I ran the Ellicottville Half Marathon as my first marathon. Ellicottville is a nice little community in the ski country of western New York. Buffalo is the closest large city and is about an hour away. Between the half marathon and the 5K race, there were about 1,200 runners. Many of the 5K runners wore costumes due to Halloween being only 4 days away. The whole atmosphere from pre-race to post-race was fun.

The weather did not cooperate at all. It was rainy and in the upper 30s for the entire race. It would have been nice to have a heated area for the pre and post-race activities. (The average high in Ellicottville is in the mid-50s in late October. I hope next year’s weather is more seasonable.)

Packet pickup went smoothly at the Ellicottville Brewing Company restaurant. There were plenty of volunteers to distribute packets/bibs and give directions to the starting area. The DJ played a good mix of up-tempo songs to help the runners stay energized.

The race started on time with plenty of pace setters throughout the crowd. There was no elite division and people mostly lined up with the pace setters. The first mile or so went through Ellicottville and then quickly ran into the country.

Most of the race took place on rural roads. Sheriff’s deputies helped at the major intersections and volunteers at the other smaller intersections. All of the vehicles that I saw were respectful and safe. There were plenty of aid stations with water and Gatorade. I carried my own water bottle and did not use the aid stations. A few stations also had port-a-potties.

There are rolling hills throughout the entire course but no real mountains. You, however, should have some hill work in your training. Several folks set up small cheering sections throughout the course. My favorites were the bagpipe & drummer in full kilts. Another kind soul was handing out free beer to runners. I stuck to water during the race.

Post-race was a little chaotic with many people trying to warm up in the over-crowded Ellicottville Brewing Company. I was soaked, cold, and close to hypothermia once I stopped running. Luckily, my wife had parked near the EBC and I ended up changing in my car. This presented some interesting privacy issues, but modesty took a back seat.

There were fruit, snacks, and warm chili for runners, as well as water. I thank the race organizers and the EBC for the warm food.

The finisher’s medal was huge and cool. I enjoyed wearing it all afternoon and evening. My family, friends, and I went to a restaurant down the street from EBC. The EBC had a 1 hour wait for a table while the other restaurant sat us immediately. I think the weather forced everyone inside which slammed the EBC. A warmer, sunnier, day would have eased the pressure on the EBC.

I will cheerfully run the EVL half marathon again so long as the weather is better. The race organizers did a fine job under the circumstances and the course is quite picturesque with lovely mid-autumn panoramas.