kyle sommer's Staging Area

The Shipyard Old Port offers up a nice route through town, mostly water-front. The expo unfortunately was a few miles away so not too convenient if you were staying downtown. No same day bib pickup was offered. The start and finish were however conveniently located downtown. The race is very hilly so i would consider it challenging. Approx 3200 finishers. A light jacket was given instead of a tshirt. The medal looks good. The post-party was good fun – cover band, beer, pizza.

Fantastic production – lots of city pride in this with great crowds and a cool after party along the Ohio river. The course is hilly so can be tough at times. i liked the scenery – nice views from the bridges that connect Kentucky and you get to run through quite a few different neighborhoods. Hotels were packed and runners were everywhere at the bars and restaurants so a fun vibe downtown throughout the weekend. Expo, start, end are all within walking distance and close to the main hotels so that’s always a plus – you don’t need a car if you are visiting. The most swag i think i’ve been handed at an expo- Tshirt, blanket, magnet, and poster along with a cool looking medal at the finish. Would have been cool if the Reds were in town this weekend but that has nothing to do with the race of course. Highly recommend.

For those like me not from the area, a nice course to see St. louis – you run through several different neighborhoods, the arch of course, Busch stadium area, the MIssissippi, etc. Not all of it is pretty – there’s quite a few abandoned mills, buildings and other remnants of the city’s heyday which i found interesting to see. The race was very organized with a start and finish line conveniently near the downtown area where many of the hotels are located. Not many crowds except near the arch and the finish line. The expo was well run and inside union station which is worth looking around. The medal was truly custom with the race date on it and the shirt was decent. The cardinals were in town, so got to catch a game later that night. A good long weekend in St. Louis! 3,700 finishers for the half marathon; 1,400 for the full marathon.

I always wanted to check out CDMX and i figured why not do it on a weekend where there is a half marathon going on. Ive done some Rock n Roll races before and they consistently put on a good production and this was no exception. The expo was fine – a little tight for so many people coming and going – lots of merchandise typical of a Rock n Roll race event. There was even a live band at the expo. Getting to the expo was easy on public transit which is phenomenal in this city. The shirt giveaway was pretty solid – long sleeve with a quarter zip. The race start was early so don’t think the subway was opened yet for the day, not sure about buses – i just walked from the hotel. The race is fairly big – there were 4500 finishers in the half marathon and id say another 5000 for the 10k so prob 10,000 or so runners. The route was pretty flat and out and back – it went through a couple of different neighborhoods and past some monuments, so all part of my tourist experience. No issues with hydration stations. As with most Rock n Roll events, some live bands played along the route which was cool to see because they were doing original music from what i can tell – there was even some heavy metal bands doing their thing out there. Lots of spectators. Careful of the altitude – over 7000 feet. I was a bit nervous i would feel it while running, but I arrived a couple days prior to adjust to it. So the finish line was a bit of a sh*t show – in addition to the shirt at the expo, they were also giving away another shirt at the finish, which created a bottleneck of thousands of sweaty runners shouting out their shirt size to these unfortunate volunteers. Other than that, they had a huge stage with more music, some vendors and other sponsors handing out stuff at the finish. The medal was cool and designed to resemble one of the famous monuments in the city. Overall, I would recommend – make a long weekend out of it, check out the city, do some cool touristy stuff while you are there.

Very nice run along a picturesque coast. I made a long weekend out of it and there are some cool areas to explore – Santa Cruz is close, Carmel – just some of the best scenery CA has to offer. The medal was very unique and cool looking. Lots of crowds – it seems this is a big event the locals look forward to each yr and take pride in organizing. Good vibes, happy runners.

Not a bad race and it’s worth a night or 2 checking out Colorado Springs. Weather is good this time of year. Not too challenging. Was a decent amount of runners but didn’t feel crowded. Medal was small but not bad. Shirt was above average in quality and look. No complaints overall!

Eugene is a small town with a cool vibe. So if you are from out of town, it’s worth checking out for a couple nights. The race was very well organized and really liked the fact that it was on the University grounds, which was nice to stroll around. The finish inside the University’s track was very cool. Some of the race was through residential areas, and there were a lot of families in robes and pajamas out there cheering us on from their porches. Mostly flat course. It was my personal best for a half so felt good about the whole experience. Medal was really nice. Highly recommend.

Solid race by the Rock N Roll guys who usually put on a good show. The course itself was OK – nothing special. Mostly flat, along closed roads. Not much to see but some interesting rock formations here and there. Some local bands doing their thing along the way. The start and finish was in a nice open green space so plenty of room for everyone. Parking was easy. Expo/bib pickup was easy. Probably not a destination race so much for the out of towners, unless you are really into the Rock N Roll series. But i would recommend if you are in the Phoenix area.