Sarah Modlin's Staging Area

This was the first time that the marathon was held! Marathoners started at 6:30, while the half-marathoners started at 7:30 (plus the shorter distances). This is a very hilly course!
The biggest compliant I have is that the streets, especially the highway entrances/exits, were not fully blocked off. The police were there for the intersections, but we had to run next to and with traffic, so someone could have gotten hit easily. Most of the route is through the suburbs/side-streets of Jackson, so it was mostly quiet. There are also no timing mats or photographers along the route unfortunately.
The expo was at the fitness center, and they had a lot to offer! They offered wine, beer, and margaritas to us! As for swag, we received a shirt, lotion, sunglasses, and a stress ball (so not much to offer). Additionally, since I traveled from West Virginia, I was somewhat treated as a celebrity! The volunteers were happy that they got someone who was out-of-state to come!
There was free parking at the fairgrounds (like a 2–3-minute walk to the starting line) and there was no gear check. I didn’t need gear check since I parked. There were a few pacers, but the ones I saw ran a 3:30 marathon, 5:00 marathon, and 5:30 marathon.
I wish there were more spectators and crowd support. At least there were tons of volunteers to make the course doable! I do hope to see this marathon grow since it has tons of potential.
The medal is HUGE! It is almost the size of my face!

This race is extensively advertised as downhill and acts like this is the perfect course for a BQ and/or PR. The first half of the race was definitely rolling hills, especially since there was a gradual uphill climb around mile 10. The second half of the course is relatively flat.

The weather was 100% perfect! It wasn’t humid, hot, rainy, cloudy, etc. I wish there were more crowd support in the beginning, but tons of more people come out in the second half of the race. Additionally, there are tons of alcohol stops! I believe I stopped 6-7 times for various shots, so I had fun! If alcohol isn’t your thing, then tons of spectators had food such as beignets, doughnuts, and candy.

Finishers received a backpack, a jacket, oatmeal, a burrito, yogurt, and beer! Definitely one of the biggest post-race hauls offered!

I recommend this course if you want a solid December or California marathon.

This is a simple out-and-back half marathon held around Halloween. It is along the rail trail (a walking/running/biking path) that is next to the Monongahela River. Since it’s completely flat, you could PR. This is a small race since less than 150 people sign up, so there won’t be corrals or pacers. The mile markers are Halloween-themed yard signs, which are cute.

The production of the race is basic and there isn’t anything special. Even though the rail trail is beautiful, I find it boring since I prefer my long runs in the city with more spectators. Speaking of spectators, there are always a few, which is nice.

The weather can be a hit or miss since it can range from raining/cold and moderately warm.

This was an in-and-out course (so 13.1 miles one way and then turn around to run the remaining 13.1 miles). The course was a mix of asphalt, gravel, and dirt. There were next-to-no flat areas because the course was hilly. I did much better than I thought I would because the weather got hot and I’m not used to running in the CO elevation. I’m glad there were aid stations every 2-ish miles!

The expo was small and I wish there were vendors. I really loved the shirt and medal! I’m also glad my friend in CO was able to come out to see me!

This is a very beautiful and downhill course! I’ve run plenty of races in WV, and this is my favorite half marathon of the state. Even though it is downhill, it is still a trail race, so you can easily trip and fall (almost happened to me). Around mile 10, you get off the trail and run on pavement to the finish line. This is a good opportunity to PR!

Pittsburgh was a fun place to run! This is a hilly course since we run over the bridges, but the people came out to give us all the love and support we needed! I really felt energized throughout the race! This was the first time I received jello-shots, so I kept them in my pocket and drink them until I finished!

The expo was large and fun since there was a lot to look at. There were other races that were advertised, so it was nice to get to learn about them. There is also a challenge option for people who want to run on both Saturday and Sunday. You can run a 5K on Saturday and the half or full on Sunday. You get an additional challenge medal! My only complaint was that there was no FREE alcohol at the finish line for the runners. You had to go to a special tent area, but you also had to pay for it, so it was very disappointing. I would run it again since I had a lot of fun!

This race starts in the desert and it is dark, so it was unique and cool! The expo was at the Cub’s training stadium and there were tons of vendors and volunteers! There was one vendor that sold oranges, which was unique. I took back way too many freebies! The course was downhill in the beginning, but it flattens out kinda quickly. There were a decent amount of spectators since it’s not a huge marathon. The finish line area was in a huge park and it got sunny/hot by the time I finished. I would definitely run this course again!

Chicago was a blast! The course was basically a non-stop party! There were very minimal parts where there were no people, so I felt like I had crowd support the entire time! Most of the course is flat since very few parts where there was an elevation change. The elevation change was very minimal, so it wasn’t tiring, and my knees/legs didn’t get hurt. Weather was absolutely perfect! I’ve heard from friends that this race always has perfect weather, so I’m glad I was able to confirm the rumors are true.

Now the negatives regarding my performance: I had knee pain from my summer training, and it came back sadly. I had a hornet sting me around mile 18, ouch! I fell down around mile 20, which definitely didn’t make my knees happy. I had two large blisters on my big toes because I wore shoes that didn’t work with me.

This is definitely a race I want to redo!

Philly was my first marathon, and I killed it! This race got me hooked on marathons, and it’s because the production, the crowd support, and the course were amazing. I thought that I wouldn’t be as strong since I ran the half-marathon the day before, but I felt invincible!

Getting to the start was easy enough because there were shuttle buses for the runners, I just had to walk about 3 blocks to a pickup spot, which was kinda scary since it was still dark. Fortunately, there were tons of other runners going to a bus shuttle spot, so I wasn’t alone. Once we got to the art museum, we had to go through security (which was slow). I’m glad I got there early, so I didn’t have to wait in line forever!

It was FREEZING while I waited for the run to start since it’s the Sunday before Thanksgiving!

If you want a city to cheer you on, then Philly is for you! Additionally, there are multiple running challenges that give people the opportunity to push themselves beyond normal means and you get bragging rights!