This was the 50th anniversary race, so the shirts and medals were themed around 50. The course has been changed to an out and back along the swamp rabbit trail. … MORE
This was the 50th anniversary race, so the shirts and medals were themed around 50. The course has been changed to an out and back along the swamp rabbit trail. This change eliminated most of the hills from the previous course. That was the one positive in my mind. With the out and back the mile markers were very wonky we were seeing mile markers for mile 4 at mile like 2.75 and mile 10 at mile 4. It was a little confusing for a lot of runners. Being that the entire race was on the trail, the over all course was a lot more crowded since the trail is 6-8 feet wide as opposed to a street and you had to be careful to stay out of the way of other racers who had already turned around and were coming back. Made for tricky navigation at some points. There were plenty of water stations through out and cops were out to hold traffic where the trail crossed over roads. No real crowd support as most of the time you are in the “woods”. For Full Disclosure: my review of the scenery/trail etc could be biased due to the fact I was attacked and stung by wasps 5 times just after mile 4 so I was not in the most pleasant mood nor did I do much observing of my surroundings since I was fighting in my pain cave to finish the course.
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New Course--Swamp Rabbit Trail
This was the 50th anniversary race, so the shirts and medals were themed around 50. The course has been changed to an out and back along the swamp rabbit trail. … MORE
This was the 50th anniversary race, so the shirts and medals were themed around 50. The course has been changed to an out and back along the swamp rabbit trail. This change eliminated most of the hills from the previous course. That was the one positive in my mind. With the out and back the mile markers were very wonky we were seeing mile markers for mile 4 at mile like 2.75 and mile 10 at mile 4. It was a little confusing for a lot of runners. Being that the entire race was on the trail, the over all course was a lot more crowded since the trail is 6-8 feet wide as opposed to a street and you had to be careful to stay out of the way of other racers who had already turned around and were coming back. Made for tricky navigation at some points. There were plenty of water stations through out and cops were out to hold traffic where the trail crossed over roads. No real crowd support as most of the time you are in the “woods”. For Full Disclosure: my review of the scenery/trail etc could be biased due to the fact I was attacked and stung by wasps 5 times just after mile 4 so I was not in the most pleasant mood nor did I do much observing of my surroundings since I was fighting in my pain cave to finish the course.
Challenging Course
The course started and ended at Flour field (local baseball stadium) and wound through many of the older neighborhoods in downtown Greenville. There were many turns to keep you on … MORE
The course started and ended at Flour field (local baseball stadium) and wound through many of the older neighborhoods in downtown Greenville. There were many turns to keep you on your toes, and lots of the neighborhood folks were out cheering us on which was great! Since Greenville is in the foothills there were a lot of hills most long and gradual but it made for a really challenging course. Aid stations were great, but I think one was missing between mile 7-12. Finishing on Flour field was really neat, until I realized I had to climb up the stadium steps to get off the field and to the food!
Wouldn't run this again
I ran in this race only once, but from what I heard the race course had slightly changed from previous years. The course was totally chaotic, you had to run … MORE
I ran in this race only once, but from what I heard the race course had slightly changed from previous years. The course was totally chaotic, you had to run in a circle at one point and get a wristband the first time through so they could make sure you could go on to the next part of the course. There were only one or two drink stations for the entire half marathon, only water /no gatorade. No gels, etc. were offered but frankly, I was more concerned about the lack of water stations. The course was okay, some hills – but if you’re looking for a race where people from the community cheer you on throughout the course this one isn’t it.
Nice course, but underwhelming medal.
The marathon started out with a 10K look through the city, then went out on a bike trail for a long out and back stretch. The the end of bike … MORE
The marathon started out with a 10K look through the city, then went out on a bike trail for a long out and back stretch. The the end of bike trail, the course made a loop through the beautiful Furman University campus. The fall foliage was beautiful. The course was somewhat hilly.