I DNS’ed the marathon TWICE since I was tempted by $26.20 offer, but this last year I got real with myself and paid the $40 to run the half. Some people I ran with had a theory that you pay more for the half because they eat all the food before the marathoners finish. I have to admit, I was part of the problem. That local pizza was so delicious and there was no one supervising how many slices I gobbled!

The first half of the race was a bummer to me. You ran on the shoulder of a busy road, which had quite a few cars zooming by. The police were great and did a diligent job of making sure we were safe at intersection. The volunteers were mixed enthusiasm. It was in the high 70’s and raining, so a few people just stood there pointing at the turn in the path with misery. I was very back of the pack here, and I appreciated that there was always water available, even after most things were packed up.

The second half of the race was BEAUTIFUL! We ran through the forest preserve, and next the the lake were there was a cool breeze, soft gravel, and you could hear the crashing of the waves. I was in love with the trails here, and all the birds that could be sighted.
Medal was such a bummer after seeing the previous years. It was a sailboat with a cloth sail that only recognized the marathon distance.

Early October is a beautiful time of year for this race, I see myself coming back again! I appreciate that they have race day packet pickup since I’m an hour and 20 minutes from Mentor.