Active Community: Message List - My favorite race this year was......because....

Re: My favorite race this year was......because....

guest — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:19:01 GMT

Wow, these are some great races I've never heard of, except for the All Women and One Lucky Guy Half Marathon. That is hilarious!

lenzlaw, I was looking for Philly races and Back on My Feet Midnight Madness sounds like such a winner!! Perfect timing for that weather (7/21) and a nice mid-range distance (8.4) but then there's the Pajama Loop at 7am which sounds great, too!! $50 is not too bad for a great charity, creating independence within the homeless community.

Deb, the Tufts 10k looks amazing! I cannot imagine the boost you must get being surrounded by such a competent community of women. Love the Malden Rotary 10k!! For only $20 you get a long sleeve shirt, cap and gloves, swag and a local race. WhooHoo! Sounds like they have solid community support.

Jasko, I've seen ads for the Divas HMs and they must be quite a party!! Six great locations at perfect times of the year, also. One in San Juan! The signature medal with your picture on it is soooo tempting for a bling addict (like myself). I stumbled across the SoCal race when I was trying to plan a destination Christmas this year.

While looking for races around Christmas I found a race that sounded very interesting. Has anyone run or heard anything about the Hoover Dam HM and Marathon in Boulder, NV??

Re: My favorite race this year was......because....

guest — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 20:50:53 GMT

I would have to say the Divas Half Marathon Series. The events are well organized through the entire process from expo to after party to race routes and so on. There is always great crowd support and the opportunity to network with a lot of wonderful people. Several ladies go in larger groups and enjoy a full weekend of celebrations, so it really creates a special environment. http://www.runlikeadiva.com/

I highly recommend the opportunity.

My favorite race this year was......because....

guest — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 13:09:09 GMT

mkayc - The races are a little pricy, but in my opinion, they are worth it! Especially if someone has never ran a Disney World Race! Now I have only run the half, but a friend of mine has run both the half and full (at different dates) and she feels the half is one of mer favorite race she's ever done!

Re: My favorite race this year was......because....

guest — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 01:23:17 GMT

Hey Mary Kay - great question! I don't race much and loved them all (hmm, maybe not all), but I would have to say for sheer empowerment and enthusiasm its the Tufts 10K for Women in Boston. Men can run too, it's just mostly women. Thousands of women doing yoga on Boston Common to warm up. Plenty of portapotties, mini Expo, organized bag check. The MC kept the energy high and you just felt like you could do anything. Running through the BackBay, across the Charles River, a loop in Cambridge and back to the Boston Common was really nice. The last water station was men dressed in tuxes holding water cups on silver trays. Priceless!

Second place would be the All Women and One Lucky Guy Half Marathon in Newburyport, Mass. Men have to buy chances in the lottery and about 3-4 weeks before the race the one "Lucky Guy" gets chosen randomly. He gets his own Tshirt that says, you guessed it! One Lucky Guy. The scenery was beautiful - November, so nothing was in bloom and foliage was done, but it wound past 2 reservoirs. A little hilly, but nothing unbearable. Pretty medal at the finish (heart shaped with a pink ribbon). Post-race refreshments included chicken or vegetable soup,and crackers. I also had a Greek yogurt, some "Food Should Taste Good" chips, and Luna Bars to bring home. Not that I'm complaining about chicken soup, but why don't races hand out juice box cartons of chocolate milk? The Horizon organic ones are awesome and it's my favorite post-run beverage. Hint hint race organizers. .

Third place goes to a small local race - Malden Rotary 10k - best goodie bag ever: loaf of bread from a local bakery, baseball cap with reflective trim, running gloves, water bottle, sample issue of New England Runner magazine, Bruins wrist band, and a coupon to Marathon Sports.

I can't envision myself traveling far to a race - at least not until DS is older. But I'm taking notes on what I might want to do someday!

Re: My favorite race this year was......because....

guest — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:47:12 GMT

I've been thinking about this since you posted the question. The Marine Corps Marathon is my sentimental favorite and I've been running it for 20 years, with one miss and a dnf due to injury.

This year, though, I think my favorite was the Back on My Feet Midnight Madness. It's an 8.46 mile loop of the two river drives in Philly, which starts at midnight in the middle of July. The weather always sucks (warm and humid), it's dark (headlights strongly recommended), but everybody is lit up and in a festive mood. It's great to be able to run through downtown Philly in the middle of the night without worry. There's a 24-hour ultra that runs at the same time in the opposite direction, so we cheer for them along the way. Back on My Feet is a great charitable organization (started in Philly) and is well worth running to support.. http://www.backonmyfeet.org/

Honorable mention goes to the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon in Wilmington Delaware. Wilmington turns out to be a surprisingly hilly town and this race has challenged me for quite a few years.

Len

Re: My favorite race this year was......because....

guest — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:25:49 GMT

Ray, these are some very interesting races!!! SF is a great place to run, especially in the heat of the summer!! The Giant Race at AT&T is 8/4/13 and hasn't opened yet but they also have ones for spring training in San Jose. All races except the shorter ones sold out last year. humm. So tempting!! The WIPRO SF Marathon is 6/16/13, is open and prices go up on 1/15. The First HM has a 3 hr. time limit. The Ave of the Giants Marathon in Humboldt looks gorgeous!! Unfortunately it's 5/5/13, same day as the Flying Pig but would definitely be a must for the list.

BOS, the Pig is a special kind of race. It was the most difficult and most entertaining race I ran last year, really well organized and supported! Last year was my first. Maybe this year I'll appreciate the craziness enough to relax and enjoy it.

Snerb, Thanks! Two great races!! The Crazylegs Classic sounds like so much fun and ending in Camp Randall stadium after an 8k run must be priceless!! It's 4/27/13 and will open soon. What's a little rain when you're sweating? The Wrut-n-Run is one of those races that must feel wonderful when you're done. Great job smashing your record!! Personally I haven't embraced hills as mounds of pleasure yet. Hopefully, soon!

Re: My favorite race this year was......because....

guest — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 20:02:08 GMT

Great thread Mkay!

I would have to pick two races from last year. First was the 2012 Crazylegs Classic in Madison, WI. It's an 8k put on by UW Athletics. If memory serves, there were 12,000 runners and walkers last year. It starts at the state capitol with Badger players and coaches at the start and ends inside Camp Randall at the 50 yard line with live music. The weather didn't really cooporate but running into Camp Randall was excellent.

Second would be the Wrut-N-Run at a local ski hill, it's the most physical run I do. This year was three laps up and down the hill. It was the second consecutive year that I ran it. My goal was to beat the previous years time; I smashed that time and ended up finishing first for my age group. Even surprised myself.

Cheers.

Re: My favorite race this year was......because....

guest — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 18:43:23 GMT

Mary Kay, the weather this year at the Outer Banks was perfect! At the start about 38 and at the end about 60 with a beautiful Carolina Blue sky no wind. wind can be a issue. Pig is a great race also.

Re: My favorite race this year was......because....

guest — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 18:02:28 GMT

2 cents and worth about that.

Back in the 90's before I stopped running did the SF Giants "Run to Home Plate" at Candlestick. It was a 5K and since I love baseball the game after was fun too.

That has morphed into the "Giants Race" a 1/2 marathon, 10K and 5K. Haven't done the one at AT&T, but have taken my boys to run the bases at AT&T and done tours of the park - I'm not biased or anything, but running in SF down around the water front is always fun. I see that Boston has a "Run to Home Plate" run, so depending on how far you want to go, check your local team's events to see if they have a run as well. Giants have been doing a run for around 20 years now and might be one of the older ones.

I always enjoyed the SF Marathon - nothing quite like running over the Golden Gate Bridge. They have a couple of 1/2 marathons with it, but the first 1/2 is the one you want and the one that sells out the quickest (takes you over the bridge starting from the water front near the ferry building). They have more bands and music these days and my wife and son love it. The course is hilly so don't expect a PR. My wife signed me up for the full this year...

For me personally this year, I'd say the "Other Half" was fun and also over the GG Bridge. Course is fairly hilly, but gorgeous. Most of the race is through the Marina district and Presidio. It was fun, but my very first 1/2 and I wasn't prepared.

Favorite race for the year was Dolphin South End club's 1/2 marathon around Lake Merced. For SF a relatively flat course. No frills, but cost was $10 with late day registration. No chip timing and small group but fast. Weather was awsome for late summer ~50F at start of race, ~53F at finish. Of, course that's hard to predict, but in the summer SF is almost always cooler then the rest of California. Lots of food at end of race and volunteers were mostly club members and very friendly. We talked to a gentelman and his wife probably in their 70s who run the Humboldt marathon every year.

I love running in SF, so you can take all of this with a grain of salt. I spend a lot of time in the south bay and a lot of the races I did this year were near SF Bay. It's a big bay with lots of races near by.

Ray

Re: My favorite race this year was......because....

guest — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:07:35 GMT

cr18686 - the Angles 5k sounds like so much fun! I want!! Right now !! Am a big baseball fan and would love to be able to take just one lap on the field!! Wish I lived closer. Will try to do it if I ever find myself out there.

Leigh, the Disney races sound so awesome that I know it's inevitable at some point. Good to hear the race met your expectations! I'm just a little shocked at the price but the minute someone says, "Lets go" I'll be thinking, "But, it's fairytale country" and will probably go.

BOS, the MCM medal !!! OMG, is there anything to compare? I don't think so!! I'm a serious bling addict and want it so badly I'm thinking of running the 17.75k just to get the guaranteed entry but am not sure I'll be ready for a full this year in the fall. If I have to switch to the Flying Pig HM early enough, I will definitely try!! Will check out the Outer Banks HM because that's really beautiful country. How was the weather?