This was my first marathon experience and also my first time running this event.

Sign up process

The event uses Run Signup which I’ve used a number of times so having my details in there already made it quick and easy. If you haven’t used this service for registration before, it will only take five minutes or so to get it set up.

Email confirmation was immediate, which I like. I am always wary of closing a payment confirmation page before the email comes in, but mine arrived within seconds of submitting the payment.
Save your email because you’ll need to for packet pickup.

Communication
Communication from race management has been good. I follow the page on Facebook and as the event drew nearer, they did a good job of keeping us up to date. I reached out to the organizers through the messenger service on the Facebook page a couple of times and found them quick to respond.

Parking instructions, a course map and directions were emailed out to registered participants the week before race day. We also received instructions on using the live tracking, provided by Race Joy, information on the Expo for packet pickup and general advice for arriving at the venue on Sunday.

Expo and goody bag

This is the first time I’ve attended an Expo to collect my packet so I had no prior bar for comparison. I thought it was well organized. With the address they provided plugged into the GPS system, finding the Expo was no problem and there was plenty of parking available.

I was met with a friendly welcome and cheerful conversation when I collected my bib. The volunteer who handed me my swag bag drew my attention to special instructions, for example, this race used a D-Tag to be attached to the shoe, rather than being on the back of the bib. It sounds like a silly thing but for anyone running in an event for the first time or unfamiliar with a different tagging system, it’s valuable advice and helps reduce the likelihood of confusion and panic the night before the race.
When we entered the building we were greeted and welcomed at the door and directed to a small room on the left to collect our participant stainless steel mug and buff.
I was really impressed with the quality of the loot we got in our goody bags. The mug is sturdy and solid and very well made. It was also much bigger than I expected from the picture that was posted on the Celebration Marathon Facebook page a few weeks ago. The T Shirt made by Raw Threads was of surprisingly good quality. Definitely one of the nicer race shirts I’ve had and I was really happy to see blue this year, just because I love blue.

The first hall seemed to be sponsors for the event and I got to meet some of them and find out more about what they do. There is a second room, bigger than the first, down the hall where you had to go to collect your T Shirt and there were vendors there with an array of running related merchandise offering discounts on standard retail prices. I bought a magnet and a few gels and spare things for race day while I was there.

Parking
With the size and layout of the town, parking is going to be a challenge if you don’t’ arrive really early. We got there at about 5.25 am ahead of the 7 am start and parking near the start/finish line was already pretty full. It was a bit confusing when looking at the maps because what would seem to be the obvious entrances to the designated parking areas were not accessible from where we thought we’d get in due to road closures. Perhaps it was just our lack of familiarity with that part of town or we were still half asleep. They do warn you in one of the pre race emails that if you arrive later you could end up with a substantial walk from and back to your car so be aware if your habit is to arrive closer to starting time to avoid hanging around in the car.

Start line
The start line was just around the corner from the finish and it’s pretty easy to find this at an event without referring to a map. You just follow all the sneakers and compression socks.

There were plenty of porta johns available at the starting area and runners formed an orderly line (which I nearly jumped by accident before I saw it!) and it moved quickly.

The starting area had pace guides and there were pacers with their goal finish time on the signs starting to gather in the 30 minutes before the start so it was pretty easy to figure out more or less where you wanted to be, if this mattered to you.

We got started right on time at 7 am after being cautioned at regular intervals about the boardwalks which would be slippery in the wet weather and there were traffic cops making sure we all knew to be careful of the slick surfaces on the white lines on the roads.

Course

The first few miles it was almost impossible to find any room to move if you were off pace and wanted to get in front of someone, just due to the density of the crowd of runners in the initial funnel. It took a good three miles or so before I was able to get into my rhythm and pace, but for a marathon unless you’re super competitive, that’s sometimes a disguised blessing.
Water stops were plentiful and the party spirit of the volunteers was quite infectious. Gels were available around half way on the first loop and twice more for those doing the full marathon. There were also porta potties at some (all?) of the water stations.

It was a ‘happy course’ with plenty of spectator support, which really impressed me given the unpleasant weather conditions. I was quite humbled and amazed at how many local residents stood outside cheering tirelessly, many with home made motivational signs and posters. Some offered bottles of Gatorade, water, refreshments, fruit and other little energy boosts. It made the 26.2 miles seem to go by a lot faster than what I expected. I really loved the line of signs with funny little quotes and motivational statements along part of the route.

The boardwalks are lovely and make a nice break in the course, but be aware that some of them are very narrow and if you’re in a crowded part of the pack it is difficult to pass or make room for anyone to pass you while you are on there. There were one or two of them that were particularly twisty, with lots of turns that felt like a zig zag. It confused the heck out of Garmin!

Finisher medals
I love the medal for this year! It’s a real classic and the full marathoners were presented with a nice big piece of bling. It’s definitely the larges and heaviest medal I’ve ever received which feels nice when you’ve busted your butt training and finished a long run like this.

Hospitality and extras
The cold weather probably made for ideal racing conditions, but I wasn’t thinking of rain to come along with it when I signed up for this race. Plenty of tents were placed at the finish line with tables and chairs, which was a lovely touch. My husband and daughter waited for me to finish and enjoyed walking around the area looking at shops. There were plenty of restaurants right there so it gave them options for somewhere to sit down and enjoy breakfast out of the cold and rain to help pass the time.
Live tracking with RaceJoy was available for participants as well and the race fees cover the standard 99c cost for the app and my family members loved being able to see where I was on the course. It also helped them get an idea of when to start making their way to the finish line to wait for me.
The recovery jackets they offered at the finish line were also a lovely touch, especially with the less than pleasant weather on the day.

Post race party
When I collected my bib and tag I was also given a wrist band which is what you show at one of the tents to get your card which you then use to redeem for refreshments. I had attached mine to my wrist when I got dressed because I know I would have lost it or forgotten about it by the end. I thought it was an unusual system to have to go through a double redemption process and once we crossed the finish line there was no signage or guidance on where to go, unless I missed them in the rain and my post-marathon daze.

There was plenty of food and it was different and much nicer than some of the standard fare you often see at races. I can’t eat right after a long run so I didn’t have any food, but it looked and smelled delicious! I did, however, make sure I redeemed my card for beer and mimosas!

Awards
I saw on my RaceJoy results that I had an award. There was nothing on the website mentioning the time schedule for awards and feeling cold and tired, we went over to the tent where they were setting out the awards to ask. I am still unclear, but I got the impression from them that you just collect yours by showing your bib and confirming details. This is really nice because sometimes there is a lengthy wait for a ceremony. Mine appeared to be missing, but one of the organizers came over and spoke with me and they were so nice about getting my details so that they could sort it out for me afterwards.

Summary and overview
Great event and I have every intention of signing up for the next one as soon as registration opens.
The course was lovely, the spectator support was enthusiastic and very much appreciated by all the runners and the general atmosphere was festive and fun.
The little extra touches like recovery jackets, a live tracking app included and extra nice things in the swag bag made a great impression on me.