Erie Marathon... Post Race Thoughts AND Race Ratings

Post Race Thoughts...
There's a lot going on this week and another marathon this Sunday, so I'm combining last weekends post race thoughts and race ratings. If you could care less how my race went please feel free to scroll down to the race ratings below...

My Thoughts? Erie was a pretty course and I had a great time on the beach before the expo and after the race with all the Cinci- Galloway runners! Ran the first part hard (probably too hard)... knew I wasn't feeling it that day and Dave C. (pictured left) and I slowed down for the second half. Probably didn't help that mid-race I had a bit of a port-o-john scramble. I didn't feel great through the race and on the way home my throat got a litttttle itchy. By Mon morning I REALLY wasn't feeling well... no worries though, the Dr. has given me antibiotics and is sending out a strep test.

Since I was having a crappy run and throwing a tantrum, Dave C. got me through the race by distracting me... something about right brain thinking?? Hmm I'll have to read up. Anyways, Dave is from Erie and I got to hear about the ENTIRE history of Erie, Lake Erie, and how they bottle Erie water. Verrrrry interesting :) It's a GREAT Day!

Ratings...
Registration Fee: $40-$50 Early Reg ($60 Late Reg)

Overall Race Rating (weighted): 3.8/5.0
Average Calculated Rating: 3.8/5.0
~ I think the average rating was about right for this race. It's a small race, with a looped course. It seems like a lot of thought was put in by the director to make the runners as comfortable as possible. The course was kind of boring, but convenient to see it twice, and it was very pretty. Ending a race on the beach is always a plus!!!

Race Director: Let's place race director...
~What would I have changed if I were race director? This race- being a small, scenic run- is great as is! If anything was changed, it wouldn't be for the better. Great job race director!!!

Event Organization: 4.5/5.0 As far as "event organization" we'll go ahead and include things like Host hotel, website use, ease of travel to the event and to the actual race, etc.

Event Organization seemed to go off very well. The expo and pasta dinner are held on the beach at Lake Erie. We got to take lots of pictures on the beach and enjoy a VERY VERY good pasta dinner. The dinner had pasta with 4 different sauce options, GREAT salad you could dress with anything you wanted, and a ton of desserts!!! YUM! I got to "camp out" with the some of the Galloway Runners (Thanks Rabers!)... this was very close to the course (very convenient). We drove a van so travel wasn't too bad (no major traffic, Erie was pretty easy to get around). Overall very well organized event.

Race Organization: 4.3/5.0

I liked the race organization. The course was a loop you did twice, so anything they provided, they had twice (ie. Hammer Gels). Now, I'm NOT a fan of hammer gels, but they DID give us vanilla and not one of those weird flavors hammer has. There was water stop EVERY mile. The start went off without a hitch and it seemed like most everybody was enjoying themselves. Post-race they provided subway subs, lots of chips (get that sodium in), and they gave out these 180 Energy Drinks that were DELICIOUS! These drinks are great... you can get them in non-caffeinated, and they come in really interesting flavors (like Goji Berry). I think they're actually geared toward athletes as an energy supplement. Finally, the race ENDED at the beach... making a VERY large ice bath out of Lake Erie!

Course: 3.8/5.0
~ This course rating depends on how you like your course. It's quite literally PANCAKE FLAT! There are 2 "hills"... one is a little 10 ft blp, the other is a bridge that is maybe 20 ft total. I'm not huge for completely flat courses, but I really like the 2 loops on this one... you knew what to expect and where the water/gel/potty stops were. Also, the course is VERY pretty. You're running along side the lake and the trees all around you are very pretty... some called it boring (trees and lake over and over), but its very serene.

Spectators: 3.5/5.0
~ The course is on a very quite road, that appears to be more of a bike trail in many ways... so very few spectators. They did have themed water stops which is a big A for effort on the race organizers part.

Pace Group: /5.0
~ DNE and didn't need

Runner/Corrals: 3.5/5.0
~ No corrals were necessary for this race. Runners were very quiet and mellow... likely due to the scenic view we had. I met a few at the pasta dinner and they were very nice! We chatted about the 50-staters, etc.

Expo: 4.5/5.0
~ This was a small marathon, but they still had a pretty good sized expo. You could get all your basic needs- GU, Sports Beans, etc. Some also had great sales on clothing and shoes!!! I bought yet another new pair of running shoes! I also LOVED that the expo was outside and near the beach! Galloway runners (pictured left) took advantage and played on the beach.

Swag: 2.5/5.0
~T-Shirt... The T-Shirt WAS long-sleeved! LS shirts are so rare so it was nice to have. It also had the runner cuffs on the sleeves and was great material. The shirt was red with a black picture of the Erie Lighthouse. Very basic... with the sponsors down the arms instead of all over the back. Not bad... we'll give it a 3.8 for functionality and uniqueness.
~Medals: Another marathon, another HORRIBLE medal. Sorry, but these "sun catchers"-- although unique-- don't make the best medals! The medal was a round glass piece with a lanyard on the end. we're giving it about a 2.2-- just above the horrible Park City medal.
~ Goodie Bag: The goodie bag DID include a pair of socks with the marathon name on it! I don't like higher socks, but maybe I can frame them or something???