Katy Cook's Staging Area

So much cheer, local neighbors out with water, cheer, signs, CAROLING and more!! I had a personally terrible race due to my asthma, but still thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and festivities.

This is a really nice, flat course, with just the right amount of people to never feel alone, but not crowded ever, either. The neighbors all come out to cheer in droves! They have great support, signs and enthusiasm. The race expo and finish party are very well done. Everything you want and nothing excess.

This race company does a great job with logistics, course, after party (although the beer was for cost) and swag. I was used to running in warmer weather and didn’t fare too well in the colder climate, but that’s on me. It was very pretty and friendly there.

We had a great weather day for the course, as it was 58 degrees at the start and overcast the whole day. The course is smooth, flat as can be and easy, except you can get a headwind the whole time….we had only 9 mph winds but by mile 18ish I was pretty over it. Then there is a ramp you must climb at mile 24 for a mile, turn around and go back down. I wish we could have just stayed flat, but it was a small blip on an otherwise perfect weekend. Beautiful medal and soft, nice shirt! The offered good pre-packaged food at the finish.

We had space heaters and bonfires at the start to keep us warm, water cups and plenty of porta potties, fireworks at the start, gorgeous scenery, great pacers, enthusiastic volunteers and police cheering us along, and LOTS of food and drinks at the finish. It was wonderful! The course was definitely smooth downhill, other than a small incline from 4-6 miles.

Well produced with plenty of volunteers, fun themes, great shirts, medals and awards and fantastic after party! Craft beer, pizza, breakfast burritos and great DJ and music!

The course was supposed to be downhill then flat. It was a very sharp downhill (4000 feet of drop in the first 15 miles!) and then we had a little hill at 16, which was hard for a lot of us, and then the last 5 miles were up and down in town, into and out of tunnels. That would have been much nicer to just stay flat and let us finish out our 5 miles. Most of the women around me all had the same BQ goals, and we all suffered and lost it together in those final ups and downs. It was kind of sad.
The course was BEAUTIFUL and the weather was nice (for a Floridian) and the tank top and swag was fantastic. The after party at the brewery was fun and the volunteers were AMAZING, so they did a LOT right! Being a company from outside the area, they may not have realized how drastic the last few miles were for us. Also, it was nearly 26.8 miles, but that happens sometimes.

This race has more volunteers than runners, it seems, and they will do ANYTHING to make you comfortable and happy during your 26.2. The aid stations are more like ultra aid stations, with real food and even iced Gatorade and water. The hills, though! I loved running in San Francisco, Montana, Utah, but there is NOTHING that compares to running Blackberry Mountain in the middle of a marathon. Basically, it will sap your ability to run “well” after the mountain, so just enjoy it.

The medal is sparkling and beautiful, the course had mile marker flags that surprised you as you were enjoying each horse farm scene and despite the hills, the miles just clicked away with ease! The toughest hill has a delightful drumming band at the bottom to pump you up to the top! Just a blast!!!