Latest reviews by Elaina C

(2019)
"Great bridge run - not too easy, not too hard"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

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Overall
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I did this race to get a last minute proof of time for another race and I was not disappointed. Even though it started raining, the wonderful cheerful volunteers and beautiful scenery really got me through the race. Loved being able to infinitely fill up my beer at the after party.

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T-Shirts/SWAG
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You get a t-shirt which was kinda generic, some pretty good coupons, magnets, stickets, etc. I am attaching a picture of the shirt. No medal.

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Aid Stations
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I was actually surprised with the number of aid stations. Because it was both a 5K and a 10K, you not only got your 10K water stations, but the 5K water stations as well. I never felt dehydrated! The volunteers were great too.

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Course Scenery
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IOP is beautiful and you get to see the beautiful creeks the connector goes over. It is still a bridge run though so it isn't like there's a ton of variety.

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Expo
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No expo.

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Elevation Difficulty
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It is a bridge run so there are some hills but I want to say there's no more than 4 and they aren't that bad! I'm a huge baby when it comes to any kind of elevation since I've only lived in flat areas, so if I think it's not too bad, you probably won't either. Still, it's enough of a challenge to make you feel accomplished.

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Parking/Access
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We had no problems parking as parking was communicated very clearly. It wasn't too far from the start either.

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Race Management
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Overall, it was well-managed. There were lots of portapotties and the ability to pickup your bib and swag ahead of time. There were ample aid stations and a great after party with music, some food, and unlimited beer. The instructions on how to get there and what time the connector would closed down was communicated very well too. The only thing that wasn't communicated was it was said there would be free sausage after the race but it was really the local fire station volunteering to grill some small bites, so I was expecting a big brat instead of a small piece of sausage. It was incredibly kind of them to do that though!! Otherwise, there were bagels and bananas you could snack on.

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Conclusion
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I would definitley recommend this race especially if you don't normally get to do hill training. It can be hard to fit elevation into your training in Charleston and this is a great way to do just that without crushing your legs. The amount of aid stations and awesome volunteers makes it a very pleasant run as well. It's also for a great cause.

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(2019)
"Beach run for a great cause"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

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Overall
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Save the turtles!!! The Turtle Trek is a 5K on the beach at Isle of Palms. There are virtual and kid's fun run options for this race as well. Before the race there's also a beach sweep you can participate in and an after party.

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T-Shirts/SWAG
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This might be my favorite race T-Shirt. It's dri-fit material and the colors are so cute. Plus, there's a turtle on it, so what's not to love? You also get a drawstring bag with some swag in it and a story about a sea turtle you're saving. It's also nice when you go to the little "expo" area before the race to put extra free stuff in. No medal.

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Aid Stations
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There is one aid station halfway with good volunteers making sure none of the trash gets into the ocean. I always include the finish line food/drink in the "aid station" category. Maybe I shouldn't haha, but I'm taking away a star because the station where you get the free food after is at a restaurant down the street from the finish and it's such a small crammed area with a long line plus the food was cold and there wasn't vegetarian options.

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Course Scenery
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It's on the beach which is gorgeous but it's also just a down and back so the novelty wears off after halfway.

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Expo Quality
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There's a small expo at the starting area of the race. The number of vendors is small but you can get some fun swag and there's a beach sweep you can participate in that's actually pretty fun and gets you warmed up walking on the beach.

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Elevation Difficulty
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The elevation is flat but it's on the beach so if you aren't used to running on the beach it can be kind of difficult depending on how packed the sand is.

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Parking/Access
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You don't have to pay for parking in the IOP County Park lot if you're doing the race but there aren't very many spots and I don't think it's closed off to racers only. Carpool if you can!

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Race management
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I thought the race was managed very well. It's for a great cause and for being a local race, they make it feel like a big event worth the money. They even have a Planet Fitness instructor have everyone do a stretching routine before starting the race. Thanks for looking out for the runners!

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Conclusion
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I love this race and would definitely recommend it. It's unique since you get to run on the beach the whole time. You get some good swag. The after party is in too small of an area, but it's still fun to check out for a bit and enjoy some live music. I would probably skip the free food honestly and just grab something on my own. Make sure to carpool and hydrate because the salty air will dry out your mouth, but in my opinion it's worth it for the great cause and the fun atmosphere.

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(2019)
"Great group of people"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

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Overall
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I love this 5K series. There's one in the summer and another in the fall. It's close to work and during the week so I use it as a way to shake up my short runs. It's a lot of the same people at each race so it's got a great community feel and so many encouraging runners. I was always in the last group to come in (haha I'm slow) and would even receive compliments about my form and looking strong at the finish. I never get that kind of personal encouragement at other races.

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T-Shirts/SWAG
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There's no swag unless you win overall or age group but you get coasters, pint glasses, mugs, etc.

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Aid Stations
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There is one aid station halfway and some water at the end of the race. You also get a free drink ticket for Dockery's after.

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Course Scenery
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It's actually a really pretty trail on Daniel Island. Unfortunately, there's been some construction recently which takes away from it a bit.

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Expo Quality
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No expo.

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Elevation Difficulty
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Very flat course but still keeps it interesting with grass, dirt trail, and wooden boardwalk terrain.

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Parking/Access
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Parking right next to the start line and I've never had issues

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Race Management
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The series is managed very well. Not only do they acknowledge winners but they also reward improvement over the course of the series. I think that's so important to keep runners engaged! It's also chip timed which is great despite it being so small. The trail is also very well marked.

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Conclusion
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My friends and I love this series. I would recommend it to anyone in the area who won't have to deal with traffic on a weekday. It's a great way to track improvement and get you thorugh a run with awesome encouragement from the other runners. Getting a free beer from Dockery's after is just icing on the cake.

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(2019)
"Great after party"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

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Overall
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So I think it's worth noting that I work at one of the companies that pays for my race entry. Like another reviewer mentioned the i5K is a race that anyone can participate in but it's kinda more about the big tech companies racing each other to try and get bragging rights. If you're running this race to try and PR, I wouldn't because there are a lot of walkers and people who don't do a lot of races and don't know how to self corral haha, which is fine but just something to know going in. So to me this race gets high marks because it's easy, free (for me), I get to run with a bunch of my friends, and the after party is one of the best.

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T-Shirts/SWAG
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So there's no shirt from the event itself. Each tech company has a theme, like one year we did Nintendo, and they have shirts to reflect that. I'm not sure if you only get the swag bag if you're from one of the tech companies participating, but I got a couple of reusable straws, sunglasses, coozies, a cooling off towel, etc. So it's a pretty good swag bag. You also get a medal at the end.

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Aid Stations
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There is one aid station halfway like most 5Ks and at the end there's a ton of pizza and beer and a DJ!!

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Course Scenery
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It's at Riverfront Park in N. Charleston so there are some nice parts, but otherwise just boring road that's an out and back. It's very flat so after you pass the walkers, you can move pretty fast.

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Expo Quality
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No expo for me.

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Elevation Difficulty
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The course is veerrryyy flat.

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Parking/Access
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The race is on a weekday so you have to deal with lots and lots of traffic!! You also have to walk a bit to get to the start area.

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Race Management
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It's hard to say because each company is the one really communicating and handing out materials. So, I can only speak to what I saw on race day. The water station is very light but I didn't hear of anyone not getting water. The after party is awesome so that's really well organized. The only thing I don't like is that the lines for pizzas and beer get very long because there are so many racers. Also, they don't limit the number of pizzas and beer so if you finish later, you might not get any. Like someone else mentioned too there are people who bib swap because it's not a serious race and because it's on a weekday with employees from the tech companies, they may end up having a problem at work or a last minute meeting pop up and give it to a coworker. In that case sometimes a guy will win a women's age group award. As far as I know though, this all works itself out.

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Conclusion
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So I wouldn't recommend this race to a friend unless they work for one of the companies. I would tell them to just join me at the after party afterwards. Because the company really handles everything for you, not only is it free that way, but it makes the competition more fun if you're a part of one of the companies. What is really recommendable isn't the race but the after party which I'm pretty sure it's open to everyone!

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(2019)
"First Trail Race "
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

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Overall
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The Mullet Haul Trail Run is a great race for beginner trail runners. I had never done one before and thought it was cool that it had short distance options. Everyone was super friendly and the course is fun and non-intimidating. It's also great if you're looking to get an age group prize for the 5K. The 10K has a lot faster people.

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T-Shirts/SWAG
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Not much in the form of SWAG but the material of the T-Shirt is awesome! I included it in a picture. My boyfriend won an age group prize, but never picked it up but I think the prizes were actually cool pint glasses.

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Aid Stations
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Like most 5Ks, there's one water station at halfway and some cheering fans volunteering. There were more than enough drinks and snacks at the end of the race and because of the area there are lots of picnic benches and area to spread out. They also had a PT station helping people do post race stretches!

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Course Scenery
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The trail doesn't have much scenery. Mostly trees and since it's a horse trail, there's some poop you have to watch out for, but you'll smell it before you step in it haha. It's nicely shaded most of the time until the end where you run through a big field.

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Expo Quality
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There wasn't an expo before but there were actually some vendors at the race you could talk to which I thought was cool for a small local race.

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Elevation Difficulty
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I gave this a 2 because it is flat but it's different terrain if you're used to a road race. I used road shoes and was fine and actually liked the spongey feel of an almost sawdust like terrain. The end though has you running through a big grass field and that was kinda hard to be honest hence the 2 stars.

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Parking/Access
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Plenty of parking and close to the start line. We were running late because my boyfriend plugged in the wrong address the night before so we thought we had more time. 5 minutes to start, we parked, grabbed our bibs, and walked to the finish line with time to spare.

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Race Management
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Everything ran smoothly on race day. Like I mentioned in Parking, we were late and our bibs were given to us quickly and we were signed in very quickly as well. They even held our shirts for us so we could pick them up after. The people checking us in were very nice and joked with us about our lack of punctuality. They were great! The trail was also clearly marked and there were enough volunteers helping to make sure you were going the right way. I almost went the 10K route and a volunteer was quick to make sure I didn't subject myself to that.

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Conclusion
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I would definitely recommend this race to a friend, especially one that is looking for more trail runs in the Charleston area. It's low key without a ton of people but enough energy to have a great time. Despite not a big race, I felt cheered on by volunteers and fellow runners. It's also very shaded on the trail, which is greatly appreciated in Charleston. I think more people sign up for the 10K, so if you're doing the 5K, you have a pretty good chance of placing in your age group. I will definitely sign up again :) and hopefully be on time...

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