I ran my 24th half marathon this past Saturday in Baltimore Maryland. I ran it back in '12 and wanted to run it again. Unfortunately I was dealing with shin splints this summer so training was a struggle. But I got enough work in and was able to complete the course (27 min slower than '12 but so what?)
Expo: I got there Friday when it opened at 12 so there was a line to get in. No biggie as the line moved fast. Bib and shirt pick up was a breeze.
Prerace: I took the light rail into downtown. Very easy. Didn't have to worry about parking/traffic. Entering the race village and bag check was smooth. Much better than 2 years ago.
Course: We started at the beautiful Inner Harbor and made our way around the city. Yeah there were a couple of rough and tumble neighborhoods we ran thru but that's part of the city. Quite a few up and down hills but nothing really lung busting. The finish thru Camden Yards (home of the Orioles) was a blast.
Post race: A big improvement since '12. Much easier to navigate after the finish line. Plenty of volunteers to hand out medals, food, drinks, and beer tickets. Yes, the runners village had beer!
Spectators: They were great. They were cheering throughout the entire course. You can tell how much they love their city. I was offered a beer at mile 3 and 9 which I couldn't resist!
Overall: Highly recommended! Hope to see some of you next year!

Second time running this classic race in Philly. It draws close to 40k runners each year so you need to enter via lottery. You have an 85% chance of getting in; sadly my sister and cousin were in the 15% this year :(
The course starts and ends on Broad Street, the main road in Philly. You start in North Philly, go thru Center City, which includes a run around City Hall, then South Philly to the end at the Navy Yard. It is straight and for the most part flat.
This race is a big deal for the city and it shows. The crowds thru the 10 miles are spectacular. People in Philly are just as passionate with running as they are with their sports teams! Great atmosphere.
You would think that with 40k runners that the start and finish would be a nightmare but it is so organized I did not see any issues. You line up in corrals which is always a plus. And once you cross the finish you don't have to walk forever to the finish line festivities.
Getting to the start in North Philly? You need to take the subway from the sports complex in South Philly. It's a 30 minute ride but it gets really packed so be mindful of that.
I encourage all runners to give this race a try. Sign up for the lottery next year!

So I ran the Cleveland Marathon for the 3rd time. I ran the full because I wanted to take in the new full marathon course which went towards the west side of Cleveland instead of the east side. Overall I had a great time.
The expo is held at the IX Center by the airport. I was staying about 5 min from the expo but it is about 10 miles from downtown but they had shuttles if you needed one. I actually did more shopping there than normally at expos because I wanted to get some Ohio running related merchandise. Race shirts much better than last year plus you got a bottle of Coppertone in your goodie bag. What a surprise!
I ended up taking a train to downtown where the race started and ended. Gear check was in a nearby building but I had a little difficulty finding it. The start had corrals by letter but it seemed like people were lining up wherever. I say this because I couldn't believe how many walkers I passed in the 1st mile. They should be starting in the back, right?
We were lucky to have running weather. Cleveland weather in mid May could be unpredictable. Last 2 years were warm and humid, but was 44 degrees at the start this year. The course goes thru the west part of Cle as well as the nearby towns of Lakewood and Rocky River. Without ? there were more spectators especially after us marathoners split off from the half marathoners around mile 10. Beautiful neighborhoods and if you looked closely you can see Lake Erie in the background.
The first 24 miles were for the most part flat. However, the last 2 miles on the Shoreway leading back into the city were not. There was a brutal climb to navigate and I really think me and many others could have PRed if that climb was not there. I hope the organizers take a look at this for next year. When you hit mile 26, you greeted by the banging of the drum by John Adams that you hear at Indians baseball games. Cool. At the finish, there was a beer garden (free drink ticket on your bib,yes!) where I was able to enjoy a can of Miller Lite and relax. And finally the medal has a spinning guitar. You are in the city of the Rock Hall of Fame after all.
If you're looking for one final long race before summer, this is a great race to look into. Despite the jokes,Cleveland is a great city to visit and I always enjoy my time there!

You get to run thru Times Square. That by itself is reason enough to run this race. The course takes you from Central Park, through Midtown and ending up in Lower Manhattan. If you can get up and down the hills of Central Park you have a flat 7 mile course down Manhattan the rest of the way. Unfortunately I am not a good cold weather runner and it the temperatures were below freezing so I did not do as well as I hoped to. The expo was OK but I had to make an extra trip into the city as you can not pick up your bib on raceday. I highly recommend this to anyone who would like to run through the streets of NYC and do not want to train for a full marathon :)!

You're in South Florida in the middle of winter. What else is there to say? This is my favorite marathon to run. I love that you get a chance to meet so many people from different countries, mostly Central/Sourh America. Of course Florida is flat so the course is as well. You start at the Triple A (Home of the Miami Heat), run thru South Beach, back to downtown Miami, through Coconut Grove and back to Bayfront Park. The course crosses Biscayne Bay 3 times. It is the most scenic course to run. The downside was that it was a humid and warm weekend which made my time slower than I planned.
I go to the expo on Saturday in SoBe then head up to Gulfstream Park for some live horse racing. Takes my mind off the marathon! But the race goes off at 6am the following day so I am in bed very early Sat nite. It is funny parking 4:30am at a garage in SoBe and having people who have drunk all nite (and are probably drunk as a skunk) wishing me luck as I am walking to catch the shuttle to the start.
But what made this race special was that this was held the same day as the Super Bowl. My beloved Seahawks were in it and were playing 25 miles from home. I was wearing a Seahawks tech shirt and had a lot of spectators wishing me luck. After the race I got back to the hotel,took a nap, and enjoyed one of my best nites as a sports fan.
The only negatives,if any, could be parking and the weather if you are not prepared to run in warmer temperatures than what you've been training in. But it's worth the trip. Again Florida in wintertime!