with a few … MORE
This was a great race to run except for the wind. 25 mph winds with 40 -45 mph gusts made it difficult race. The race starts out with a few hills on streets but then flattens out and it is mostly flat along a bike path. The volunteers are amazing. This is one of the best races I have run from that standpoint. They added a “Zippy Mile” on Saturday night to make it a challenge race. It made for a great weekend. If there had been no wind this would have been one of my favorite races. I didn’t downgrade anything because of the weather but it did take away from some of the fun. The weather did get offset by a bald eagle that flew right over my head and made for an amazing memory. I will try to get out to run this one again!
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Great race - Can't change the weather
This was a great race to run except for the wind. 25 mph winds with 40 -45 mph gusts made it difficult race. The race starts out with a few … MORE
This was a great race to run except for the wind. 25 mph winds with 40 -45 mph gusts made it difficult race. The race starts out with a few hills on streets but then flattens out and it is mostly flat along a bike path. The volunteers are amazing. This is one of the best races I have run from that standpoint. They added a “Zippy Mile” on Saturday night to make it a challenge race. It made for a great weekend. If there had been no wind this would have been one of my favorite races. I didn’t downgrade anything because of the weather but it did take away from some of the fun. The weather did get offset by a bald eagle that flew right over my head and made for an amazing memory. I will try to get out to run this one again!
Inaugural Race
Inaugural race that started running through neighborhoods and then into a park. The neighborhood had slight incline, the park was flat but it was cold and windy, lots of head … MORE
Inaugural race that started running through neighborhoods and then into a park. The neighborhood had slight incline, the park was flat but it was cold and windy, lots of head wind. Volunteers was awesome, adequate water stations that served Gatorade, gummy bears, cookies, and even tissues for your nose. Last 1/2 mile took you through Falls Park, where you ran pass the Falls. Brunch at the end that included, coffee, orange juice, water, breakfast sandwiches, muffins, pastries. Free race photos. Medal small, but it’s a bottle opener. Highly recommend this race!
Decent - but TOUGH!
Its hard to give this race a fair rating, as several factors were in play that made this inaugural year different than expected. First off - the WIND! Holy cow. … MORE
Its hard to give this race a fair rating, as several factors were in play that made this inaugural year different than expected.
First off – the WIND! Holy cow. It felt like if I wasn’t running directly into a headwind, I was fighting a sidewind the entire way. And it was so icy cold that it stung when it hit your skin. I’m really trying not to hold that against the race itself, as no one can control the weather, but late April is kind of a gamble in this area and has to be considered. For me, the crappy weather was significant factor in my poor performance.
The course was just okay. But I gave the course a 2 shoe rating because organizers had to change it just a few a days ago from the original course because of flooding. Judging from the elevation map, I think the original course was easier. The original looked like a gentle downhill from start to finish, where this new route had some big climbs. My Garmin showed an elevation gain for 446 ft and a near constant climb throughout the middle of the course (photo attached). Its all on a path, goes over and under some neat bridges, which is kinda cool, but overall the middle section of the course is pretty boring: just vast views of uninteresting horizon with a few industrial areas and the local airport – ‘meh’ in my opinion. Its almost entirely along the Big Sioux River, and you can see about 3 ‘rapids’ along the course, 2 of which are man-made meant to control the river. The finish line is near a part where Falls Park (see photo) which is really pretty and you get to run past it on your way to the finish. It would be nice though, if the finishers area was at the park so runners could sit at the park and enjoy the views and brunch while relishing their race instead of just running past it.
I think the production was really good and well organized. Helpful, cheerful staff were everywhere, even though they had to be frozen and it was easy to find your way around. Sioux Falls Downtown area is small, but really cute. The post race production was well thought out with brunch of breakfast sandwiches, fruit, muffins and bars from a local bakery & hot coffee/tea… Evidently they had places to go inside and warm up, but I didn’t see where it was. I just needed to get back to the hotel and get warm.
For a small race, I thought crowd support was decent. Water stops were frequent and well stocked with cheerful and encouraging people handing out water and gatorade. Expo was really tiny, but they offered happy hour and appetizers there, and the local shops offered discounts to people, which was a nice boutique flavor to expo. The start and finish and expo are all within easy walking distance of three hotels and there are plenty of cute places to shop and explore in the downtown area.