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!

To review this race, you need to understand that it is two different races.

The first half of the marathon is an absolute PARTY, New Orleans style. I loved it. I was flying. We were practically dancing instead of running. Everyone along the race route was so much fun and you didn't go more than 30 seconds without some kind of crowd or music coming from somewhere, including the windows and front porches of friendly neighborhood spectators.

Then you break off from the 13.1 runners, and it's a completely different ballgame. No music. No spectators. No scenery. No shade. The aid stations were evenly spaced, so it wasn't so much a matter of not having what you needed, but it certainly lacked in everything I (personally) want from a race: cheering, fun, enthusiasm. Thank goodness I was able to chat it up with some other runners who were also struggling because without them, I don't know that I would have finished the race.

The most glorious part of the race is the very end, finishing under a beautiful arch of spanish moss hanging from old, mysterious trees.

Would I run this race again? Absolutely! But I would beg and plead for a re-routed second half, or at least some kind of incentive for more spectators and music and aid stations to be available there.

The Erie Marathon is well known as one of the last Boston Qualifiers in the region. This being my second marathon ever, I was not used to the seriousness of many of the runners at this event. The day starts very early at a parking lot at the top of the park at Presque Isle, and you are bussed down to the start with many other runners. As a someone who still considered themselves pretty new to running the marathon, this added a level of anxiety as I knew I would not be able to return to my car as promptly as I wished at the end of the race. At the start of the race, there is the typical line of porta potties and runners waiting to use them. By complete surprise, I ran into two other runners from my hometown run group here, and had a nice chance to talk down some of my pre-race jitters. The pace groups were a bit hard to find in the dark, and since the start of the race is around the corner and blocked by some trees, it was hard to hear any pre-race announcements. I actually didn't even notice that the race had begun until someone gestured to me to line up at the start!

The course, thankfully, is fast and very flay with only one little bitty hill about halfway around the first and second loops. I am NOT a fan of double loop races, so while the view of the lake at every turn is beautiful, by the second loop I was just looking to be done.

If you're a novice runner who likes to have a little friendly banter with people in your pace group, don't count on it. Most people in this race are looking to qualify. Save for a few people who were willing to chat when we jockeyed back and forth for a few miles, it was very quiet. I will say that the local school groups that came out to hand out water at the very well placed aid stations were a complete hoot and I enjoyed their enthusiasm very much.

Overall, I would definitely run this race again if the opportunity presented itself!

Initially, I wanted to run this race as a full marathon but I started feeling a twinge in my hip about a month prior to the race and didn't want to push any injury. So I scaled back to the half, which was perfect! A word of warning to those who are looking to venture away from the suggested hotels or typical Air BNB's, know that it's still off-season for the area so the hotel we booked wasn't technically even open when we called to make reservations. Thankfully, it worked out (thanks to the folks at Atlantis Inn!) The shops in the area are adorable (if open) and I would highly recommend Nicola Pizza for a carbo load.

Since we were able to stay so close to the start line, we rolled out of bed and were at the start line pretty promptly. They released by time corrall, which was very well organized. We had perfect weather, and the morning was VERY high energy! You begin on a boardwalk (which takes some getting used to, so I would recommend getting there a day early and doing a shakeout run along the boardwalk to get used to the surface) and then you weave through the picturesque beachtown neighborhood. There is a long stretch of road between the town and Cape Henlopen State Park that is a little sunny, but still ok for the short amount of time that you're running. The first stretch of the park is also fairly sunny, and at one point you switch from paved road, to gravel road, to another boardwalk, to trail. The small lake and beautiful trees are worth the run! The turnaround is a bit of a sharp turn, and then you're off back on the same route back.

The ending is loads of fun with announcers and cheers. I don't recall much of the food at the end of the race, but getting fun pictures on the beach was a perfect way to end the day. I wished I had been able to run the full, so I think I will revisit this race to do my Marathon once I'm ready to check Delaware off my 50 States list.

The Lake Health Northern Ohio Marathon was my very first marathon and I am SO happy that it was! The course starts at the beach at Mentor Headlands (decent parking) and weaves all throughout the neighborhoods in Mentor. One of the more difficult stretches was around the airport, where there is very little tree cover and by that time, the sun is high in the sky. Everyone at each and every aid station was great and I really enjoyed the race.