A note at the beginning: I would HIGHLY recommend this race, full-stop, period end of subject, despite being injured (not as a result of anything to do with this race.)

I will admit to not having a great memory of the parking situation, as I was dropped off by a friend/cheerleader. You are bussed to the start line. Since this is a fall race and the weather tends to be colder in the morning, there is a tent available to sit in to keep warm (warning: it is very crowded!), which I did use prior to getting on the road to do some warmup laps. Something happened to my ankle and hips during warm-up and the race was, honestly, all downhill after that for me.

There was race tracking available through RaceJoy, but it used SO MUCH of my battery (this will come into play later.) The race starts off on a long, but scenic, country road, and then makes its way weaving through a very quaint little country town called Bath. There were thankfully places for spectators to pull over and find you, and this is where I saw my friend for the first and only time until about mile 19.

After you exit Bath, you're on a long stretch of country road that is honestly some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. I would run this race over and over again for a glimpse of those hills! It's along this stretch that you climb one of the higher hills of this race, but once it's over, it's over, and the rest is relatively flat. Then you enter Savona, which is another quaint little town (not as picturesque as much as Bath or other cities along the route) where spectators were able to catch up with you.

Then, more beautiful countryside. It really does make up for the lack of spectators, everything just takes your breath away! Somewhere along the stretch between Savona and Campbell (if memory serves) is one of the most adorable horse pastures I've ever seen. I wanted to take my phone out and take pictures of everything because it was just so beautiful.

Going through Campbell provided another opportunity for spectators to see you, but my friend was having trouble tracking me. After getting to the other side of town, I started having so much pain in my ankle and SI joint that I walked. And I think I walked 70/30 all the way until Painted Post. It's not a bad walk considering what you see around you, but considering you're pretty isolated through town, there is very little place to sit down and get help if you needed it. I DID pass at least 1 aid station where I refused help because I was being stubborn, but it did dawn on me that if something worse had been going on with me, it would be a long time before I would be able to get anywhere for more medical assistance. I had also turned off my race tracking because I was concerned I wouldn't be able to catch up with my friends after the race since my battery was draining so quickly.

You pass through a really friendly little town called Coopers Plains, and it seemed like most of the folks whose homes lined the race route came out to greet you and cheer you on, which was definitely welcomed after such a long way. Coming into Painted Post is where I finally saw my friend. There was also quite a bit of traffic since you're coming in on a pretty major thoroughfare. I wanted so badly to stop but I kept going.

Finally, a bicyclist with the aid crew caught up to me and offered me some BioFreeze and Advil. In 10 minutes my pain was mostly gone and I ran the last 4 miles of the race. The route from Craig Park (where you enter Painted Post) through to Corning takes you through a nice little park and weaves through some little neighborhoods. There are a few pretty sharp turns through here, but from mile 25 through to the finish, you've got lots of cheering and support from the crowd.

The support after the race was the best I've ever had. Incredible food (SOUP!) and massages in a heated tent. I couldn't have asked for more after such a long (and unfortunately painful) day. My only complaint was that the only shirt swag was a long quarter zip (which was amazing!) but I collect race t-shirts to make into an eventual quilt and there weren't many good options for purchase.

100/10, would run again!