Living in Charleston, I knew I had to give Kiawah Island Marathon a shot. After deferring last year, I was committed to running the marathon in 2018. Since I live in Charleston, I opted to go to the Early Bird Packet Pickup a week prior to the race. It saved me the hassle of having to make two trips out to Kiawah Island within 24 hours. The only downside to not picking up your packet on Kiawah Island is that you aren't able to purchase race items beforehand. So, unfortunately, a lot of the good items were sold out by the time I got to the store after running the marathon.

Given the layout of Kiawah Island, parking in the field and being shuttled to the start is really unavoidable. However, I was worried about my car getting stuck if it started to rain during the race. However, it was a non-issue since it didn't rain. The only issue I had with the parking/shuttle situation was that it was hard for me to figure out where the shuttles were located post-race. I asked for directions but they weren't helpful. After wandering around, I was able to figure it out.

The start area was nice and I loved that you could stay inside if you wanted. That's usually not the case for many races. The course itself was flat and both beautiful and boring at the same time. The marsh and beach views were great, but seeing house after house got old for me rather quickly. Also, I found running on the trails to be problematic when passing other runners. The volunteers were awesome and the aid stations were really well done. However, there was minimal spectators on the course.

My biggest issues surround post-race aspects of the event. First, the medal is a joint half marathon/marathon medal, which I personally hate. Second, there is no Gatorade/water handed out immediately following the race. There was a table with small cups of Gatorade and that was it. I personally didn't partake in the buffet because the food didn't sound too appealing to me. All in all, the post-race party was pretty lackluster to me, especially since it was outside in the cold.

One thing that wasn't an issue for me, but might have been for others -- this year's race shirt and medal design (see photo). While I personally liked the shirt, I can't say this was a good shirt for both men and women.

Overall, I personally won't do this race again. As a local, it just didn't really offer anything too exciting for me. However, I could see where this is a great opportunity for a good destination race. Also, if you register right after the race wraps up you can usually get a great deal. I only paid $40 for it.