Billie Ellenwood's Staging Area

Nice race.very flat on the boardwalk and paved partial closed road. Small expo and afterparty. I guess because you do end on the boardwalk with lots of shops and food. It is a scenic course. The medal is awesome. The boardwalk is shared with the public during the race but they were courteous. It’s a decent New Jersey race.

Pros: -Race app for tracking and information.
– The expo was a nice size with lots of vendors.
– A course review and information panel
– Security check line went quickly.
– Plenty of port o potties throughout the race village and the course.
– Amazing crowd support
– Very scenic course
– The course was a little hilly.
– Great medal
– Great after party

Cons: Race village layout was confusing. It was hard to find gear check.
– There was no inflatable arch over the finishline. It was hard to see where the finishline was from a distance.

I recommend the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon.

This was a small, low-key race held on Camp LeJeune Marine Base. It required a background check and base pass. All initiated after registration. There was good communication via email from the week before the race up to race day. There was no expo, just packet pickup. I did score a pair of free Bib Boards. The swag included a t-shirt, a plastic bag for gear check, and a keychain flashlight. The race began on time, and there were numerous photo opportunities with the Marines. The course was mostly flat, with a few hills and scenic. It wasn’t too tough. We ran pass fallen soldier photos during the Hero Mile. Water and Gatorade stations were available at every other mile up to mile 12. Marines and police officers controlled the traffic. However, there were a few spots shared with cars. Powerade and a great spinner medals was provided at the finish line. At the post race party, there was one food truck, a few vendor tables and a table offering ziti and beer. I achieved my goal to mark North Carolina off my list and receive a nice medal.
I feel proud to have completed two halfs in the Marine Corps Marathon series.

I chose this Montana race for its high ratings, and it exceeded expectations. The expo was sizable with many vendors, and packet pickup was a breeze. We received nice, gender-specific shirts, and the swag bag—a reusable nylon drawstring—served as a gear drop bag. Race morning ran smoothly; there were plenty of buses to the start, and ample porta-potties. The half-marathon began with a gentle incline, followed by a downhill stretch through a forest, then neighborhoods, and finally downtown Missoula. The marathon and half-marathon started separately, merging around mile 6.5 (half) and mile 15 (marathon). Neighborhood crowd support was fantastic. Water stops provided water, Powerade, GU, and candy; medics were readily visible. The medal was a great reward. Post-race food included pasta salad, a roll, chips, a banana, and drinks (Coke, chocolate milk, water). The only downside, IMO, was insufficient shuttles back to parking/hotels. Despite this, I highly recommend the Missoula Marathon.

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This race was my very first experience with a Mainly Marathons. The thought of 6 loops for a half was not my idea of fun. However, seeing the chain of medals that I was working towards in person, I got me on board. Packet pickup was only that, pick up your bib and a t-shirt. Some people were still able register and race day registration was also offered. Several distances were offered and an early start time. There were plenty of port o potties. For your race, you complete a loop, grab a rubber band to count your completed loops, grab a snack from the large variety offered by the volunteers and hydration. Then, head back out for another loop. The course was mostly flat and mostly shaded on a paved path through a wooded park. It really wasn’t bad. We had perfect weather. Once you complete all the loops for your distance, you ring the completion bell. You get your finish time. Then it’s loaded into the computer. I suggest bringing bug spray for the mosquitoes. I recommend this race.

Irving Frost Marathon, Half, 10k & 5k was a pleasant surprise. I had never heard of Irving, Texas and wasn’t expecting much. Packet pick up was easy. In and out. You got your bib, long sleeve tee shirt and a beanie. There was no expo, just a table selling their merchandise. Race morning was a cold 34. The half marathon course was out and back. The Full was a double loop of the half course. We ran through downtown on the road then a sidewalk through a nature trail in a park. The park trails were very scenic. There were a few hills but nothing major. There were plenty of water stations and port-o-lets. The water stations offered water, Gatorade, chips, oranges and banana. The volunteers were great. After the race we received our medal and a short sleeved finisher shirt. Official results were instant via runsign to your phone. Post Race food was pancakes, tamales, coffee, beer garden and hot chocolate. I did not purchase the VIP experience.
My only con was the offered prepaid parking. For some reason the QR code did not work at the garage on race morning. I’m not sure if it was operator error or bad instructions. Other than that, The Irving Marathon was a great experience and I do recommend it.

As always Space Coast did not disappoint. I did the south course again and got my best time of the year. The course runs along the water through a quaint neighborhood. There were a few small hills. There was plenty of post race food. I paid extra for race day packet pickup. Race swag was a nice tech long sleeve shirt and a moon pie. Nice huge medal and towel at the finish. I recommend Space Coast often.

I enjoyed pretty much everything about this race except for that bridge at the end. The Expo was a nice size. We were given a bibs, gear check bag and a nice long-sleeved shirt. Race morning, we were shuttled from the parking lot to the startline at the convention center. The course started in the downtown area, went through some historic neighborhoods with beautiful brick houses, then along Lake Michigan to a monster bridge. We went over the bridge and back to the finishline. The medal is so pretty. The race food was chips, banana, cookies, crustable, chocolate milk, and water. There were a few vendors selling other food items.
There was plenty of port-o-pottys, hydration tables with water, Gatorade and Gu. The medal is bling is big and beautiful.
Overall, I liked this race and would do it again. Even with the few hills and the bridge.

Expo – This was a small race, no expo. It was more of a bib and shirt pickup. Shirts exchanged only after the race. We were bused from the Stillwater Inn in Minnesota to the startline in Wisconsin. It was next a huge corn field. The course was on and along side the road. I would call it rolling hills, but nothing too major. It was doable for me as a walker. There were plenty of aid and water/Gatorade stations. The weather started out nice, but by around 10 a.m., it got hot. The volunteers and emergency staff were great. With the heat being what it was, they were very attentive to our needs as far as hydration and if we were okay.
There were still ripe bananas, chips, water, and Gatorade (much appreciated as a back of the packer) I’m not sure of what else was offered. Great medal! I recommend this race.

Nice big Expo, great course and course support. Port o potties and aid ststions were plentiful. There was plenty of race swag. There was a huge post race party.
I highly recommend this race.

Space Coast is a wonderful experience and I would recommend it to anyone. It is a well run event with great communication, great voluteers and huge medals. The expo was outside with a few vendors. Packet pickup was quick and very easy. Plenty of shuttles from various pick up locations provided transportation to and from the race. I did the South course which has no limit. It is basically a flat course with a couple of inclines. It runs along the water and sometimes dolphins are spotted. The course is lined with beautiful trees and large houses. There was plenty of course support, volunteers, and water stations. There could have been a few more port-o-potties on the course. The course leading up to the finish line chute was changed. It now makes several turns that make finishline seem further away, like you will never get there. It is frustrating. In spite that, I will continue to do this race and recommend it.

The staff was great. Due to the high humidity there were some last minute adjustments and cancellations. Communications could have been better. However, The Race Director sent plenty of emails offering people the opportunities to downgrade to the 10k because of the weather conditions. The Welcome Party and morning yoga were cancelled due to the humidity. The one mile run on the beach was changed to a half mile due to the high tide, which was fine by me. I hate running on the sand anyway. The 10k and half went on as advertised. The course started out on the road with rolling hills, and beautiful views of the water. Part of the course went through a park on a paved bike path, then back to the road. There was a huge hill at maybe mile 12.5. The heat and humidity made me feel bad, so it was a rough finish for me.
They ensured we had enough water stations with Gatorade, fuel and plenty of port-a-potties to combat the conditions. The volunteers were great. Some of the residents cheered the runners, sprayed water and offered cups of water.
Post race food was good, water, mimosas, soft donuts, bananas, oranges and delicious chowder.
I feel like they did their best with the unexpected weather conditions. This is the last year for Zooma Cape Cod.

The packet pickup and Expo were great. It was held on a pier 2 , across from the city. It ran very smooth. There was plenty of information given on transport to the race and race day instructions. The first part of the course was rolling hills up until mile 7, then slight down hill to the end. Post- race party was great. My only cons were the thin race shirts and medal design. The ribbon was nice, though.

I enjoy the Master of All Terrain trail races. There really is no Expo. More or less, it’s only packet pick up at the race site. That is okay with me. The course is mostly flat but again true to Florida summer it was hot and wet. There were aid stations with water and orange slices. The after post race part was pretty good as I remember. They also provided an air conditioned shed for runners to cool off after the race. The medal is nice.

This was my first international half marathon. I enjoyed this race. The expo was a decent size inside a mall. The swag was great and included a bottle of wine. They had an exciting pre race entertainment at the startline to get everyone hyped up. They a band marching through the crowd, and a motocycle group road through the corrals. The course was out and back, pretty flat. The highlight of course was running along Niagara Falls. We were given boxed lunches at the finishline. There were also free massages. The medal is nice.

The St Pete Womens Half Marathon was my very first half marathon. I remember the Expo being a decent size. The course was flat. We started out downtown St Pete, ran on the St Pete Pier, along the water to some beautiful neighborhoods, then back downtown and finished near the pier along the water. The medal is big with a nice ribbon. The race has since been discontinued.