Packet pick-up was open Thursday evening and Friday; the location of the packet pick-up was at the Kentucky Exposition Center, a few miles outside of downtown. While the race offered free parking at the expo site, they also offered a shuttle service. We opted for the shuttle option, and while it definitely was a no-frills transport (rented school buses), the drivers were friendly and it got the job done. Going on Thursday to maximize our touristy plans on Friday, we did get stuck in a bit of evening rush hour traffic, but nothing too horrific like the D.C. traffic I’m so used to.

The runner’s expo had several vendors hauking their various running wares and services. The standard race gear and shoe booths were present, along with advertisements and discounts for upcoming local or semi-local races. There was an option for T-shirt size exchanges, but it wasn’t offered until Friday afternoon, so I hoped my race shirt ran true to size.

For the most part, the Kentucky Derby Marathon course was flat with periodic scenic spots along the way. We started the marathon in downtown in the Whiskey Row area, running down Main Street for several blocks, past the Louisville Slugger factory and store. The crowd of runners was still saturated at this point (and for much of the first half of the course) since the marathon, mini-marathon (aka half-marathon) and marathon relay runners all started at the same time along the same running route. It was extremely slow-going the first few miles – a combination of a packed course and the steady downpour of rain. Around mile 5 I got an extra burst of motivation when I saw my family cheering on the side-lines. We had planned on them trying to see me somewhere between miles 4 and 5, and again at mile 20.

Mile 8 was the entrance to Churchill Downs, the famous horse racing track. While we didn’t get to run on the actual dirt track, we did have the chance to run through the paved area in the middle of the complex.

Shortly after Churchill Downs the marathon and mini-marathon runners split, significantly thinning the running herd, and making for much easier running maneuvering. Miles 12 through 15 sent the marathon runners through Iroquois Park. Really the only portion of the course featuring appreciable elevation changes, the scenery made for a nice distraction. Since I’m beginning training for my upcoming fall Ragnar debut, I challenged myself to run all of the hills, figuring this elevation change would be chump change compared to the Ragnar. All went well with that plan, at least at this point, and we retraced our path back towards downtown. The remainder of the course tracked through a number of residential areas, as well as the University of Louisville. From mile 16 on, running became a struggle. Besides the chaffing, an unusual cramp-like pain developed in my right quad. I’ve never cramped there before, in training or races, but it was almost debilitating. I still haven’t figured out what the issue was since I was hydrating and fueling adequately. Hydration stations were plentiful and well-spaced throughout the course, with water stops approximately every 2 miles. I’m not sure if it was a combination of the heat and hills, or what, but by mile 18, I was having serious concerns about finishing. An extra hit of motivation by means of my cheering family would have been nice, and I was hoping to see them around mile 20, but finding a way through the road closures and making it back to the finish line in time prevented this. Or maybe it was actually because the boys were having a much better time drinking bourbon while waiting for me. Perhaps we will never know the true answer…

I battled through the last few miles, fueled by the support of the race volunteers and random strangers out cheering along the course. Funny races signs always have a way of making me smile just at the right time. Inevitably one runners will see at every race, and my personal favorite, “All toenails go to heaven.” Alternating between running and walking, I pushed through, and even finished the final half mile strong – because nobody wants their finisher’s picture to look like they just rode the struggle bus. Also, I had every intention of capitalizing on the free bourbon bottle engraving, so I was aiming for a decent finishing time. Early on in the race it was obvious I wasn’t going to PR, but my secondary goal then was to finish in under 5 hours. My official finishing time was 4:49:31, only 12 minutes off my PR, so given the conditions, I was pretty happy with the time.

As seems to be the growing trend, the Kentucky Derby Marathon swag bag consisted of both a physical and virtual race swag bag. The physical race bag included a technical T-shirt with gender specific styles with the race shirt design featuring the course map for the marathon (or mini-marathon). Protein shots and various coupons were also among the standard swag selection. Attached to each runner’s bib, in addition to the standard bag reclaim, was also a coupon to Dick’s Sporting Goods, a voucher for free engraving of your name and finishing time on a Jim Beam bottle, and a voucher for free beer samples as the Pig & Swig event. The Pig & Swig event was a free event featuring various bands in Louisville’s downtown area. Coupled with a craft beer and BBQ showing, the voucher got each runner two free 4 ounce samples of local craft beer, along with a small sample of select bourbons.

The virtual race bag had its fair amount of goodies as well. Discount codes for the fall Urban Bourbon Half Marathon and the Air Force Marathon were two of note. With the official Kentucky Derby just around the corner, the virtual race bag also offered a buy one, get one offer for opening night at Churchill Downs. Merchandise discounts on Injinji socks (my favorite! and you can find some here), compression socks, and shoes and other apparel were also features in the swag bag.

In short, the weather sucked. The heavy rain in the beginning of the race set the stage for wonderous chafing. Even though BodyGlide was judiciously applied, chafing in the normal spots, plus new ones (yeah!) became a painful reality early in the race. With temperatures in the upper 80’s, I was hoping to finish before the heat really set in. That did not happen thanks to the delayed start. Not only hot, but humid, the heat was affecting numerous runners. Thankfully around mile 21 some of the race volunteers had ice and cold neck rags for the runners. The fire department also was kind enough to open up some of the hydrants at various points in the last few miles of the race which made for a nice, albeit brief, reprieve from the heat.

The post race party at the finisher’s village was what you’d expect from a mid- to larger-sized race. The standard banana, water, and chips, along with a free beer (Michelob Ultra). Chocolate milk was also offered as a recovery option, which nutritionally would have been better than the beer, but who wants to drink milk after running almost 5 hours in the heat? A massage tent was also set up, with all the tables occupied, and while sooo tempting, I was way more interested in some celebratory pizza.

Had the weather been different, I think this course could have been a PR-maker for many runners. Basically flat, except for the run through Iroqouis Park, it could have been a fast race with equal parts scenery as nice distractions. Water and nutrition stops were ample and well-planned. The swag was pretty sweet too, with cool race shirt and finisher’s medal designs. Since the weather and delays made for a challenging race, overall I would rate the whole Kentucky Derby Marathon experience a 3.5 out of 5. I know the race director, volunteers, and associated race officials have absolutely no control over the weather conditions, so I can’t fault them for that. I do know that last year’s race also had less than ideal weather conditions (rain) so while not enough to make a trend maybe it’s just something to keep in mind if planning on running this race next year. Had the weather been different, or if we had started on time, I’d probably rate the race a 4 out of 5.

For the full-blown race review, including pictures, visit https://www.reason2runvirtual.com/racereport-kentuckyderbymarathon

Runner’s Expo & Packet Pickup: Since the running festival was held on Saturday, the runner’s expo and packet pickup was held on Thursday and Friday at the Baltimore Convention Center. Free parking was offered a few blocks away around the Camden Yard area, making for a nice walk to burn off some of the typical nervous, pre-event energy. The vendors and festival volunteers were plentiful and friendly. Vendors offering various running apparel, running shoes, headbands, shoe charms, and registration for other races abounded. If your heart desired it, you could probably find it. I tend to be on the frugal side, more of a window shopper, if you will, but with some prodding and encouragement from the hubby, I left one booth approximately $125 lighter. Yes, I got sucked in to the compression apparel booth. Admittedly I had been shopping around for some previously but could never pull the trigger. But the essence of the running expo…yes, that did it. (Plus the vendor was kind enough to supply some of the scientific data behind their products and the competition.)

So what other freebies were offered at the expo? One of the race’s sponsors offered a spin wheel (think The Price is Right on a much smaller scale) for various goodies. As I spun that wheel I was hoping and putting out good cosmic vibes, aiming for that coveted cowbell. Because everybody needs more cowbell. Alas, that was a prize which alluded me…I won a pen instead. There were a few other race organizers at the expo, advertising and offering race discounts – everything from semi-local 5K’s to the Philadelphia Marathon. If you wanted to wait in a decent (but not horrendous) line, you could get a personalized shoe charm. I don’t really have much need for those, but I thought the concept and the fact that they were giving them out and personalizing them for free was pretty cool.

Race Day Parking/Transportation: The hubby and I stayed the night at a nearby hotel since an hour drive early in the morning did not sound like a barrel full of fun. I think a large number of runners did the same since there was a constant wave of people walking to the starting area. Due to several (obviously necessary) road closures, it was hard for the hubby to see me more than a couple of times along the course, but the partial out-and-back set-up did allow him to see me both at miles 9 and 12.

Course & Course Support:
The starting line was positioned at Camden Yards and the race organizers were kind enough to open up a small section of the ballpark for bathroom stops pre-race. Security (by way of the brave men and women of the Baltimore Police Department) was present throughout the entire course. As I stood on the sidewalk stretching, my husband joked that we may need the bomb squad to come take a look at my GPS watch. Remember that reference to being frugal before? Well, yes, I still have the same Garmin GPS watch from college (which is well over 10 years old). It takes forever to find the signal and takes up almost my entire wrist. Holding up my wrist to the sky while balancing during a quad stretch is quite a sight to see. With a good-luck kiss I slipped off the sidewalk into the mass of runners lining up at the start.

Despite waking up with a tight hamstring, I filed in behind the 4:30 pace group (way faster than I’ve ever run) and proceeded to dodge runners, hopping on and off sidewalks, weaving in and out of parked cars, for the first few miles. The marathon portion of the running festival started at the same time as the marathon relay so the streets were packed for miles. Around mile 3 the course weaved into the Baltimore Zoo, with an extra special treat…penguins! The night before the race I was re-reading the runner’s packet and had seen that the zoo was planning on bringing out some of the animals as a reprieve. Knowing that a PR was unlikely, I had already decided that if there were penguins, I was going to see them. So as I ran down the hill will hundreds of other runners around me, a lone penguin sitting up on a table caught my eye. I zigged through a herd of runners until he was standing in front of me in all his formal attire. Did I mention I LOVE penguins? But I digress…

After the penguins we continued through the zoo and nature started calling. Up until this point the lines for the Porta Potties had been long so when I saw a lone stall at the bottom of another hill, I thought I’d seize the opportunity. Unfortunately, four men were in line ahead of me by the time I got there and with frustration, I watched the minutes tick by, completely derailing my pace. I mean, come on guys! That’s what trees are for! Back on course, the sun kept rising, and it was time for the throw-away shirt to get tossed. About half a mile after ditching my shirt, something felt off, like I was missing something. Reaching up to my head I soon realized in the shirt-shedding process I had lost my favorite headband as well! I was pissed! I better PR now! Trying to forget about my unnatural amount of anger over something so small, I turned my focus to looking for Dan who said he’d be waiting somewhere around mile 9. Scanning the mass of spectators, I finally spotted him and my face absolutely lit up. The power of seeing a loved one cheering you on is amazing. Take a look…he snapped this pic as I was running towards him. I stopped briefly to give him a kiss (because hey, I figure it’s the least I could do considering the guy got up before the sun to stand around in the cold by himself for an hour and a half). I trotted off towards the Under Armor headquarters, the turnaround point before heading back for another glimpse of Dan at mile 12. After scanning the crowd for a mile, I finally see Dan with our friend Mack and his son right before the half-marathon mark. Even with the penguin stop, extended porta potty break, and high fives for my crew, I was PR’ing at the half-marathon distance. If I could keep up the pace, I’d finish in 4:20!

The next few miles were pretty much a blur, a painful uphill blur. Even though the total elevation gain paled in comparison to my ultramarathon endeavor, mile 15 to 21 was pretty much a constant uphill climb, forcing many runners (myself included) to take walking breaks. While running through the inner city didn’t provide much in the way of scenery until mile 20 at Lake Montebello, the residents were out in force cheering, with little kids lining the streets for high-fives.

On course support was manned with hundreds of volunteers handing out water and nutrition at regular intervals. Gatorade, gels, and Utz brand snacks were distributed to hungry runners, along with Dunkin Donuts at one stop around mile 20. While donut holes sounded sooo appetizing, I resisted the urge for fear of tummy troubles later. I didn’t come this far to drop out because of bad nutrition choices.

Weather: The weather was perfect! A little chilly in the morning, but to be expected for a mid-October race, a ‘throw-away’ shirt kept me just warm enough for the first few miles. Sunny skies made for cheery running and warmer temperatures later in the race.

Swag Bag & Medal: The swag bag, which consisted both of a virtual and physical gift bag, was good. The race shirts were long-sleeved and consisted of the technical fabric we runners have become so accustomed to. While gender specific, I found that the sizes ran a little large. Thankfully shirt exchanges were offered and after a brief fashion show in the bathroom, I settled on a smaller size. Even though multiple race distances were included in part of the running festival, I liked that the shirts were specific to the distance you signed up for. The shirts also had thumb holes which can be nice in the cooler weather. Once aspect of the shirt that I wasn’t thrilled about was the cut. While the shoulder to waist length was just right, the sleeves were a little long and the neck cut was of the scoop-neck variety, exposing a little more than I’m used to when running.

The finisher’s medal for the marathon was a five-inch gold grab which hung from a thick, satin-like ribbon with “Run 26.2” cut out on the front. As an added surprise, the medal opened up to reveal a view of the Baltimore inner harbor. The size of the medal was massive, and equally heavy; it seems the race organizers wanted to ensure everyone knew about the finishers’ accomplishments.
The virtual gift bag: Since the marathon was located close to the Baltimore Inner Harbor, the virtual goodie bag included offers from a number of local restaurants. Discounts for future races such as the Baltimore 10 miler, Frederick Running Festival, Shamrock Marathon Weekend, ASA RunFest, Delaware Running Festival, and Kentucky Derby Festival also had prominent features; discount race entries – part of a runner’s dream wish list. Other running-related virtual discounts were included for sports drink formula, running support/braces, and a free YMCA membership when registering for one of their local 5K races.

Post-Race Celebration:
I quickly (relatively speaking, post-marathon) hustled through the post-race goodies to meet up with my wonderful cheering squad. I grabbed a few waters, a banana, and some Utz pretzels. The refreshment tents were well organized and well manned. Several flavors of Utz potato chips were available as well. But in my excitement to embrace my peeps, I totally forgot about the free beer! Arrg! No worries, though folks, we made sure to enjoy some pizza at Joe Squared, along with post-race beers at Leinenkugel’s Beer Garden.

Overall Vibe:
Overall I would rank the race 4 stars. The finisher’s medal and other swag was what every runner hopes for from a large running festival. The course support was great but having nearly all of the events run along the same course at the same time caused undue course congestion. There was a steady pack of runners from sidewalk to sidewalk nearly the entire length of the course. Some scenic spots highlighted the course and while the rest of the course was somewhat lackluster, the crowds from the local community that came out to cheer us on made for a pleasant race experience.

For the full original race report, including pictures, visit https://www.reason2runvirtual.com/baltimore-marathon-race-report

The Navy Air-Force Half-Marathon served as a tune-up race for me. Right now I’m deep into marathon training and after the multiple 16+ milers these past few weeks, I started to develop running route fatigue. Part of my scheduled 20 miler, I couldn’t resist adding some more bling to my wall, running a new route with thousands of my closest (i.e. sweatiest) running comrades, and getting caught up in all the awesomeness that epitomizes races.

Runner’s Expo & Packet Pickup: Held at the Nationals Ballpark in downtown D.C., initially the expo seemed promising as they advertised tours of the ballpark. Tours were only offered once every hour and since we hit traffic on our way into the city, we missed the timeframe I was shooting for. Free parking was offered in a garage right next to the stadium, which for anyone who has ever been in D.C. knows is nice. We arrived at the parking garage approximately an half an hour after the expo opened and already I saw numerous people with swag bags walking back to their cars. To me, this was not a good sign. While packet pickup was well organized, the number of vendors present was extremely small and for the most part not targeted to runners. Obviously the race course nutrition sponsors (UCAN) were there and I had an opportunity to sample their products, which were good, but the remaining vendors were in the realm of transportation providers (a ride share service, Lyft), a credit union, etc. A small amount of race merchandise was for sale but only two people were manning the registers, resulting in long lines. We were able to explore a limited area of the park with close views of the field when it became clear that being able to walk/run the field was not part of the advertised ballpark tour. That was really the only interest I had in the tour, so after seeing that, I wasn’t upset that we missed our tour window. Overall, I was less than impressed with the runner’s expo but I didn’t let that dash my excitement about the next day’s race.

Race Day Parking/Transportation: The race events started at 7 AM so Metro was not an option. I parked at the garage underneath my work building and ran to the starting line since I had extra miles to get in anyway. As I was getting my additional miles in, I saw several people take advantage of street parking. Another option for parking garages was Parking Panda, which apparently contracted with several garages within a reasonable distance of the start. If you didn’t want to drive to the race, other advertised transportation options were Lyft (which is a carshare service like Uber), and also bikeshare services such as Capital Bikeshare and Two Wheel Valet. Obviously since I drove in, I can’t vouch on the quality of the aforementioned services, but they sounded like nice options (because hey, variety is the spice of life).

Course & Course Support:
Both the half and the 5 miler started with a patriotic backdrop, right next to the Washington Monument. Standing in the starting corral with my trusty Camelbak, stuffed with gels, keys, ID, phone, and headlamp, in addition to at least a liter of water, I felt like such a high-maintenance runner. That soon washed away, though, as our united running community stood proud as a member of our military sang the National Anthem. I was overcome with humility, watching the thousands of military and civilians that support them, with hands above hearts, publicly recognizing what makes this country great. Before the starting bell, the race organizers honored each branch of the military, which was met by applause and several ‘Hoorah’s. The first wave started with the wheelchair and Wounded Warriors athletes, followed by two waves of runners. A self-proclaimed ‘middle to back-of-the pack runner’, I started in the second wave. The entire first 3 miles was a solid mass of runners. Having run in a number of larger races, this was pretty much what I had come to expect, but the constant weaving in and out of runners, and jumping on and off sidewalks was a little annoying (but again expected).

While the mass of runners thinned out to where I could maintain a manageable pace, the entire race was still very runner heavy. The course was well marked, even when the half-marathon and 5-mile runners diverged. Relatively flat and fast, this is a course with the potential of a PR (spoiler alert) if you can navigate the other runners (aka obstacle course). On course support was manned with hundreds of volunteers handing out water and nutrition (UCAN) at regular intervals. I had never had UCAN before (I typically rely on gels) but I violated one of the race day rules and tried both the UCAN Superstarch and Hydrate varieties. The Superstarch was very liquid-y, with just enough sweetness (but no added sugar) to make it palatable. The on course Hydrate was Berry flavored, quite tasty and refreshing. During my entire 20 miles I only took in one gel, along with the Superstarch and Hydrate drinks. And…no bonking! I was pleasantly surprised that not only could I make it through 20 miles with only one gel, but also that the UCAN didn’t cause any stomach distress. I’ll have to check it out on some additional training runs, but I may be a UCAN convert!

I typically don’t run races with my phone but the hubby wasn’t there, I was running the race alone, and I wanted to track my miles with CharityMiles to earn some easy money for charity. At least two times during the race I kept hearing my phone going off with text messages. Who in the heck is texting me this early? I didn’t check it until after the race (because who wants to break stride?), but it turns out I was tracking myself through ChronoTrack Live. I’m aware of runner tracking, but have no idea how I ended up tracking myself.

A decent portion of the race felt like a struggle, but I must have been doing something right, because even with a few brief walking periods and a 4.5 mile ‘warm-up’ before the half, I’m super excited to announce that I set a new PR (personal record)! 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 51 seconds.

Weather: We had a break in the heat, but not the humidity. Partly sunny, or cloudy depending on your perspective, we had enough sunshine to make the race cheerful but not so much that you needed sunglasses. I was running behind a few guys sweating so much it looked like they had just jumped in a pool with their clothes on. I had been training in equal or worse weather all summer so it didn’t seem too horrible to me. Not ideal, but doable.

Swag Bag & Medal: Overall the swag bag was OK; not the best I’ve ever had but definitely not the worst. Included was the race T-shirt, a coozie, and a few advertisements but nothing that jumped out at me. The long-sleeved T-shirt was well designed and fit well (men’s sizes). Perhaps the physical swag bag was light because the organizers opted for a virtual iGift bag. This was emailed out to race participants a few days before the race. I’ve had a few virtual gift bags before, but was disappointed with this one’s contents: a discount for UCAN, reduced entry to a half-marathon in West Virginia, and the remaining discounts were for the ride/bikeshare/parking services the race had partnered with for race day transportation. Where the swag bag lacked, the medal rocked!

Post-Race Celebration: I didn’t stick around too long for the post-race festivities since I had a few more miles to finish and if I got home before the hubby left for work, I was promised stuffed French toast. Bottles of water and samples of UCAN protein were available. I also grabbed a food box and banana to take with me. The goodies inside were pretty tasty/tasty looking. Tons of people were scattered around the Washington Monument, recovering, eating, and taking in the music.

Overall Vibe: While the swag bag and expo left much to be desired, overall I would rank the race 4 stars. The physical course and the course support were great, the weather (which the organizers have no control over) was tolerable, and the medal was stylish, pretty big, and added to my sense of accomplishment. The patriotic vibe reverberated throughout the entire race: from the runners in costume (Captain America), the patriots running the entire race carrying the American flag, to the military personnel competing, some Wounded Warriors. Well planned, well executed, overall a great, enjoyable experience.

To see the original post, along with pictures from the race, visit http://www.reason2runvirtual.com