Sydney Ross's Staging Area

From a half marathon perspective, its an early morning! I stayed south of Duluth in the Proctor area and pick up to the start line was super easy. I stayed at America’s Best Value Inn and it was actually really great for the weekend. A shuttle picks you up in the parking lot, takes you to the shuttle location without any hiccups or long lines (I know others who stayed closer to downtown had SUPER LONG wait lines). I also had my bib mailed to me, so I didn’t have to wait in the long traffic line to get into the expo.

The course is very flat, minus a few hills closer into the town of Duluth. There aren’t any turns until you get into downtown, so if running in one long straight line isn’t your thing… then that’s something to think about.

The medal was great! The cheering got better closer to town but overall, its a nice race through a nice bit of nature.

Overall, I felt like the 2024 race just doesn’t give the whole picture of the joy that is Grandma’s weekend… It was cold and rainy, so I didn’t really get to enjoy the after party for the full experience. But it was a great experience overall!

Such a beautiful course with wonderful Hawaiian culture along the way! It’s not a difficult course but it does have a slow build to like 7. Make it there and it’s easy sailing to the finish line! Everyone who ran this race was so amazing, even making a few friends along the way.

We stayed in Poipu, making it easy to get to the expo and the start line. The finish is a little longer of a walk but your body needs the shake out anyway.

The spectators were wonderful providing snacks and even beer along the way. I highly recommend this race!

I didn’t have the highest expectations for this race but it was way better than I could have imagined! The scenery was beautiful and we also had AMAZING weather that day.

The road portion was fairly easy, just mostly uphill from mile 3-5.5 or so. The trail was a little harder than I anticipated. What you can’t get from the elevation map is the smaller down/up dips through out the trail. They’re short but steep. It is single track trail but everyone was very considerate and stepped to the side to let people pass.

The new finish was SO GREAT!! Loved finishing in Old Tucson. They gave free entry to all spectators (just needed a wristband) and it was fun to run straight into the main area. One of the most unique finishes I’ve been a part of.

Highly recommend this race!

A flat and well organized race with all of the crowd support you’d imagine!

Here’s the kicker – if you live somewhere with lots of hills? Avoid them and train flat! Sounds silly but my hamstrings have never felt so tight! The course was easy but there was no muscle variation and I never used my quads until after mile 20 and oh boy did I notice that!

This is obviously a world major, so there is lot of pre-planning and pre-race details to make sure you have completely figured out beforehand but oh boy does it run smoothly! Figuratively and literally. The crow support is so amazing and the energy is real!

Definitely check out a charity team for guaranteed entry and put your miles to a good cause.

This was a well organized, beautiful part trail and part road race! While we couldn’t see Rainier due to some cloud cover (I mean, it is Washington…), the views were beautiful through the forest. The course has some technical spots but nothing too crazy that would require trail shoes.

There’s a tough mile long hill right at mile 6 up a gravel/grass path but then opens up to a downhill road for a mile break on your lungs. Find Sasquatch along the way and schedule the day at Mt. Rainier right after! There’s not much service in the area though, so make sure to download that playlist beforehand! You’ll thank yourself later.

The finish is the best part of this out and back race. Nothing better than a beach front party after a race!

You’ll enjoy glimpses of the beach and then finish right in the boardwalk. The crowds are wonderful with lots of supporters.

The hardest part for me was between mile 3 and 5, you run along a highway that had a very slight slant to the right. You won’t notice it right away until your left glute turns into a fiery rock. So do your best to run along the right side shoulder of the road and you should be good!

Would definitely recommend!!

First off, Savannah is beautiful! When running downtown, you can’t go wrong with the sights and the course is super easy. My only recommendation, find a race in Savannah that isn’t a Rock n Roll.

The 2021 race was a weather disaster, so I am going to write my review in stride knowing that they have no control over that, but there are things they had control over that didn’t go great.

The expo didn’t feel like it was planned well. I understand we need to do COVID checks but it was a 15-minute wait to get into the expo, after sitting in traffic to get there for 10 minutes before that. At the expo, you had to wait in a line to get an ID check for a wristband for your free beer at the end – all fine and dandy if the beer wasn’t Heiniken 0.0 beer. 1) Why check IDs for an alcohol-free beer? 2) who gives out an alcohol-free beer?!

Now for race day… I understand that weather was an issue but it was pretty obvious weather was going to be an issue days before the event, so some of the issues day of were pretty frustrating. They cancelled the full an hour before it was supposed to start (I was only running the half) but I know people that were very frustrated that there wasn’t even a warning that they were considering it the day before.

As for the start, let me remind you it was cold and pouring. We stood at the start line for 25 minutes in the pouring rain and “feels like” 37-degree weather without a legible explanation as to why. about 15 minutes into the wait, it looked like we were about to head off, so we stripped the trashbags to get going, only to stand freezing for another 10-15 minutes.

I do want to give a HUGE shout-out to the volunteers this day. They were so nice, supportive, and mostly looking happy to be there! Even though it was pouring and freezing. Thank you to them for the high energy and support!

This year was a little different than the first and felt a little more crowded at the start and finish. Always gets a great crowd but the course will surprise you! There is a big hill on mile 4 right as you are finishing the highway portion that’s rough.

I remember the first time I ran thinking that running on the highway wouldn’t be that exciting but it was a really amazing race. The views are great and a fun new way to see the city.

There isn’t anything bad I can really say about this race other than it’s going to be an early morning (but what race isn’t??). The course is STUNNING. The medal is one of my favorites, as is the race shirt.

The volunteers are wonderful and the expo/bib pick-up went so smoothly. I didn’t care about earning a PR or running my fastest pace because all I wanted to do was soak up the scenery of the course.

Run this race and sign up for the Yellowstone half as well and make it a full week. YOU WON’T REGRET IT!!

I ran this back in 2014, so it may have changed since I ran and my review.

This was my first marathon and the energy was great! I still think back to the crowds and the support in the neighborhoods on the first half. I specifically remember this older couple sitting in a wing-backed chair at the end of their driveway with a side table drinking mimosas and taking in the event. Its a key memory for me.

That being said, the first half was AMAZING! Then when the half marathoners split off and we kept going for the full, there was a drastic change in the event – not just because I was tired but the entire event felt different. We left behind the cute neighborhoods for business parks… There was no longer crowd support besides the bands every few miles. It quickly became lack luster and a much tougher run. The finish was nice and the crowd support returned! Again, this was years ago, so hopefully it has changed!

Aside from this, note that Nashville is full of hills! and it gets hot in April.