Chris Douglas's Staging Area

The course travels country roads from Stuarts Draft to Waynesboro. The Blue Ridge Mountains are in the background as the course rolls through Virginia farmland. The course was surprisingly hilly. The race had rolling hills throughout the entire course though the largest ones were early on it. The race was exceptionally well organized with friendly volunteers, ample porta-potties, and easy bus transportation to the start line. Receiving a complementary running at with my finisher’s medal was a nice surprise. Shenandoah National Park is right next door and New River Gorge National Park is a manageable day trip, which along with the race, makes for a nice weekend trip. If I lived closer, I would definitely run this race again.

I have run this half marathon several times and it is one of my favorites. The weather can be dicey on Mackinac Island around Halloween, but this year and in the last few years, the weather has been perfect for this race. This year, it was sunny and in the mid-40s, which is ideal running conditions (at least for me).

The course starts with a flat and fast 2.5 miles along M-185 before cutting into the woods. There is a small hill here but it’s pretty flat until mile 3 or so. Then, there is an extended climb between miles 3 and 5 until you get to the airport. It’s rolling hills from there until mile 9 or so, where it is an extended downhill back to M-185 for a flat and fast 2.5 mile finish. The extended climb and rolling hills are challenging, so just be prepared for them. You are rewarded by a beautiful view of downtown Mackinac Island and the lake when you hit the bluffs around mile 7.

Like all Run Mackinac events, this race is impeccably well organized. Packet pickup is fast and efficient, the course is well marked, and the volunteers are helpful and friendly.

Despite it being called a “trail race,” the race isn’t really on any trails aside from some gravel ones. The vast majority of the race is on paved roads and paved bicycle trails, so you can leave your trail shoes at home.

Also, with all due respect to the other poster, the race isn’t until 10:45am. There are several ferries you can catch from the mainland in the morning and make the race on time. This is true for the other Run Mackinac races as well. I never stay on the Island for them because hotel prices are so high. I just stay in Mackinaw City or St. Ignace and take a morning ferry over and always have time to spare.

I have run this race multiple times. The race follows the circumference of the Island on M-185. Thought the Island itself is hilly, M-185 is not, aside from a few small rolling hills, so the course is flat and fast, though there can be wind off of the Straits. The race begins through town and there is a good view of the Mackinac Bridge for the first couple of miles. There is always a nice water view on your left until the finish at Mission Point.

The race is impeccably well-organized and the staff and volunteers are helpful and friendly. The only downside is the ferry company continuing to jack-up its prices. $15 to day park is highway (waterway?) robbery, but this is hardly the race’s fault. Overall, if you are looking for a fun, scenic early fall race, you can’t do better than this one. I look forward to running it again.

This race was a one of a kind experience (in a good way). I am from Michigan and registered for this race because I thought it would be a great way to see Crater Lake National Park.

The race starts on East Rim drive with about a mile climb. I didn’t know at the time that this would be the shorter climb in the race. The next three miles were downhill, which allowed me to pick-up my pace and save minutes for later in the race, which proved to be important. The next few miles were rolling hills, not too bad. The last seven miles were something like I have never experienced. They were just a long, steady climb to the finish line at something called Cloud Cap overlook. Had I known this would be the case, I would have looked at the altimeter app on my iPhone to see what the starting altitude was. According to app, the finish line was at 7,800. My guess is the last seven miles involved at least 1,500ft in gain. Once I hit the top of Cloud Cap, I had to swing by the finish line and do a one mile out-and-back loop to make 13 miles. Having to blow by the finish line on the first pass didn’t bother me because I was just so happy to finally be at the top of Cloud Clap. The downhill on the last out-and-back was the only downhill part of these seven miles.

I usually run a sub-1:40 half marathon and felt fortunate to finish this one at 2:21:03. Training for long-steady climbs at altitude is obviously impossible to do in Michigan. I ran the first six or so miles and ran-walked the last seven. My objective was to keep enough gas in the tank to finish strong and to avoid cramping and dehydration in the altitude. I have a lot of experience trail running on single track trails in Michigan, which was invaluable in coming up with a strategy to survive this race, as you can’t just grip-it and rip-it like you can on a paved course at sea level. I might have been able to run a little more than I did in these last seven miles, but it probably only cost me a few minutes on my finishing time. I am just happy to have survived and finished.

I read some complaints online about the race’s organization. I found the race to be incredibly well organized. The buses showed up on time to pick me up from Rim Village and I was quickly transported back after the finish (after getting some pics from Cloud Cap). The race organizers mail your bibs before the race. I received mine but several runners did not. The race had a table at the start line to issue people their missing bibs, which was efficiently done. There were ample aid stations and the volunteers were extremely friendly and enthusiastic. I would recommend wearing a hydration pack, though, especially if you don’t live at altitude. I got a nice finishing medal with a picture of Crater Lake on it when I crossed the finish line as well as a soft, cotton t-shirt, which is my favorite kind.

I recommend running this race. The course and the scenery are like nothing I have ever experience before. Just temper your expectations on your finishing time and take it easy so you can cross the finish line in one piece. I also recommend staying at the Crater Lake Lodge right in the park. Crater Lake is a magical place.

I have run several half marathons in the Bay area, including the Kaiser Permanente half marathon and the Golden Gate half marathon. I was excited to run the Presidio half marathon since it takes place in a beautiful part of the city and runs across the Golden Gate Bridge. I was significantly disappointed with how disorganized this race was.

Packet pickup was a mess. I waited in a line wrapping around the Sports Basement for my bib. Fortunately, they had a bib printed for me when I got to the front of the line. I noticed they did not have bibs printed for several registered runners, which required them to wait in another long line to get a bib printed. I have run hundreds of races across the U.S. and never had a packet pick-up experience as bad as this.

I was dropped-off by an Uber near the start and it was just a short walk to the start line and bag drop. Fortunately there were ample porta potties, so there was never a line to use one prior to the race. There was also not a line for the bag drop, but the bag drop was not marked.

The race stared with a flat and fast 5k prior to hitting a long climb from mile 3.5 to mile 5.5. My pace slowed from 7:30 min/mi to 8:30 min/mi, which was expected. I hoped to make it up on the Golden Gate Bridge. That hope was dashed when I hit the bridge and got stuck in a long line to get onto it. The problem was that the half marathon hit the bridge around mile 6 mile the 10k hit the bridge around mile 1. This meant the half marathon was behind the entire 10k race. Once I got onto the bridge, I had to slow my pace down to a walk just to weave through the 10k walkers and runners, many of whom were stopping to take selfies. My pace across the bridge was over 10 minutes per mile.

After we got across the bridge, we have to run across a catwalk to get to the other side of the bridge to head back to the city. This catwalk was jammed with 10k runners and walkers and it took a good 5 minutes of walking and waiting to get across. Running back across the bridge was equally slow as I had to weave through even more 10k runners and walkers. The mass of people on the bridge also made it impossible to enjoy the views of the city and Alcatraz, which otherwise would have been amazing on a bluebird day.

I was able to increase my pace after exiting the bridge, but not as much as I would have liked as I still had to weave through more 10k runners/walkers as well as 5k ones who had joined the course. There was a fork in the trail around mile 11 with no sign or volunteers to tell you which direction to take, so I just took my best guess. There weren’t any mile markers on the course, so I relied on my Garmin to tell me the distance during the race. The finish line was so hidden that I stood for a couple of minutes wondering if the race was finished or if I needed to keep going. Eventually I figured out the race was over and then had to hunt for the finisher medals and refreshments since none of this was marked.

The race could easily be fixed by having the half marathon hit the bridge early in the race rather than at mile six so to get ahead of the 10k. Or, the half marathon could start at 7am instead of 8am. Mile markers and directional signage should also be added. I feel like this race was organized by a charity group who thinks that a race is a simple endeavor to organize but was unware of various details that go into it. I left the race disappointed, especially for the $100+ registration fee I paid. I hope that most the fee goes to support sending troubled youth to summer camp. That is the only thing that makes me not regret running it. I would not run this race again unless the organizers make it clear that these issues have been addressed.

I have run the Bayshore half marathon. every year since 2016 (absent the COVID years). It is a fantastic race. The course starts in a field half way up the Mission Peninsula and runs to the coast. The race then follows the coast of the peninsula down to the finish on the Traverse City high school track. The road to the coast has some decent hills, but that is only for the first 1.75 miles or so. The rest of the course along the coast is flat, fast, and very scenic with water views the majority of the way.

The race has an incredible atmosphere. The volunteers are extremely helpful and enthusiastic. The community turns out and offers a lot of support as well. There are ample aid stations along the course and the finisher’s medal is always very nice. Moomers ice cream at the finish line is always something to look forward to.

If I had one (minor) complaint, it is the bus system to get to the starting line. Before COVID, I never had trouble just rolling into the race in the morning, hopping on a bus, and getting to the start line. Something seems to have changed post-COVID, and I’m not sure what it is. The first two years after COVID had bus delays that led to the race start being delayed. Now, the race has an appointment system, where the first bus runs at 5:00am for a 7:30am start. That’s way too early to get to the start line. I wish there was smoother system to get to the start like there was pre-COVID. With that said, I look forward to running the Bayshore again.

I am from out-of-state and registered for this run as part of a trip to visit Hot Springs National Park. I really enjoyed this race. It is an out-and-back race that mostly takes place on the Ozark Highlands Trail. The trail is mostly runable, though there were sections I had to walk due to all the rocks. Some runners more familiar with running on rocks were able to run these sections, though. The race organizers were super helpful, friendly, and supportive. I enjoyed staying at the Norfolk River Resort, where the race started and finished. The resort owners were extremely welcoming. The Ozarks are very scenic and I have fond memories of this race. If I didn’t live so far away, I would certainly run it again.

I live in Michigan and registered for this race as part of a trip to visit Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. The race was very well organized. Packet pickup was a breeze as was bus transportation to the starting line. The race organizers and volunteers were friendly, supportive, and enthusiastic. Aid stations were well-stocked but I would recommend bringing a hydration system, especially if you are like me and aren’t used to running in a dry climate. The course was a very scenic course in the Utah desert with sweeping views of the desert landscape. I very much enjoyed it and would run it again if I didn’t live so far away.

Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks are mind-blowingly beautiful. The race is held in the off-season. This was a perfect time to visit these parks. Zion can be incredibly busy in the summer and shuttle buses are required to visit it then. However, Zion and Bryce were empty during the weekend of the race. I breezed right in and easily found parking. I suppose you run a risk with weather since those national parks can get snow then, but I had incredible weather (low 60s and sunny). It was definitely a memorable trip.