Katie G's Staging Area

Ran the May 6, 2023 half marathon. The race sweatshirts are sleek, but the sizes run small, and race organizers refused to allow runners to change sizes. Runners are shuttled from the junior high school to the start. Race was set to start at 0700. We were told about every 5-10 minutes that it would be a “few more minutes,” we are “waiting for the last few buses.” The race started at 0740. There are a few small hills along the course. Most of the race is run through neighborhoods and along a busy road. A portion of the race runs along the coastline. Some of the aid stations have people handing out gatorade underneath the “water” banner and people handing out water underneath the “sports drink” banners. At the end of the race, we waited over an hour for the gear check vehicle to bring the gear because it was “stuck in traffic.” We were given an extra beer ticket to use while we waited. No one announced when the gear finally arrived and there was no banner designating the gear pick up area at the busy and crowded finish area. Shuttles took people the 1.1 mile drive back to the junior high school from the finish line. We opted to walk, as the shuttle line was about a quarter mile long, and the buses were loading and departing very slowly. Several days later, the official race times have not been posted for runners.