This is a 5K or half marathon located just outside Albany, NY. It is produced by AREEP. I did their Helderburg to Hudson Half a couple years ago and liked … MORE
This is a 5K or half marathon located just outside Albany, NY. It is produced by AREEP. I did their Helderburg to Hudson Half a couple years ago and liked it so decided to do this race as it was the closest half marathon to me this weekend. This race was started during covid but continued after the pandemic as it was a successful event. One thing I love about this race (and most of AREEP’s events) is they have the races at a lower cost if you don’t want a shirt. Since I have done a ton of half marathons in NY and have plenty of race shirts I really didn’t need one and this race cost only $45 which was a great deal for this race. Albany is also pretty cheap. It is a 3 hour drive so I got a hotel which was a decent hotel for a bit over $100. There is great pre-race communication with a detailed athlete’s guide. The race starts at a Fairground. There was packet pick-up Friday or race day. I obviously got it race day. You are assigned a bib before hand and it went smooth. I just got the bib since I didn’t add on the shirt. The shirts were pretty cool though and the price to add them on is fair if you want a shirt. The start area was well organized and there were a good amount of porta potties. There were lines closer to the start of the race but when aren’t there lines. The start was organized. They called people into the start area by pacing. Calling out 8 minute milers first then 9 minute milers and so on so that we were spread out. There was a little over 400 runners and we were pretty well spread out. The course is a loop through rural scenery. It is very scenic and you see forests, farms, and mountains. It isn’t the prettiest time of year but still enjoyable scenery. As it is rural there aren’t a ton of spectators but I appreciated the ones there and at one point there were a bunch of chickens on the sidewalk cheering us on. The course was very well marked. The roads were opened but coned off and quiet. There were enough volunteers and course marshals that everything was safe. My only complaint about production is there were only 4 aid stations and they only had water though there were porta potties at the aid stations too. I didn’t take off production points because this was stated in the race guide and also with the low cost of the race fair to not have extravagant aid stations. I did carry water and some honey stinger to make up for the lack of nutrition and infrequent aid stations. The course is moderating challenging the first and last few miles are mostly flat with some rollers but there are some bigger hills in the middle of the course. The most difficult part of the race today was not the hills but the wind. It was very windy. I had a really fast first 5 miles because it turns out I was running with the wind but the last 5 miles or so had a strong headwind and were rough and draining. I was hoping to finish around 2:45 based on my initial pace but the wind was too much. I still finished under 3 hours but I was a bit disappointed it was my slowest race in awhile although I was a bit excited to be disappointed in a finishing time under 3 hours as I would have been ecstatic with this time last spring. The finish area was a bit subdued due to the winds but there were volunteers and you got a nice medal with the race logo. It’s an above average medal. There are boxed lunches at the end and AREEP always has vegan options. It was a vegan sandwich and the most delicious vegan dessert. This race is between 4 to 5 sneakers but I rounded up due to vegan options and affordability. Overall I thought this was a very nice race. I would definitely recommend it to locals and semi-locals traveling a few hours away like me and would do it again. In terms of 50 staters, I’ve done a lot of half marathons in NY state and this is not as iconic as some races such as NYC, Buffalo and Wineglass but it is a solid option if it works with your schedule especially if you prefer smaller-mid sized races or are looking for a more budget option.
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Great Deal for a Race and Vegan Options!
This is a 5K or half marathon located just outside Albany, NY. It is produced by AREEP. I did their Helderburg to Hudson Half a couple years ago and liked … MORE
This is a 5K or half marathon located just outside Albany, NY. It is produced by AREEP. I did their Helderburg to Hudson Half a couple years ago and liked it so decided to do this race as it was the closest half marathon to me this weekend. This race was started during covid but continued after the pandemic as it was a successful event. One thing I love about this race (and most of AREEP’s events) is they have the races at a lower cost if you don’t want a shirt. Since I have done a ton of half marathons in NY and have plenty of race shirts I really didn’t need one and this race cost only $45 which was a great deal for this race. Albany is also pretty cheap. It is a 3 hour drive so I got a hotel which was a decent hotel for a bit over $100. There is great pre-race communication with a detailed athlete’s guide. The race starts at a Fairground. There was packet pick-up Friday or race day. I obviously got it race day. You are assigned a bib before hand and it went smooth. I just got the bib since I didn’t add on the shirt. The shirts were pretty cool though and the price to add them on is fair if you want a shirt. The start area was well organized and there were a good amount of porta potties. There were lines closer to the start of the race but when aren’t there lines. The start was organized. They called people into the start area by pacing. Calling out 8 minute milers first then 9 minute milers and so on so that we were spread out. There was a little over 400 runners and we were pretty well spread out. The course is a loop through rural scenery. It is very scenic and you see forests, farms, and mountains. It isn’t the prettiest time of year but still enjoyable scenery. As it is rural there aren’t a ton of spectators but I appreciated the ones there and at one point there were a bunch of chickens on the sidewalk cheering us on. The course was very well marked. The roads were opened but coned off and quiet. There were enough volunteers and course marshals that everything was safe. My only complaint about production is there were only 4 aid stations and they only had water though there were porta potties at the aid stations too. I didn’t take off production points because this was stated in the race guide and also with the low cost of the race fair to not have extravagant aid stations. I did carry water and some honey stinger to make up for the lack of nutrition and infrequent aid stations. The course is moderating challenging the first and last few miles are mostly flat with some rollers but there are some bigger hills in the middle of the course. The most difficult part of the race today was not the hills but the wind. It was very windy. I had a really fast first 5 miles because it turns out I was running with the wind but the last 5 miles or so had a strong headwind and were rough and draining. I was hoping to finish around 2:45 based on my initial pace but the wind was too much. I still finished under 3 hours but I was a bit disappointed it was my slowest race in awhile although I was a bit excited to be disappointed in a finishing time under 3 hours as I would have been ecstatic with this time last spring. The finish area was a bit subdued due to the winds but there were volunteers and you got a nice medal with the race logo. It’s an above average medal. There are boxed lunches at the end and AREEP always has vegan options. It was a vegan sandwich and the most delicious vegan dessert. This race is between 4 to 5 sneakers but I rounded up due to vegan options and affordability. Overall I thought this was a very nice race. I would definitely recommend it to locals and semi-locals traveling a few hours away like me and would do it again. In terms of 50 staters, I’ve done a lot of half marathons in NY state and this is not as iconic as some races such as NYC, Buffalo and Wineglass but it is a solid option if it works with your schedule especially if you prefer smaller-mid sized races or are looking for a more budget option.
Great event despite COVID complications
AREEP did an amazing job putting this together despite all of the chaos in the world right now due to COVID. This is not being graded on a curve; COVID … MORE
AREEP did an amazing job putting this together despite all of the chaos in the world right now due to COVID. This is not being graded on a curve; COVID or not, this was a great event. The socially distant and staggered start was safe and worked smoothly. Volunteers directed everyone at the start and on the course effectively. The course was challenging but fair. I would argue that the steepest downhills were more taxing than the worst uphills. Beautiful scenery.