Packet pickup was held at a local sports store, so no official expo. Race morning was deeply delayed due to some major parking issues. We had to park in a field (not a big deal) and then ride a hay trailer to the start line. I'm not sure what exactly caused all of the congestion, but it was a major cluster and traffic was backed up for miles.

I thought Kansas was nothing but wide open fields and flat farmland. Boy was I wrong. Kansas gave Knoxville a run for her money with all the hills we “ran” into. I made it to the four mile mark with the pace group then decided that I could not hold that pace for the rest of the race and the hills so I quietly backed off and let them pass. There were multiple aid stations on the course–some even offering chocolate! My kinda race!

Every finisher got a great medal and a cowbell! Post race food had so many different things to drink (I opted for chocolate milk) in addition to fares like hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, and LOTS of baked goods made by local moms. Did I eat any of it? Heck no, my stomach would have murdered me. We did however collect our free t-shirts since we had painted our nails with cows on them.

Overall the Running with the Cows Half Marathon was a fantastic race! The shirts and medals were flawlessly designed, the packet pick up was a breeze, the course support and aid stations were well stocked and had ridiculously awesome volunteers, and the post race food was something to be rivaled. Everyone was so nice and really made a Southern girl feel welcome. Although this wasn’t my best race, the race itself was phenomenal and hopefully I can return sometime and do it again!