Overall I had a great experience running the marathon yesterday. The expo was easy to get in and out of, the volunteers were helpful and happy, and the weather was perfect. I loved the fact that the giveaway bag was a solid reusable bag and that it wasn’t full of flyers that I was going to throw away as soon as I got home. I absolutely love (and am extremely proud of) my medal. I do have few comments:
1. Before the race, I couldn’t find any water available near the start. It would have been nice to have a table handing out cups. Obviously I could have brought my own water bottle to solve this dilemma, but I did not, and therefore was in search.
2. While I am sure some people appreciated the Sharkies bites, it would have been nice to have the option of getting a gel near the end. By the end of a race I am usually too dehydrated to eat anything. I did carry 3 of my own, but I was hurting.
3. Switching between cups. As I got farther into the race and my mind became a little blurry, it was often difficult to distinguish between who was handing out water/Vitalyte. Sometimes Vitalyte was in the white cups, sometimes in the Vitalyte cups. This was especially difficult when they were calling it “vitamin Water”, and therefore added an extra confusion if you couldn’t hear everything.
4. A gap in water between 18-21. I am not sure how accurate this analysis is, but it seemed that there was a larger gap between water stations around this point. I was just thirsty 🙂
5. Bikes on the running path. This was my biggest complaint. I know that the race takes place on public land, but having families with small children riding their bikes on a very narrow running path with two way traffic is not only dangerous, but also is very frustrating when you are near exhaustion and trying to hold on for the last few miles.
Again, I had a great time at the race, and will hopefully run it again soon (I’m a sucker for bonus medals). These are mostly minor critiques and things that I will prepare for next time. Thank you for a great race.