Michael Tartaglia's Staging Area

Production from packet pickup to post-race amenities for both days (I also ran the 5K) was top notch. Course was moderately flat, save for a bridge in the first mile which might scare you into thinking the course is rolling – not so!

Scenery started urban and went through more suburban parts of Baton Rouge, including a lap around the LSU campus and lake. Crowd control was consistent, and road markings were clear as crystal.

Post race amenities were amazing, even if the weather was somewhat chilly. I could see what prior reviews meant by reduced availability of foodstuffs as time went on. Close to the five or six hour mark, most beers, coffee shots, and gumbo varieties were on the verge of running out completely.

That said, I would recommend registering for the VIP package. Food, beer, parking that is obscenely close by, and ten steps to the starting corral, and heat lamps all felt worth it.

Note: If you would like your medal engraved, you must pay cash unless you purchased the engraving options during registration. You also must bring the results receipt provided freely at the marked tent in the finish festival.

What Worked: Race Central is located on 102nd St Transverse and easy to get to, whether you take: a train to Harlem 125th then a taxi; the subway on the east side; drive in and park at a garage. If you did not register 30+ days ahead, you bring your confirmation email which has a code – this scans in to match up to a bib, which in turn has a code that is scanned for your swag. Super efficient, there was no long line waiting to get a pre-printed bib. The race was decently supported, but more on that later. Lots of people turned out for cheering on their family and friends.

What Needed Improvement: While there were 8 water stops (three tables passed over 2.5 laps), in the third loop it was a bit slim-pickin’s. Those who were in the lead pack had diminished setup to grab water/electrolites, and some that had longer mile times tended to walk or congregate around the tables. At times, it appeared only one or two volunteers were there to stock the tables. The later start time might have exhausted those who were there for the 5K that started at 8AM. On that topic, splitting the 5K and Half Marathon into two waves 1 hour apart helped with mitigating traffic in the park, though made things a bit of a hassle to pick up or drop off bags. My advice would be that if your race starts at 9am, drop off your bags no later than 8:20am when the mass of 5K runners finish.

Overall: It is a nice race. I’m sentimental to it as it was the scene of my first-ever half marathon. The Harlem Hill in the park’s northeast is no joke, and otherwise the course is a mix of gentle rolling (west side) and long flats (east side). The venue is great, the swag is great, even the post-race bagels are iconic at this point!

I registered for this race because it was close-ish to where I live (2hrs away) and would provide a refreshing new venue. There were surprises big and small, and no real drawbacks.

What Worked: The expo was quite small relative to what I was used to for other marathons (Wineglass, Brooklyn, etc), yet had all the essentials. Swag seemed of decent quality – except for the shirt that came with race entry. That ran small for me. I wasn’t expecting much for race morning, but was pleasantly surprised! I opted in for the VIP experience which included covered parking and shelter, with a moderate spread of bagels and coffee. Getting on to the race, the course was a good mix of downtown-to-suburbs-and-back, with most of the elevation change happening in the first third of the race and the final mile. It was exhilarating to run east as the 5k runners were “coming at us” – don’t worry, the road was divided, and the crowd was kept in spectator areas. The half- and full-marathon split point was also well marked. Just keep your ears open! This race had a relay component, and where the handoffs would be there was a sizable crowd. Maybe this was a tongue-in-cheek way to assure that there was crowd support all throughout, but it worked either way! Many families were out of their homes to cheer on runners. The after-race party was really stacked, and I wished there would have been more people there!

What Needs Improvement: Not much, really! Though the expo was on the smaller side, it still met my expectations for getting what was needed pre-race. The race itself exceeded expectations, and was well organized. I always knew where I was supposed to go and felt safe/supported along the way.

First! This race was well organized. Communication leading up to it was abundant to a point that you would have had to avoid a computer and social media to not know where to go. Address of start was clear, route was clear (three turns altogether), and there was ample head’s up about support and safety.

The race itself was mostly flat to long shallow hill east on Myrtle Ave, bustling traffic on Jamaica Ave, and hills going north on Bushwick. The roads are not closed to traffic, so you do run at your own risk. However, “if you’ve ever gone for a run on city streets in NYC, you’ll be fine.” Keep the headphones out, eyes up, and be safe at intersections. Treat this race like you would a long run, except with a timer and a pint of beer at the end. To me, that is where the difficulty was. You can’t go “all-out” on this race, yet at face value was extremely well organized, clear as crystal communication, and overall a fun must-do for any New Yorker.

Swag was a singlet and pint glass, with an afterparty at a nearby brewery.