This is a very popular and famous New England race that takes place in Cape Elizabeth a small town outside Portland, ME. To enter the race you basically need to … MORE
This is a very popular and famous New England race that takes place in Cape Elizabeth a small town outside Portland, ME. To enter the race you basically need to register as soon as registration opens at 7am. I logged in a few minutes before 7am and everything went smooth and I was registered within 15 minutes. I believe there is also lottery and charity options for entering if you don’t get in right away. The race takes place on a Saturday and is a little under a 2 hour drive for me. One thing to definitely take into consideration if you want to do this race is the cost of hotels. Initially it looked like there was only packet pick-up before the race. Luckily packet pick-up was open until 8pm Friday so I would have time to get there after work. I was initially planning to pick up my packet and stay in Maine as it would be too much to drive 2 hours for packet, drive 2 hours home and drive 2 hours on race day. However hotels were insane. It was about $500 to stay anywhere in Portland. I found a hotel that was $350 in Biddeford, ME which is still about a 30 min drive to the race but it was still more than I wanted to pay. Luckily about 1 month before the race there was an email saying they were offering limited race day packet pick-up which I opted to do and canceled my hotel. For the race there are multiple parking locations and you take a shuttle to the start. It is a bit of a confusing race being a point to point in a small town but there is very clear pre race instructions which made everything smooth. Race day packet pick-up was at Cape Elizabeth high school so I opted to park there. Race day packet pick-up is from 5:30 to 7:30. However I heard from others that parking and getting there in the morning can be a pain due to traffic and road closures so I woke up at around 4am and got there around 6am. While I didn’t love waking up so early everything was very easy and I heard it was very hard to park and get to the school for people who came later so arrive early. Packet pick-up was easy. They have the shirts at the finish line if you do race day pick-up which I think works best. The shuttle to the start was really smooth. There was water and lots of porta potties. The start was on a big street and had suggested paces to line up by. One minor complaint I am not sure the best way to fix is the porta potties were lined up along the 11:00+ min/mile pace. I tried standing where I was supposed to be but everyone kept asking me if I was in the porta potty line so I ended up just lining up in the 10:00-11:00 min/mile pace to avoid the porta potty crowd. Not the end of the world and most of the runners were my speed since most people go up a corral. Start was otherwise well organized and we went in waves and it took maybe 15 minutes to get everyone through. The rest of the race is a blast. Pretty much the entire course is lined with spectators and it is a party atmosphere with tons of cheer squads and music. Course is all on closed roads and very easy to follow. There were official aid stations every mile and many more unofficial aid stations including a bacon station if you eat meat. There were also tons of back of packers and lots of people at my pace. There is a 2 hour time limit so it is very walker friendly. The course is scenic and shaded but I will admit I was hoping for more beach. There was a lot of woods and you didn’t really see the beach until the last mile. But it was such a fun environment I didn’t really mind the lack of beach. The course is rolling hills. It’s not really a fast course or a slow course. However as this is a very famous race it does attract some elite athletes and it’s cool that some very famous runners were out today. The finish line was at a a lighthouse and it was a scenic ending with lots of outdoor space for the post race party. Everyone is cheered for and you get a medal. The medal is small but appropriate size for a 10K and has a nice lighthouse design. There are basic snacks like granola bars and trail mix and some delicious blueberries. I also got my shirt which was a nice tech shirt but white. There is another large area with lines for more treats like ice cream and dunkins but the lines were quite long so I didn’t wait. One negative about the race which I don’t think can be helped is the lines for the shuttles back to the parking area were quite long. To be fair I don’t really think a race that is a point to point in a small town with limited roads to use could have been more organized so I didn’t mind waiting 30 minutes for the shuttle but just a heads up for planning your day. Afterwards I went to downtown Portland and got lunch at a vegetarian restaurant the Green Elephant and went to CatVideoFest at the art museum downtown. Overall this was a fantastic race and my favorite race I have done that is shorter than a half marathon. I was especially impressed with how this race managed to cater to both elite athletes and back of the packers after my negative experience last Tuesday in Newburyport. This is a race I would 100% recommend. I wouldn’t usually recommend traveling from anywhere in the country for a race shorter than a half marathon but this one is worth it. Definitely try to do this race if you can. I will definitely try to do it again.
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A 6.2 Mile Long Party!
This is a very popular and famous New England race that takes place in Cape Elizabeth a small town outside Portland, ME. To enter the race you basically need to … MORE
This is a very popular and famous New England race that takes place in Cape Elizabeth a small town outside Portland, ME. To enter the race you basically need to register as soon as registration opens at 7am. I logged in a few minutes before 7am and everything went smooth and I was registered within 15 minutes. I believe there is also lottery and charity options for entering if you don’t get in right away. The race takes place on a Saturday and is a little under a 2 hour drive for me. One thing to definitely take into consideration if you want to do this race is the cost of hotels. Initially it looked like there was only packet pick-up before the race. Luckily packet pick-up was open until 8pm Friday so I would have time to get there after work. I was initially planning to pick up my packet and stay in Maine as it would be too much to drive 2 hours for packet, drive 2 hours home and drive 2 hours on race day. However hotels were insane. It was about $500 to stay anywhere in Portland. I found a hotel that was $350 in Biddeford, ME which is still about a 30 min drive to the race but it was still more than I wanted to pay. Luckily about 1 month before the race there was an email saying they were offering limited race day packet pick-up which I opted to do and canceled my hotel. For the race there are multiple parking locations and you take a shuttle to the start. It is a bit of a confusing race being a point to point in a small town but there is very clear pre race instructions which made everything smooth. Race day packet pick-up was at Cape Elizabeth high school so I opted to park there. Race day packet pick-up is from 5:30 to 7:30. However I heard from others that parking and getting there in the morning can be a pain due to traffic and road closures so I woke up at around 4am and got there around 6am. While I didn’t love waking up so early everything was very easy and I heard it was very hard to park and get to the school for people who came later so arrive early. Packet pick-up was easy. They have the shirts at the finish line if you do race day pick-up which I think works best. The shuttle to the start was really smooth. There was water and lots of porta potties. The start was on a big street and had suggested paces to line up by. One minor complaint I am not sure the best way to fix is the porta potties were lined up along the 11:00+ min/mile pace. I tried standing where I was supposed to be but everyone kept asking me if I was in the porta potty line so I ended up just lining up in the 10:00-11:00 min/mile pace to avoid the porta potty crowd. Not the end of the world and most of the runners were my speed since most people go up a corral. Start was otherwise well organized and we went in waves and it took maybe 15 minutes to get everyone through. The rest of the race is a blast. Pretty much the entire course is lined with spectators and it is a party atmosphere with tons of cheer squads and music. Course is all on closed roads and very easy to follow. There were official aid stations every mile and many more unofficial aid stations including a bacon station if you eat meat. There were also tons of back of packers and lots of people at my pace. There is a 2 hour time limit so it is very walker friendly. The course is scenic and shaded but I will admit I was hoping for more beach. There was a lot of woods and you didn’t really see the beach until the last mile. But it was such a fun environment I didn’t really mind the lack of beach. The course is rolling hills. It’s not really a fast course or a slow course. However as this is a very famous race it does attract some elite athletes and it’s cool that some very famous runners were out today. The finish line was at a a lighthouse and it was a scenic ending with lots of outdoor space for the post race party. Everyone is cheered for and you get a medal. The medal is small but appropriate size for a 10K and has a nice lighthouse design. There are basic snacks like granola bars and trail mix and some delicious blueberries. I also got my shirt which was a nice tech shirt but white. There is another large area with lines for more treats like ice cream and dunkins but the lines were quite long so I didn’t wait. One negative about the race which I don’t think can be helped is the lines for the shuttles back to the parking area were quite long. To be fair I don’t really think a race that is a point to point in a small town with limited roads to use could have been more organized so I didn’t mind waiting 30 minutes for the shuttle but just a heads up for planning your day. Afterwards I went to downtown Portland and got lunch at a vegetarian restaurant the Green Elephant and went to CatVideoFest at the art museum downtown. Overall this was a fantastic race and my favorite race I have done that is shorter than a half marathon. I was especially impressed with how this race managed to cater to both elite athletes and back of the packers after my negative experience last Tuesday in Newburyport. This is a race I would 100% recommend. I wouldn’t usually recommend traveling from anywhere in the country for a race shorter than a half marathon but this one is worth it. Definitely try to do this race if you can. I will definitely try to do it again.
You can see elites
I was lucky enough to win a lottery to run this race. It is point to point so you need to decide/choose transportation options on how you’ll get to the … MORE
I was lucky enough to win a lottery to run this race. It is point to point so you need to decide/choose transportation options on how you’ll get to the start or get home after the finish. The expo was in a school and had a good selection of running items.
The course went through some residential areas before ending by the lighthouse. There were families that came out to cheer on runners which was a lot of fun.
The finish area was a party atmosphere. I got a root beer and blueberries along with some other stuff. The shirt was a Nike and fit great. There are no medals if that’s something you’re interested in.
Another thing that was cool was that the race draws some elite runners. I walked up and watched them start before I started.
Another fun thing was a family handing out bacon along the route.
I love this race!
...and not just because I finally hit a PR I've been working on for a few years either! Where to start? * Amazing, fabulous crowds with signs, sprinklers, hoses, live … MORE
…and not just because I finally hit a PR I’ve been working on for a few years either! Where to start?
* Amazing, fabulous crowds with signs, sprinklers, hoses, live music, and encouragement for what felt like the entire course. Having never run a marathon, this was easily the best crowd support I’ve encountered
* Pretty scenery and decent shade for large portions of the course, though coast doesn’t come into view until near the end
* Well organized, top to bottom
Things I didn’t love were for the most part out of control of the organizers: it was a hot, humid day. There are some hills, including in the last mile. Had it been a cooler day, I mightn’t have minded the hills as much. The t-shirt is fine, but I might have preferred the option to have a medal instead, but I know that gets tricky. For whatever reason my shuttle bus let us off over a half mile from the start, which was great for warming up, but might not be everyone’s preference.
I’m not sure that I’ll run this every year due to the distance from home and cost of having to find a place to stay, but I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it to other runners!
Very well organized race - loved it!
The was a very organized race. Point to point aren't my favorite but the organization in getting people to and from the race was great. The crowd support on this … MORE
The was a very organized race. Point to point aren’t my favorite but the organization in getting people to and from the race was great. The crowd support on this race is AMAZING! Many homes with sprinklers and hoses to cool us off because it was very hot! Several spectators had awesome music playing which was very motivating and there was even a live band! The bacon stop around mile 5 was great! Volunteers were spectacular, really appreciated each and every one of them. Highly recommend this race!
Best race course crowd!
Well organized! T shirts, but no medals. Great finish line views of Portland Headlight and the Atlantic Ocean! Crowds cheering you on the entire course! I've done a lot of … MORE
Well organized! T shirts, but no medals. Great finish line views of Portland Headlight and the Atlantic Ocean! Crowds cheering you on the entire course! I’ve done a lot of races and never seen a crowd like this! Spectators were playing music and there was even a live band. Water stations every mile. A bacon station on the last mile. Quite a few residents along the course had hoses/sprinklers set up to run through too. This might be my new favorite race!
Great Event
Probably the best organized race I have ever been to and I have been to over 500 races in the past decade. The course was relatively quick and the finish … MORE
Probably the best organized race I have ever been to and I have been to over 500 races in the past decade. The course was relatively quick and the finish area was great by the lighthouse.
Need to do this again!
This was an awesome race and worth traveling for. The course is beautiful and challenging. So challenging that I had my personal worst time and need to do it again … MORE
This was an awesome race and worth traveling for. The course is beautiful and challenging. So challenging that I had my personal worst time and need to do it again to conquer the course! I definitely didn’t expect the weather to be as hot and humid as it was or that I would have to climb another hill to get to the food after a tough finish.
Packet pickup could use some help – the lines were not clearly marked and I think I stood in a line I didn’t even need to stand in. People coming in after the opening time were not sure where they were supposed to go and ended up cutting into the lines. For as many participants and vendors, packet pickup should really be open all day and not just 4-8.
All that said, the support on the course was phenomenal. The whole town comes out to cheer the runners, provide snacks, and encouragement. On top of that, the folks who put out their sprinklers were a Godsend!