Sarah Modlin's Staging Area

This was the inaugural marathon, and I’m fortunate enough to participate in it! Usually, inaugural events are rocky and there are tons of ways for the organizers to improve, but I don’t have any major notes for this one.

The organizers were proactive with their news and information (ex. bib pickup, race day training tips). The expo was at the Trustees Garden and had tons of personal touches that made it seem like the organizers have been doing this for years! For example, runners could pick up their name tags on a wall that was alco color coded with the number of marathons someone ran (ex. first time, 11-30, 60+). The race swag was ok for me since the shirt and wind breaker jacket were bland. Additionally, Rabbit (the clothing partner) didn’t make nearly enough merch for people since they sold out early on in the day.

As for race day, the weather was perfect in the beginning since it was in the 50s. As the day went on, it warmed up and there was next-to-no shade, so the sun was blasting me in the eyes (I know the organizers can’t control that). It was mostly flat since there were a few elevation changes, but it is possible to PR (my performance was meh since I had hip pain sadly).

*EDIT: My major complaint about this race is that tons of runners were routed to the front for being slow (swag wagon) and their “results” were still on the page. Therefore, the rankings aren’t accurate*

The city really came out to support us! I felt like there weren’t many dead spots, so I didn’t feel alone or bored. This is great for first-timers and 6+ hour runners.

Connecticut is a small state and there aren’t many options for marathons, so everyone does Hartford. Lots of spectators came out to see us and it made me feel welcomed! I stopped a lot to take photos of the scenery, the signs, and decorations.

I started to feel a bit more alone when the half marathoners separated from the marathoners, but at least we still had a nice course to run on. The course is rolling hills, but they didn’t feel terrible! The weather was perfect since it was cold in the beginning, and gradually warmed up!

We finished the run by running through the arch! Afterwards there were tons of vendors that sold food if runners wanted to buy some. The free food we received were soup, bread, bananas, popcorn, and monster cookie granola. Additionally, we received beer in the beer garden!

I will definitely run this again if I do another round of the USA.

I can see why tons of people run here in order to PR, BQ, and/or have their Washington marathon! The course is beautiful since I stopped over a dozen times to take pictures! There were plenty of water and fluids at the aid stations, and the volunteers were great!

There were a couple of difficult parts to this race. The course starts in the tunnel for about 2 miles, so it’s hard to watch where you are stepping. Afterwards the rest of the course is on gravel, so it was sometimes hard to have steady footing. The next difficult part was that the trail is used by the public, so we had to dodge bikers, other runners, and dog walkers.

The expo was nonexistent since it was just the bib pickup. I was there for about 3 minutes since there weren’t vendors or anything to look at. The end of the race was great since there was a water tank, LOTS of food (ex. chips, cookies, chili), and the opportunity for a massage. Lastly, there were shuttle busses to take runners back to the start where cars are parked.

I signed up for this race kinda last minute, and I have zero regrets! Parkersburg isn’t that pretty of a town/city, so I was underwhelmed when I drove and ran through it.

The reason why I give this race a higher rating is because the volunteers really loved us! They really showed their love for us at the expo, the pasta dinner, along the course, and the post race lunch! I have run a million other races, and the volunteers here were top-notch! I definitely want to come back to run again (despite the annoying hills).

I thought that the 50th anniversary of this race would be huge and spectacular, but I was kinda let down. Despite Helena being the state capital of MT, I was surprised that there weren’t many runners.

We started at 6:00 am in Jefferson City (middle of nowhere), and that’s main the downhill portion of the race. At mile 3, we ran out-and-back until mile 7. There is elevation gain going out (about 2 miles). Around mile 15.5, the rolling hills really kick in. So we would go uphill for a bit, then back downhill. This continued until around mile 20.

We ran into the city, where we finally had a decent number of spectators. We ran into the runners doing the 5K/10K course, so we clashed a bit. The last portion of the race was through the walking mall then we finished at the library. I wished we had real food that was free (not snacks). There were food trucks, but you had to pay to eat. At least there was a free concert in the park for us!

I thought the course was beautiful since we ran by the woods along the highway. I did see a black bear around mile 10, so that was unique! At least the weather was perfect! Not humid and not freezing! I just wish the production of the race was better.

I have run marathons easier than this half-marathons! There is a long 2-mile elevation gain (over 500 ft) from miles 3-5, so I was tired at the beginning of the race! It was also HOT, so I went slower and stayed hydrated as much as possible! Wheeling isn’t that pretty of a city since it was filled with roads and buildings (not like we ran in the suburbs or parks).

Surprisingly lots of the townspeople came out to see and support us, so I felt welcomed! And some of them at alcohol!

You will not PR for this race! I did it just as a challenge!

This was my first Revel race, and I was not disappointed! I truly didn’t think it was possible for me to PR since I run marathons back-to-back, so I can’t properly train.

Since the course is very downhill, we need to take the shuttle to the start between 3:15-4:15 (EARLY) to begin at 6:00. It is FREEZING! I wasn’t prepared for the cold since I thought I could handle the weather. I didn’t bring an emergency heat blanket. Fortunately, there was a good Samaritan who brought an extra blanket and offered it to me. Additionally, someone had an extra-long sleeve jacket to donate, and he gave it to me so I can be extra warm (thank you kind strangers)!

The Revel races are known for being very downhill. It sounds easy, but your quads still get very sore! The first 5 miles were the steep miles, and it kinda evens out the rest of the way (still downhill). The only part that was uphill was between miles 10-12, but it was minimal. The course scenery is absolutely gorgeous, I wish I stopped more often to take pictures.

Since this is along the highway, there are no spectators. The only time we had spectators were starting at mile 25. As for aid stations, there were GU gels, water, Nuun, oranges (a couple of stations), and muscle rub cream (3 stations).

We had a donut from Dunkin Donuts (they had extra so I also took a dozen), Siggis milk yogurt, and beer! People could also buy kettle corn as an extra treat!

Overall, my experience was wonderful and expectations were more than met! Definitely want to do another Revel race!

This was a good race, considering the location and the size of DE. I thought that this would be a really popular marathon, but there weren’t many spectators out to cheer us on, so I felt kinda lonely for most of the race.

I was also hoping that it would be cool (since it’s advertised as the “coolest race in DE”). But the weather started to get really hot (high 60s-70s). To make things worse, there’s next to no shade along the course, minus the few parts when we are on the trails. I know the race directors can’t control the weather, so I can’t hold it against them. The course was run through some suburbs/roads, boardwalks, wooden bridges, and lots of dirt trails. I thought the scenery was pretty at least!

As for production, I felt like the expo was small, but it was very organized. Again, I was hoping for a larger venue and more swag, but we only received our race shirts and a glass (which was nice).

Grotto pizza is the big sponsor of this race, and they definitely nailed it! I LOVE their pizza and I wish I lived in the area! After the 5K on Saturday, runners got 2 beers and pizza. After the races on Sunday, we had a buffet at Grottos (ex. chicken, salad, pizza) and 3 beers!

Overall, this was a good race! It’s not difficult, but can be boring and HOT. At least we had a solid after party!

I really wish I didn’t get injured during this race (around mile 10, I experienced a sharp pain at my groin/adductor muscles). This was the smoothest and well-planned expo and race I have ever been to!
Expo: You check in with your ID and code, then head to the table(s) for your bag. When you go to the table, they already have your stuff made and confirm it’s you by greeting you with your name. There were tons of vendors to buy from and I felt so welcomed here!
Race: Weather was a tad cold in the morning, but it warms up. There is TONS of corral control (security to check corral assignment). The course is flat! There were tons of alcohol stops (I think I stopped 6 times). The weather was 10/10!
Post Race: You get your medal, food, and t-shirt when you finish!
I would love to do Houston again as a redo!

I’m surprised the Charlotte Marathon isn’t as popular as the other North Carolina marathons. I felt like tons of people came out to support us, the course scenery was nice, and I had a great time at the expo.

The first half we run through the suburbs, which were also the hilliest part of the course. The second half has us run through a park for a brief period of time, to get to another section of the city + suburbs. I felt like this part was flatter. The most memorable thing for me was around mile 18 when someone in a Batman costume gave out beer!

The finishers received BBQ sandwiches, bananas, snacks, and beer! I would honestly say my least favorite part was that it was in the 30s when the race started, so it was cold.

Don Kern really knows how to put on a race! The expo was at the YMCA, and it was smaller than I hoped. BUT…. you get a huge bag of swag such as protein mix, biofreeze, and coffee! I was worried the weather wouldn’t hold up since it rained the day before, but it did, and I wasn’t cold or hot (just a bit gloomy). The course is mostly flat, as there are small patches of hills/higher elevation. I don’t think this would be a course that someone would get a PR, but it’s definitely well supported with aid stations and spectators (one spot had pickle juice). Runners received Gogurt, ice cream, water, beer, and other goodies at the finish line.

If I do another round of the US, I’ll definitely run this again!

I did this half marathon following another half marathon the day before. The course is mostly downhill (very few uphill portions), so it felt easy for me. We run through the Metroparks of Cleveland, so the scenery was pretty. There weren’t many goodies to take home, but the medal and shirt were nice. The weather was on the colder side in the beginning, but I got warmed up when I started running.

This was a very beautiful and scenic race! The weather was absolutely PERFECT! I wish I had a better performance because everything was there for me to PR (I had bad stomach issues in the beginning sadly). This is a small town race, so there are zero spectators and the expo was tiny (it was just 2 tables in a hotel conference room). At least there was a free drink token for a nearby bar.

I would recommend this course if you want to PR and have a relaxing race!

Since this was my first trail race, it was much more difficult for me! I’m used to road races, so I had to get used to watching my step and my slower pace. There were plenty of times when I almost fell, so I’m glad I didn’t! This is a very steep race, and it’s filled with rocks, mud, and branches/logs. We got donuts, pepperoni rolls, coffee, and a bunch of other foods afterwards.

As for the scenery, it is beautiful! Coopers Rock is very popular for hikers, and I can see why. I recommend this course if you want a major workout!

The race was definitely more geared towards tourists because most people were not runners (or experienced marathon runners). Most people that did this were walkers because this course has no time limit. The expo was huge and very nice to walk through! I wish I could’ve used the opportunities by the vendors, but I’m not from Hawaii, so I wouldn’t have been able to return.

The course itself wasn’t bad, but it was mostly flat. It was extremely hot (even at 5 am), so I didn’t enjoy that at all. There really weren’t many spectators, even though Honolulu is a big city. The finish line party was at a big park, so it was nice to relax there and drink coconut milk!

Great expo! There are tons of gear at the convention center for the expo! Additionally, there were several alcohol samples at the expo! I heard this race weekend is a hit or miss with weather. I ran in 2022, and the weather was gorgeous. It can be windy, rainy, cloudy, or extremely hot! I’m so fortunate that I had the perfect weather conditions!

J & A Racing knows how to throw an after party! Had 4 drink tickets and 1 food ticket, so I was very lit! I have run multiple races with this organization, and they never fail to make them blowouts. Additionally, since I ran it for its 50th anniversary, I feel like they went all out for the afterparty!

The course was extremely flat! There was one small bridge approx. 15-16 miles and coming back 22-23 miles. So, I had no complaints about the course.

The only negative about this race is that the course was dead for the full marathoners unfortunately, especially between miles 15-20. Most people were cheering during for the half-marathoners, so I didn’t get all the crowd support I wanted.

I ran this half marathon the day before the marathon, and I did much better than I thought! It was FREEZING in the beginning since it’s right before Thanksgiving! Additionally, we were delayed by 30 minutes because there were still tons of runners trying to get through security.

Philly is a city where the spectators really come out and support the runners! I’m glad this is where my long distance running started because I felt strong! The course isn’t flat, it is more rolling, so you’ll have to work a bit!