Rachel Zaporowski's Staging Area

The Buffalo Half was a rewarding experience, and as a local, I’d certainly run it again and/or take a crack at 26.2 in the future. Downtown Buffalo is my go-to training ground for longer runs as there are plenty of landmarks and scenic tree-lined villages to be enjoyed. The half is relatively flat, with a couple gradual inclines that take awhile to surmount, namely the first couple miles, and going through West Side neighborhoods between mile 6 and 7, and mile 8 and 9; then a final incline up towards the finish line. There was nonstop, jam-packed crowd support that made the race wildly fun – the best I’ve encountered thus far. Plenty of hydration stations with both water and Gatorade. Many volunteers and everything on the course is well-managed and clearly marked. The medal is adorable and I rather like the offbeat mesh hoodie that reminds me of a hockey jersey; I plan to wear it whenever I go ice skating. The main sticking point of the event is the accessibility of the convention center used for packet pickup, the expo, and post-race party. The finish line is located right next to the center, but it’s completely barricaded except at one, maybe two, narrow points. This made packet pickup difficult (I went as the 5K was finishing up) and it was even more congested leaving after finishing the race. It took me 5 minutes to exit the finish area, and several more minutes to reach the entrance of the center because of two-way foot traffic and spectators camping out on the sidewalks. This might be a minor complaint, but when you’ve been up since 2AM and your legs feel like lead, patience is scarce. 🙂 I enjoyed shopping around at the expo but was too tired to stay for the party.

Mighty Niagara was my first half marathon and things could not have been more perfect – a great race for a novice half marathoner. There were multiple options for early packet pickup. I had signed up too late to officially get a shirt, but to my pleasant surprise, they had boxes full of extra shirts from previous years – I got to trade up my drawstring bag for a purple heathered tech shirt with the “Are You Mighty?” motto on the back (love it!). There was plenty of parking at the start (Art Park in Lewiston) and a lot of space to stretch out and prepare. The course was generally flat with some minor inclines more towards the end. I loved the variety of scenery as it always makes the miles elapse effortlessly. You get to run on route 18F along the river as well as through a couple small towns (Lewiston and Youngstown), through Old Fort Niagara park, and more rustic fields towards the end. Trees were mostly still green, but there was a delightful smattering of yellows and oranges along the route. Lots of crowd support up until mile 8-9, then things get quiet. Among the attractions, I recall an “unofficial bacon and beer stop” in Youngstown, brass bands, dancers, etc. There was a great energy even on the more sparsely populated sections of the course. The finish takes you to a gorgeous park on Lake Ontario. I could not believe I attained my sub 2-hour goal on my first try! The post-race party ticked all the boxes. Great music, the best variety of food I’ve ever seen (bagels, hot dogs, burgers, chocolate milk, fruit, yogurt…), and craft beer from a local brewery. Taking the shuttle back to the start was a breeze. Not only would I recommend this race to others, but even as a notorious novelty-seeker, I would participate again!