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@sfernandes

Raleigh, NC Raving since 2024 Active 2 months ago

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My Races

Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.

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Half Marathon

Marathon

Ultramarathon

(Marathon or Ultra) + Half

Marathon + Ultra

Other

Future Races

Future Races (0)

Race Distance Location Date Paid

Past Races (4)

Race Distance Location Date Result My Raves My Performance
Half Marathon Raleigh, NC Dec 7, 2024
Half Marathon Wilmington, NC Nov 17, 2024
Marathon Cary, NC Mar 19, 2023
Half Marathon Wilmington, NC Feb 26, 2022

My Raves

I love this race. Course is fast and flat except for one notorious hill, Mt. Greenway, that you hit on the way out and the way back. Nice balance of … MORE

I love this race. Course is fast and flat except for one notorious hill, Mt. Greenway, that you hit on the way out and the way back. Nice balance of enabling a fast time while also having a unique challenge.

The race and production has a friendly and low-key feel to it–it’s not a spectacle the way some bigger mass participation events can be so if that’s what you’re looking for this won’t be the best race for you. Almost the entire course is on the greenway, so there won’t be big road closures or big cheering crowds.

The production is also more laid-back. There’s not a huge expo, but there are multiple packet pick-ups that at local small businesses. Communication is also great–in 2024 they had to adjust the course and start location bc of greenway construction but the change was well-communicated and they arranged buses on short notice to move people to the start.

The swag of a shirt, koozie, and sticker was cool. I also love the Top Finisher mugs for the top 75 men and top 75 women and hope to collect a few more over the years.

DIFFICULTY
2
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
5
SWAG
5

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This is a cool race with a unique theme. You start with a great view of the battleship and then run three bridges to loop around it. The bridges (really … MORE

This is a cool race with a unique theme. You start with a great view of the battleship and then run three bridges to loop around it. The bridges (really the second one) are the hardest part of the course, but they’re early in the race and are not that bad if you live/train in a non-flat area.

You then swing through downtown, which was decorated with Christmas lights and cool to see. You then do a loop around Greenfield Lake. If you like crowd support in a race (doesn’t make a huge difference to me), this stretch is pretty sparse but there were GREAT volunteers stationed all over who really tried hard to keep the energy up.

The Expo was easy to find and navigate and prerace communication was great (they had to move the start/finish because of flooding but IDK how you could have missed it). The shirt was long sleeve with a cool design and I will definitely wear it. The medal was in the shape of the Battleship too and is really distinctive among all the others I got.

All in all it was a great race (and I say that after missing my time goal) and look forward to the next time I run it.

DIFFICULTY
1
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
5
SWAG
5

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This is a well-organized race on a great course, and I think it's the best marathon in the Triangle! The course is flat until roughly mile 17-18 or so, at … MORE

This is a well-organized race on a great course, and I think it’s the best marathon in the Triangle! The course is flat until roughly mile 17-18 or so, at which point it becomes a very slight upward incline that you would never notice except in the final 10k of a marathon. I love that it was basically road running in a wooded trail setting (warning if you want crowds when you’re racing: it will be pretty sparse while you’re on the ATT except for aid stations). Very conducive to a PR, which I hit on this course.

The expo is well laid out and has a ton of merch options if that’s something you’re interested in. The shirt was well-designed and made and the medal was a cool train (based on the rails-to-trails theme). The finish area was also pretty big and had a lot to do once you finished.

The race is a pretty big event, but also has a personal touch in that the race director waits at the finish line to shake hands with every finisher.

Also do try to sign up early to get a parking pass at Brooks park. It’s absolutely worth it.

My best endorsement is that I’ll be trying it again in 2025 and barring injury would like to run this one every year.

DIFFICULTY
2
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
5
SWAG
5

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

**I ran this a few years ago, but was looking over reviews after running another event in the area and saw one I disagreed with. So I leaving this here.** … MORE

**I ran this a few years ago, but was looking over reviews after running another event in the area and saw one I disagreed with. So I leaving this here.**

I really love this race. It started watching sunrise over the beach and then you head up the highway toward Wilmington. The highway is not the most scenic stretch, but I love that the course connects WB to Wilmington (which is really unique bc it is basically impossible to run safely without road closures). The highway is also the first half of the course, so you get more to look at right when the grind starts getting to you. And for the rest of your life you get to annoy your kids/spouse with lectures about how you ran the whole way down that road whenever you go to the beach 🙂

Then you get a tour of downtown on the way to Greenfield Lake, which has the stereotypical southern swamp trees and adds a nice dose of greenery/nature after the highway and urban running. Then you head back to downtown/the river to finish.

The course is really very flat and fast overall. I trained in a hillier area and outperformed my goal time by 5 minutes and PR’d largely due to the course.

The expo and production were really well organized. The t-shirt was cotton, but the graphics were well designed. I might be in the minority, but I like a shirt I can wear casually rather than just for running. The medal also highlighted local landmarks/character, which was cool.

I do think you will enjoy this race more if you really like Wilmington and can appreciate how it highlights the area. But it’s a great race and in a great location. If you have a family, there’s a ton to do to reward them for helping you get through training over the weekend.

DIFFICULTY
1
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
4
SWAG
4

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