Ashlyn Smith's Staging Area

Overall I liked this race, it was packed but that’s where part of the fun came from. Every part of the race you had people in all shapes and walks of life which made for a great race.
Mainly flat with a climb around mile 7 & 24(ish).
**Hot and humid race** which you should assume since it takes place on a tropical island, but I believe there were quite a few racers unprepared for the heat. Mid race was 80’s with 80% humidity. Lots of water stations, medical stations, viewers spraying people with water hoses along the way to keep everyone cool. I never saw fuel along the way, one table looked like it had stuff but had quickly ran out before half the participants even got there, so bring your own fuel.
Swag was okay, loved the medal but when I got mine it was scuffed up already and the finisher shirt snagged on everything. The expo had lots of additional options for merch just make sure you get there early and don’t wait because stuff sells out very quick.
If I get a wild hair I’d sign up again for it.

Several distance races were happening this day so this is in reference to the half marathon course. It was perfect! This was an out and back route that followed the fire road onto the dam and a small section of asphalt road.

There were some hills (4 total?) they were butt kickers but truly not that bad for a trail half. You have uninterrupted views the entire race, both of the lake and the snowcapped mountains surrounding the area.

Wooden medal is among one of my favorites now, and I appreciate that the shirt is a good soft jersey material.

Enjoyed a hazy non alcoholic beer post race from one of the vendors & had a good time rooting for the kids that were finishing the kids 1 mile run.

Overall recommend this race! Just actually show up about an hour before your race as recommended because there was a significant line to get entry into the parking area.

Great flat course that never got too crowded that you couldn’t pass when you needed to. Get there earlier than you typically would to park- Line to park took way longer than it did in the past, so it left us along with many half marathoners running to the start.
Post race celebration was bare minimum, but it seems like a lot of races are leaning towards virtual offers than booths on race day. Booths that were there: Celsius, SD Police, Bathroom refurb, and Dunkin Donuts. A bit of a random mix for a race day.
The free photos were great and plentiful, about 3-4 locations for 10k along the course. I’d recommend this race to anyone, experienced or beginner.
Swag was average for a race this size, combo 5k/10k medal & a shirt.

Unfortunately my race day was a hot one, with most runners finishing in the mid 80 degree weather and up. I personally haven’t ran a race in that weather and found it affected me more than I thought come race day. The course is a challenge but doable if you train with hills.
My main issue was the one true aid station was at 4.5 miles (turn around point) and the volunteers weren’t quick with helping get out supplies so I left without a refill of hydration. Now yes that is ultimately on me, but I feel like this could have also been a lot more organized. You weren’t allowed to refill your drinking vessel yourself so you had to wait on the volunteers. Also the first and last aid station (just water) were so close to the beginning and end of the race that they felt like an odd placement. Also never received the promoted race training plan, even after reaching out to race director.

Pros: did appreciate the challenges in this distance with hills, liked the wood medal, and overall the vibes and people at this race were great. Also appreciated the ample parking options.

Pros:
Cool weather
Flat terrain
Nice medal & decent t-shirt

Cons:
Course was not properly marked, leading to a bit of chaos at 1.5 miles.
Location could have been better, the smell of cow run off was pretty intense around miles 3-5

Due to Covid there was staggered start times which I personally loved. After mile 3 I basically had the entire course to myself. You really got to enjoy the scenery and take it all in. Only cons were no pictures, no one at aid stations, and no post race celebrations but this is all due to Covid.