Margaret Chamas's Staging Area

I ran this as a hill-heavy prep for Boston, and feel much more confident about tackling Heartbreak Hill now! The course features a handful of tough climbs (including a looong beast at mile 22…but after that it’s pretty much flat/downhill to the finish!). The aid stations were fantastic, the community was welcoming, and there was FREE PRE-RACE COFFEE. I had a great time.

Specifics:
The course was well-marked except the first mile or two, but there’s enough people running together that you can follow the leaders. Once you really start risking running alone, your path is marked by tons of cones. You are running in the road, and roads are not closed! There was the occasional car trying to drive in the runners’ lane, but I didn’t experience any real issues. Major intersections were staffed by police and volunteers.

The course is a big lollipop so you only retrace your steps for the last mile or two. The scenery varies from downtown to neighborhoods to parkland to a golf course – overall very nice.

There were no pacers for the marathon. Between that and the hills, runners need to keep pace/effort management in mind!

I carry my own race fuel, but the aid stations seemed well-stocked, well-staffed, and offered water/gatorade as well as food at at least a few.

The race is USATF certified, though my watch ended up reading over 0.2 mi long. GPS watches aren’t perfect, but this is a bit more than I’d usually call watch error. I suspect that the certification measurement was made without accounting for the fact that runners only run on one side of the road, so when making turns one direction, runners are forced into a wide turn. I’m betting when they measured the course, they measured as if runners used the whole road. I’m not positive on this, but it would account for the discrepancy.

Race communication was not the best I’ve seen; I’d recommend following the facebook page as that’s where most information was shared. There was ice the night before the race, and all the updates I’m aware of were only posted there.

Overall, the race was well-managed and enjoyable. It’s a five-hour drive from where I live, but I will seriously consider returning next year, so long as it’s not 70 outside!

This race was FUN and everyone around seemed to be enjoying themselves thoroughly. The course was well-marked and safe from traffic, and featured rolling hills through the middle miles. One big disadvantage is that it’s nearly all in full sun – so on a warm day, there’s no escaping heat buildup.

The post-race food was phenomenal and there was some of about everything you could imagine, thanks to a lot of fantastic and culinary talented volunteers! There was space to rest, lounge, and hang around; part of the very welcoming feel of the whole event.

I also participated in the Udder Grit Challenge – a farm-themed obstacle course – which was a blast. There were a few moments of confusion that I think will be remedied in the future; I believe this was the first year of the UGC, and there’s always a learning curve. Some of the race organizers spoke with me about ideas and suggestions (I’ve done a few handfuls of OCRs). Again, everyone volunteering was enthusiastic, supportive, and welcoming.

This was my seventh time running LHF, and while I now live over three hours away, I’ll come back and do it as many times as I can. The race is a lot of fun, but runners need to be ready! Be ready for weather, for wet, for lots of people, and for a few race and logistics oddities.

Weather and wet: the first year I ran (2010) I was in shorts…the past few years have gotten cold (including the coldest race on record in all it’s nearly 40 years). While they altered the course once (2015) due to ice and snow, the race still goes on – you will run through creeks and through mud, so be ready for cold and wet feet.

People: until the past two years, I always ran this for fun rather than worrying about time. A lot of folks dress up in elaborate and hilarious costumes – part of the fun is seeing what others have thought of. But with thousands of people trying to fit on farm lanes, the start is a bit of a mess. It once took me 10 minutes to get across the start line (gun start, chip finish). If you want to really RACE, then either pay for VIP status and start at the front, or be willing to push your way towards the front. You’ll still end up in a big crush of bodies for awhile, but after the first mile or so, it gets easier.

Oddities: arrive EARLY to park or risk not getting to start on time, or perhaps be stuck in the porta-johns when the gun goes off. There’s also no bag dropoff, which means you either have to leave your keys in your (unlocked) car or carry them with you. There’s no indoor waiting area for before the race. Especially after I moved away from the area, I started getting a hotel room for the night before – there are several hotels within about a mile – and then just running to the race the morning of (nice warmup, and while you still need to somehow carry your hotel keycard, no risk of losing car keys!). Then you also have a hot shower waiting for you afterward. 🙂

The course is hilly and challenging; not always technical (it’s through/around crop fields, gravel paths, and dirt trails; a tiny bit of pavement at the start and finish) but the sheer number of people and the mud and the steepness of some of the creek banks make parts tricky. The post-race beef stew is excellent, as are the donuts!

As mentioned before, I love this race and will return for as many years as I can.

This was my third time running, I believe. It’s always a lot of fun, few frills, just plain and simple, and I like that! Registration can be tricky, as there seem to be a number of dead links on/around the website. However, race day itself goes fine – easy packet pickup, porta-johns right near the start, and a good crew around.

The course is well-marked (a slight mishap in 2015 was corrected in 2016) and mostly pretty scenic – around the farm, through the woods, and through a park. Terrain varies from dirt path (early on) to crushed gravel to grass. Overall it’s not very technical or hilly, though the toughest hills are right at the end. I consider it to be a cross-country rather than a trail run; it’s a nice “intro” to running off roads. Trail shoes are nice but not mandatory.

The 5-mi and 2-mi courses meet up in the last mile-ish, which sometimes means “traffic” issues if groups of slower 2-milers don’t yield to passing racers, but most folks are good about it.

The post-race area in the Living History “town” is fun, and the soup is good stuff! I’ve enjoying staying to chat with other runners and explore the farm a bit. Looking forward to running this one again.