Traci Bright's Staging Area

Selma to Montgomery was my favorite race, to date! It was my first time doing a relay and I was not disappointed. It is set up to where you can either bike the entire 51 miles, run the entire 51 miles, or do either of these in relay teams. Detailed instructions are sent out way in advance. Unfortunately, I didn’t make the expo so I cannot comment on that. However, let’s talk about the actual run…

This was one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done on my running journey. I had a 9 person team, so we each ran one leg. There was a pre race “party” with music and announcements, which got everyone ready to go. Spending the day with your teammates and cheering each other on was the absolute best. I took the long leg of 8.6 miles. It was quite hilly towards the latter section of the run and it was blazing hot by that time. The next 2 legs were also hilly and very hot (the sun was out)! While traveling with my team (we rented a van) we cheered on each other and other teams. It was a day long adventure and it really was a beautiful bonding experience. You bring your own snacks (there is not any food at the finish). They do have water/Gatorade and snacks along the way at predetermined points. There are also portapotties at predetermined points. The portapotties are actually very nice (some of the nicest I’ve ever used at a race). You finish in front of the capital building in Montgomery which makes for a nice little photo op. The medal was absolutely AMAZING with MLK and John Lewis displayed. Plan to stay a couple of days to visit some of the historical landmarks in Montgomery.

To sum it up, it is mind blowing that our ancestors walked that far without lodging accommodations or real bathrooms. It really puts things into perspective. If you are interested in this historical adventure, by all means, DO IT!!! Just keep in mind, it’s not like a regular race. I’m so happy I did it.

Overall, this is a good race for the state of Louisiana. The actual course is beautiful and you get to run through LSU and downtown Baton Rouge which is really cool. Post race food is delicious (shrimp gumbo, yum) and you also get drink tickets and protein drinks. As for packet pickup, parking was a pain (had to find a free parking garage nearby), and, we had to walk up stairs and kind of find where we were supposed to be. There were no signs. I liked the expo- plenty of race gear available and I even got some new running shoes that were reasonably priced. I really liked that lol! Swag was a cotton t shirt shirt and a medal which was okay. Unfortunately, though, this race experience was ruined for me due to rough roads. There were many areas where the roads were broken or risen up. I tripped and fell (hard) over one of the parts that was risen up which threw off my whole race. I had to slow down after that and my time was busted. I’ve never fallen before and I’ve ran a bunch of halfs. I still recommend this race because it’s pretty and generally well organized- just be careful!