- My last half marathon of the year!
- The last race I needed to reach my goal of 15 half marathons in 2015!
- The chance to run with a ton of Black Girls run and Black Men Run members!
- The first 10K race for most of the members of Black Girls Run Stamford!
The expo was small but well organized. There were only a few vendors (probably around 10) but I didn’t mind. Large expos are great, but sometimes small expos can be good as well.
I had to pick up my bib and bibs for a few other runners but it only took me a total of less than 5 minutes. There were no lines and the volunteers worked quickly.
A runner’s dream – no lines! |
After getting the bibs, we headed to get our goodie bag along with our race shirt. Our race shirts actually came from BGR and they were really nice. Long sleeve, half-zip, great material and sized correctly. Also there were huge signs for the different sizes for the shirts which I appreciated. It made that part so much easier.
I visited a few of the vendors at the expo, but what I really loved was the Black Girls Run table and merchandise. Although I wanted to buy many of the items, I just walked away with a headband and long sleeve running shirt.
At the expo they had all the race medals on display. Although I prefer to be surprised with the race bling, I thought this was pretty cool.
Black Men Run, Black Girls Run, Half Marathon and Latina in Motion medals |
Actually this is probably one of my favorite race photos |
100% dork-mode |
Done! |
- Start/Finish – Great locations for the start and finish for all the races. At first I didn’t like the stadium finish, but after having a few days to think about it, I now like it!
- Medal – All the medals were fantastic. Great quality and you can tell they put a lot of effort into them.
- Running groups – It was really nice to have so many members from Black Girls Run, Black Men Run and Latinas in Motion at the race!
- Volunteers – As always, I so appreicated the volunteers and all that they do.
- Host Hotel – I think the race really needs to consider another “host” hotel for reasons I listed earlier.
- Course – If you’re looking for a PR, this may be a good course because the highway is mainly flat. I like to look at scenery so this race was very boring to me.
- Water Stations – Although the stations were well stocked with volunteers, water and gatorade, the water stattions should be at every mile.
- Post-Race Food – It just wasn’t that great. I appreciated the banana and granola bar but everything else was sub-par.
- Mile Markers – I was told that the 10K didnt have any mile markers. I would have been frustrated by that if I ran that race.
- Start Time – I’ve been told that this race started late last year as well. This year we started 20 minutes after the start time.
- Start Time (part 2) – There is a 5K, 10K and Half Marathon distances for this race. Each one should start 15 minutes apart to help with crowding.
This will probably be my last race recap for 2015 🙁 If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’m currently injured (IT band) and I have to take a few weeks off from running. I will be walking for the Turkey Trot race on Thanksgiving. I’m signed up for a Jingle Bell Jog on December 5th and I hope (fingers crossed) that I can run that race.
Are you signed up for any more races this year? I love all the holiday themed races!
Wendy Rivard says
I love that race photo of you!!! Congrats on half #15. That is truly amazing!
I hope that ITB calms down. Along with my PF…
kookyrunner says
Thanks so much Wendy! I'm sorry to hear about your PF 🙁 I hope it gets better soon!
Kristen says
Congrats on 15 half marathon in 2015! That's amazing! It sounds like it wasn't the best race, but you seemed to make the best of it and looked like you had fun!
kookyrunner says
Thanks so much Kristen! I always try to have fun at a race even if it's not the best 🙂
Meesh says
I remember thinking a similar thing when I ran this race two years ago – so many highways! I was hoping maybe reviews would say that it had more spectators along the way now. Back then even when we ran through town, not many people were out on their stoops cheering. Disappointing to hear it has not. Congrats on your 15th race of the year! Dang!
kookyrunner says
Hi Meesh! It's not a race that I would do again unless they make some changes, especially to the course. I was really sad that I didn't like the course more 🙁
Abby says
I love how you always lay out your race recaps so honestly with the pros and cons.
kookyrunner says
Thanks Abby! I always try to keep it as real as possible when doing race recaps because if I was someone considering a race, I would want a truthful recap 🙂
Farrah says
Aww, I'm sorry to hear that the race route wasn't all that exciting, but yay for finishing! I'm sorry to hear that your IT band is giving you problems, but I hope you recover soon! <3
kookyrunner says
Thanks Farrah! After a week of no running my IT band it feeling a little better, only a few more non-running weeks to go!