I really liked this race. It was a small production that took you through some scenic farm land and over 3 covered bridges. I ran a lot of this on … MORE
I really liked this race. It was a small production that took you through some scenic farm land and over 3 covered bridges.
I ran a lot of this on my own, at times with no other runners around me, but never got lost – the course was well marked. The roads weren’t closed for this and in places there wasn’t much shoulder to run on. However, it was very well signed that a race was on and for drivers to be courteous.
There were plenty aid stations and a great BBQ at the end.
My only negative was that it started too late at 9am – it would have been better / cooler at 7am.
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A small production but well managed
I really liked this race. It was a small production that took you through some scenic farm land and over 3 covered bridges. I ran a lot of this on … MORE
I really liked this race. It was a small production that took you through some scenic farm land and over 3 covered bridges.
I ran a lot of this on my own, at times with no other runners around me, but never got lost – the course was well marked. The roads weren’t closed for this and in places there wasn’t much shoulder to run on. However, it was very well signed that a race was on and for drivers to be courteous.
There were plenty aid stations and a great BBQ at the end.
My only negative was that it started too late at 9am – it would have been better / cooler at 7am.
Nice, smaller, charity race
This is a smaller half marathon that takes place in Swanzey, NH which is near Keene by the Vermont border. This race is a fundraiser for the students of the … MORE
This is a smaller half marathon that takes place in Swanzey, NH which is near Keene by the Vermont border. This race is a fundraiser for the students of the local Middle/High School and is in honor of the race founder who also used to be a coach for the school. This was an interesting race to compare to Blueberry Cove last weekend as they are both smaller races that raise money. However this race had a much cheaper entry fee and better production. If you sign up early this race is $60 which is a fair price for a race like this. If you sign up last minute the price does go up to $80 which may be a little overprice for this race but that’s on you for signing up late. This race starts at 9am which is a bit late for this time of year but it is mostly shaded and Keene is a bit cooler than other part of the state. This race is also about a 1.5 hour drive for me so even though it got a bit hot at the end at least I didn’t have to wake up super early or get a hotel. Communication was fine. Not the most detailed website or emails but all the essential information was communicated. There is the option for early packet pick-up but I got it the morning of the race. Packet pick-up and the finish is at the school and it went smooth. I was happy to see actual bibs though they were generic. There is also an okay cotton T-shirt but better than nothing. The start was about a block from the school. It was just on the road and there is not a timing mat for the start but it’s a small race with about 100 runners so everyone starts around the same time. I think there was a start flag to indicate it. The course is very scenic. You go under a number of covered bridges which is really cool. The rest is though neighborhoods and farms and pretty forests. It is one of the more scenic races I’ve done in NH and the covered bridges definitely added to it. The roads are open which isn’t my favorite and some had kind of tight shoulders. It was very well marked with both arrows on the ground and course marshals and volunteers. There were also mile markers and aid stations every 2 miles with water and gatorade. One negative is the last 2 aid stations had no volunteers when I arrived. Not sure if this was just for slower runners or if they were short on volunteers. The course isn’t too hard. I think about 400 feet of elevation gain. Mostly rolling hills nothing terrible. There is one section for maybe a mile that is non-technical rail trail the rest road. The toughest part for me was since it’s such a small race I was running by myself a lot and I find it harder to motivate myself to go fast when I’m alone as I tend to go in training run mode. The finish has a timing mat and a clock with your finishing time. I was slow but as my race on Monday had a tighter time limit my goal was to take it easy and finish around 3:30 which I did. The medal was much improved from what I’ve heard. It wasn’t the biggest or flashiest medal but a very cute covered bridge design medal. The finish area was very fun for a small race. There was a raffle and I ended up winning some kitchenware for my new apartment. There was also a BBQ which included veggie burgers and pasta salad. Overall I thought this was a nice, scenic small race. Personally I prefer the big, exciting race atmosphere and don’t love running alone so much so it wouldn’t be my first choice for a NH half for 50 staters but if you like smaller races that I would definitely recommend this one for you. Since I now live in NH and I don’t need a hotel for this race, I would do this one again.
A lot of potential but fell short
This is a nice scenic race through four covered bridges. However, this seems to be a low budget race. Although it is for a good cause and in memory of … MORE
This is a nice scenic race through four covered bridges. However, this seems to be a low budget race. Although it is for a good cause and in memory of their founder. That being said there was very little communication prior to the race day. The only thing posted was the day of packet pick up that it was only going to be day of race. I actually sent an email to make sure race was still on. Also, the swag was extremely disappointing! The medal was very cheap but I believe I paid like a $70 entry fee. They did host a post race BBQ that was very nice!
Great scenic small town race.
Great course, very well marked course and course marshals, well organized, great post race BBQ. The race starts on a slight down hill with the first bridge that you run … MORE
Great course, very well marked course and course marshals, well organized, great post race BBQ. The race starts on a slight down hill with the first bridge that you run through only .25 mile in. The you get on a nice rail trail for just over a mile then back on the roads for the remainder of the race. You get to run through 3 more bridges while traversing this rolling course. Never too much elevation gain but just enough to keep the race interesting.
One of the friendliest races!
I really enjoyed this race both for the course (just enough hills to make you work for it, without it being too impossible) and the atmosphere. It is a smaller … MORE
I really enjoyed this race both for the course (just enough hills to make you work for it, without it being too impossible) and the atmosphere. It is a smaller race and a little disorganized at the start… a little unclear where to go for the start, and I think they shot off the start gun before everyone could hear major announcements. This being said, everyone racing was so friendly and it was a great time!
Post-race BBQ was a major plus!
Nice small country race in NH
Nice course that passes thru 4 covered bridges. Most of the race is on country roads that are still open to traffic. Rolling hills from mile 5-13. None are huge … MORE
Nice course that passes thru 4 covered bridges. Most of the race is on country roads that are still open to traffic. Rolling hills from mile 5-13. None are huge but it felt like I was going up and down the entire time during this part of the course.
Covered Bridges
The biggest draw of this race is the covered bridges. In fact you'll run over four bridges throughout the race. The first couple of miles are on paved roads. About … MORE
The biggest draw of this race is the covered bridges. In fact you’ll run over four bridges throughout the race. The first couple of miles are on paved roads. About half way through the race we switched to a trail.
At the end of the race they had a lovely BBQ with hamburgers, hotdogs, corn etc.