Little Rock Marathon~ Race Ratings (#25)

Tagline: "We don't give out medals, we give out chest shields"
Ratings...
2010 Little Rock Marathon ~ March 7, 2010
Little Rock, AR~ Downtown and Historic Little Rock
Registration Fee: $90 early ($100-$110 late). $10 Discount for 50-Staters. $20 extra for the "perk tent" tickets (see below in organization or this post).
Runners: 1545 in the marathon (Plus half and relay teams)
Available Races: Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 4-Person Marathon Relay
Average Finish Time: 4:48:15
BQ %: 7.8%

Overall Race Rating (weighted): 4.9/5.0

Average Calculated Rating: 4.73/5.0

~ This very well organized race is going to make you feel fast and is definitely worth the little extra for the perks tent. The organizers did a spectacular job! This is just a FUN time so take advantage of everything it has to offer. 

Race Director: Let's play race director...
~ This race is almost to near perfection in terms of what the organizers can control. The only thing I would say they need to work on is the T-shirts. The design and colors could definitely be better. The weather was absolutely perfect with a 40-50 degree haze overhead, but if the sun did break I can imagine it getting VERY hot, especially on the long stretches without shade.

Event Organization: 4.7/5.0 (now broken into 2 parts, see below as well) 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.
Distance from Airport to Expo/Race: 5.8 Miles (12 min)
Rental Car Required: Yes
~ This was a very well managed marathon. I could tell it was going to be when they sent me a very professional looking book on the marathon with any info I could need about a month before the race. Travel was not too difficult to the expo/start area and parking was a breeze! There was a ton of it everywhere. Their website has a ton of information on the race, the area, travel, etc. The only bad part about traveling is the size of the airport-- although it's called "international" they only have some many flights in and out.

Race Organization: 5.0/5.0

~ Wonderfully organized!!! One of the best I've seen. This group has thought of everything to make this the most convenient marathon. They include bibs on the backs of half-marathoners and relay teams so we know who we're truely racing against. They had so many port-a-johns and water stops you were never in need. They had pleanty of hammer gels along the way. Prior to the race there were small medical teams walking around with tape, ibuprophen, bandaids-- anything you needed.

The perks tent! Full description below on my post-race thoughts, but this is definitely definitely worth the $20! You have any food you could imagine and all the room in the world. You only have so many people there so no lines are too long. There are heaters before and tons of beer after! I knew this was the best organized race when I was waiting in line for a massage with a beer and lap full of  food and a girl came over with a giant bottle of Ibuprophen and asked if I wanted any-- uhh! YES! There isn't a thing about this organization I could dream to change.
~Post Race Food: What DIDN'T they have? When you finished they handed you a bag full of yummy sweets and you walked around the corner to get hotdogs. In the perks tent there was also: Pizza, Smoothies, cookies, bagels and locks, a large arrangement of fruit, beer, candy, pretzels, ummm??? I'm sure a ton more!!! I was in piggy-heaven!

Course: 4.9/5.0

~MarathonGuide Rating

Garmin Distance: 26.36

~ This was my type of course. Long slow uphills and quick steep downhills you could fly down. The beginning of the course started in downtown, making turns to quickly, you hardly had a chance to look ahead (no boring endless miles ahead). The course goes out to "historic Little Rock" and is truly a 26 mile tour of the city, as the website claims. You have a ton of interesting and beautiful scenery. At one point you take a turn and as you start to descend a long downhill, the capital if framed in front of you in the distance. You pass the gorgeous governors mansion as well. The only boring areas are a few neighborhoods and they are filled with spectators with signs, drinks, food, and cheer. The other area that some found boring was the out and back between 18 and 24. I didn't mind this area because I was entering the area as the winners were coming out and I love to see them fly. I was also able to see almost every single runner, which is awesome if you're there with people or know a lot of people running. 

Spectators: 4.6/5.0
~ Spectators were lined throughout the race-- this is another marathon that the city seems proud to have and get very involved with. The race officials describe on their site that they purposely encourage and place spectators and cheering groups at slower place on the course and on some of the bad hills to keep you going. I found I had the most cheering-fueled adrenaline rush as I entered the biggest hill of the course because they had both sides of the street lined with spectators!

Pace Group: 5.0/5.0
~ I was able to run with/pass/get passed by/ and see at the out and back-- many pace groups and almost all of them seemed to be very accurately on time. They also seemed to have extremely knowledgeable pace leaders who were encouraging their runners. A few of the pace leaders were even dressed up in quirky outfits-- seriously?? wow I'm impressed. Nice job pace group leaders

Runner/Corrals: 4.8/5.0

~ This is the second year Little Rock chose to use corrals and they seemed to go off perfectly. They had the corral entrances guarded well and I had plenty of room to stretch out. The courses are wide, but with the number of runners they were still packed. I couldn't imagine the chaos that would have ensued if there weren't corrals.

This is a big marathon full of runners-- esp with the 50-staters reunion held there this year. I was feeling really good in the later miles of the race and it seemed like a LOT of the runners were slowing down so I made sure to yell encouraging things to each runners as I passed. Most of them perked up and yelled back-- some of the slower early starters seemed offended or confused-- hmm does anybody get why that is??? I had a great time chatting post-race with many of the runners while waiting in line for our massages.

Expo: 4.8/5.0
~ This was a good expo-- big and full of vendors for this mid-sized marathon. What I liked was that the expo wasn't too full of people trying to sign you up for other race (uh, please let me get through this one first) and it was not overly packed like some other marathons. If there was anything you needed, you were able to find it. There was also some GREAT LR marathon apparel. They gave you some casual marathon gear options that still look nice. Not just athletic gear or sweats.

Swag: 4.0/5.0

~T-Shirts: The T-shirt was the only place I thought they lacked. It was gray and not very attractive. The half marathoners got a white version (which was better) and the design on both was ok. It was a nice material tech-T, but the small is too big for me and the design is kind of ugly. 3.1
~Medals: Wow-- holy huge. I know there are other ones that are the same size, but this was just so cool. It definitely got some attention at the airport. 4.9!
~ Goodie Bag: The other goodies included a marathon poster that was cute, but I think I lost it in the airport (ooops)




Results...
Stephanie~ Marathon
Time: 3:44:36
Place: Overall 201/1545 ~ Gender 37/574 ~ Age Group 2/39

Little Rock Marathon~ Post Race Thoughts

Ok this is a long one, so let me sum it up with (most important to least):
~ The medal is beyond anything I showed in the picture last week! WOW
~ I made my 25th state before 25 and I got 2nd in my age group-- the last time in the under 25 age group!
~ There is a "Perks Tent" and it is the best thing to happen to marathoning since GU

*Yep, that huge chunk of medal in my hand is the actual marathon medal! 10.5 inches long.

Marathon-Eve!

I met up with MB as the CVG airport (her layover was here and I’m from Cinci). We got into LIT with no problems (it’s me, so obviously flight problems to come later—stay tuned.) We went straight to the expo, which was a pretty decent size for this growing marathon. Highlights? The clothes! They had some really cool ‘casual’ clothing options to buy with the marathon name on it. Sommeeetimes a little too casual… see picture. Ummm did nobody realize that there may be a double meaning when you put “its natural” on a thong? Seriously? Had to snap a pic! I also bough a really cool razor back tank that I can wear to out and about—instead of excluding my marathon gear from all non-athletic activities. I also bought my first Bondi Band (pictured above)! They have SO many options to choose from—I went with bright and obnoxious!

And this marathon is dedicated to… D!

When we got to the hotel, there was a BIG surprise waiting for me. My buddy (and soon to be half-marathoner) D had sent me a fruit-bouquet to congratulate me on my 25th marathon-state! (*awwwwww*) I contemplated waiting until I actually finished the marathon to eat the fruit, but those chocolate covered strawberries were just too darned tempting. SO GOOD! I recommend this gift over flowers ANY day—but then again I like to eat more than the average bear.

D will be running her first half-marathon the first weekend of may at the Flying Pig Marathon-- if you don't know anything about this marathon, its freaking awesome!!! If you want me info let me know! I've taken D on a few training runs and she's got her miles in-- she'll do great!
 

50-Staters Meeting and Pasta Dinner

We’ve never actually gone to a 50-staters meeting and at the pace I’m going, there aren’t going to be many before I’m done. So, we opted to go. Every quarter the 50-States Marathon Club  picks a “reunion” marathon. A lot of 50-Staters go, they usually have a table set up at the expo with more details, we all get a $10 discount on the race and they have their quarterly meeting. They give out awards for people who have made their 50-states and they have a guest speaker. The speaker was Kelly Luckett (a transtibial amputee) who poke about her running accomplishments as well as her goals.

The pasta dinner was at the Peabody hotel in downtown, Little Rock. We didn’t know this before, but I guess this hotel is known for the ducks in their indoor fountain—more importantly, how their ducks make a trip twice a day! They actually climb the stairs of the fountain, and walk along a red carpet to the elevator when they walk in and ride up to their room. Crazy, right? Oh PS my favorite animal is a Duck so I LOVED this part!

The Pasta dinner was ok—not sure it was worth the $20 and I definitely wouldn’t call it the “best marathon pasta dinner” as I saw a couple times on the marathonguide comments. There was a good dessert after—an apple and blueberry crumb dessert (you could also get peach). I should mention that the marathon people were very nice. We left at the hotel misplaced my bracelet to get into the pasta dinner and they gave us a new one.

Race Day!

We got to the start about an hour early and I have 2 words for the morning-- Perks Pavilion!  This is seriously the solution to any marathon-organizational issues you thought you might have had, from overcrowding to pre-race cold weather to running out of snacks and drinks. Let me explain...

Perks Pavillion
The perks pavillion has extra pre and post race perks available for an extra $20. They limit the number of tickets so you can take advantage of all the perks without being overcrowded. The morning had a full line of breakfast foods (bagels, fruit, drinks, smoothies, etc) as well as pre-race massages, a place to get a free 5x8 picture they send later, a heaters in the tent to stay warm, and perk-tent only gear drop off (easy to find post-race), private port-a-johns with wash station)-- among other things. Post race the buffet picked up (including pizza, locks for your bagels, candy, cookies, etc), beer was added to the menu, and more. I loved not being overcrowded post race and still being able to get a ton of food and beer. Yay!

The Race
The first thing I noticed was that the half-marathoners and the relay runners had signs with "relay" and "half" on their backs, which helps mentally while running to pace yourself and it helps when the half and full turn in different directions, so you go the correct way. The course? I thought it was pretty cool. The uphills weren't nearly as bad as they looked in the elevation charts, but they were definitely there. I love long graded uphills then steep downhills- My fav! The course had a ton of pit stops and water stops throughout and the spectators were absolutely amazing! Non-marathon-organized spectators were outside lining the streets with everything: water, beer, mimosas, oranges, candy, cookies, etc. One spectator in particular caught my attention...

The Gov’na!
It was hard to miss the Governor’s Mansion with all its grandeur—esp. with the Governor chilling out front of the gate with his cute little red sweater on. So cool! His “house” is right on a turn, so I was already about 10 feet past him before I realized whom it was. I’m neurotic about my garmin mileage so I didn’t want to go back, but I was tempted to go up and say “HI! I’m Stephanie! Thanks for coming to my 25th state!”

My Race

I started the race with my new audiobook: Twilight- New Moon! Yep-- not afraid to admit it. I find I can really zone out because I've already read the books. My legs were a little sore the morning of the race (not too sure why) and I was hoping the pain would go away-- it didn't. It sort of felt like I ran hard the day before. It was ok though-- I was planning on trying out negative splits and running slower in the beginning really helps for soreness.

To me, there are 2 ways a marathon goes for you mentally-- 1) You zone out well, with little pain to distract and will find that you've passed miles at a time without notice. 2) You feel and are aware of every tenth of a mile that ticks by. Due to the early leg soreness, this was one of the second kind. It was ok though-- I felt sore through most of the race, but it didn't get so bad that I had to walk or slow down too much.

I took a few ibuprophen around mile 15, which helped a ton. Miles 18 to about 24 are an out and back. This was about the time I really started catching up to the runners who took an early start. What I found funny was that runners really started slowing down in this area. I caught a ton of people. I'm not sure if I felt good or there were a lot of early starters, or it was a tough spot for runners and they slowed-- or a combination of all of them. I don't mind these out and back spots because I can distract myself by looking at the fast runners and counting the women on the way out, and distract myself by looking for MB on my way back.

I focused on keeping a steady pace for the last few miles and encouraging all the 50-stater early starters I saw. I finished with a 3:44:36. Not bad for a rough marathon, 2 weeks after running the hardest marathon I've ever run. Also-- I took 2nd for my age group! This was great because it's the last time I'm in the under-25 age group!!!

Finish and Post-Race

As you come to the finish, there is a guy giving out lipstick to apply for your finish picture! I missed this, but MB picked one up and brought it in. When I finished they handed me the biggest medal ever and I lugged it back up to the Perks Pavillion to get food, beer and a massage!

MB finished and found me a few beers, smoothies, and hot dogs deep, very happy waiting for my massage.

That's when I got a phonecall from Delta saying my 4:45 flight was cancelled and they had rescheduled me for the next day. Umm no! So I called and they managed to re-schedule me on a US Airways flight. Unfortunately they did it wrong and when I got to the airport, MB and I had to run between delta and US Air counters to try and straighten it out. Ugh. Well I got home, but not til around midnight. Ah well-- it was a good, long day in Little Rock!

Little Rock Marathon~ Race RUNdown (#25)

Inspiration Points...
1. We're Half-Way there --oooooohhhh-- living on a prayer!! Yep-- finally my true half-way there marathon. My 25th state!
2. 25 before 25! I'll be turning 24+1 in two weeks and this is my last marathon before the dreaded bday! Getting in 25 states before I turn 25-- way cool! Also-- For all intensive purposes, I'm jumping an age group, so this will be my last 'under 25' marathon :(
3. SUN! It's supposed to be 65 in Little Rock this weekend! Wooah, what a change that will be!
4. This is the first of 3 marathons this month. And the next one is a DOOZY (has "death march" in the title) so I'm going to enjoy my last easier marathon before hitting the desert.
5. 50-State Marathon Club Reunion

AR Race RUNdown...
Little Rock Marathon ~ Saturday Mar 7, 2010 (#25)
Little Rock, AR
Registration Fees: $90 early ($100 late)-- $10 Discount for 50-Staters. Expo registration ONLY available now. 464 Spot available for the full!!!! Sign Yo'self up fool!
Year Running: 8
2010 Expected Field: 1,850 Max reg for the marathons (464 spots remaining!)
2009 Field: 1,456 Finishers
... Females: 563 ... Age Group: 25
2009 Avg. Finish Time: 4:41:42
Certified Course/BQ Certified?: Yes/Yes
Weather:

With a low of 46 and a high of 65 in the forecast, I'm getting pretty pumped! They're calling for partly cloudy weather and I'm starting to wonder if it will actually be too hot. It doesn't matter-- I will love the warmth!

Course:

MarathonGuide Rating:

The website describes this course as a walking/running tour of Little Rock, AR! (Sounds good to me... as long as I don't black it out as per usual). They also joke about their hills-- There are a number of "bumps" -as they call them- throughout the race, but there is also a very large hill mid race, which declines rapidly-- the downhill part looks good. The good news is that it looks like there are a lot of downhills immediately after uphills to help makeup time AND it's not a pancake flat course-- hate those!!! Funny thing-- looking through the many comment on the race, you never hear the words "fast" or "PR" or "BQ" -- Hmmm wonder why, miles 13-15?

Race 411:
~Slow Course? Only 1 female in my A/G made a BQ in last years race and 2008 race.

~Corrals: They've incorporate corrals to keep the flow of the race moving. To be selected for Corral A or B, you needed to submit proof of times. Corral A and B have been sold out and guess who nabbed herself a golden ticket to corral B (sub 3:45:59)? This girl!!!
~Green! This is another "go green" marathon!

~ Swag! This marathon is known for having mega marathon medals that are between 1 and 2 lbs! Crazy and definitely incorporate the "go green" theme to the race. This is what a news release said about the medals...
"Each year our medal has gotten bigger and bigger. Our 2009 medal was 7 1/4” tall and weighed about a 1 ½ pounds"
~ Spectators: Looks like they're trying to keep our minds off of the "bumps" in the course.. "We will have about 20 to 30 groups stationed along the course to cheer you on and take your mind off the road ahead"

Race Plan:
I'm hoping to try out some negative splits for the fist time in a full marathon. I think it will be difficult to stay slow coming out of a fast corral, but I'll have to focus on going slower in the beginning and catching people at the end! As always I'll see how I feel around miles 6-10 and if I'm feeling good I'll speed it up.

I've also DL's a few audio-books that I'm going to try to listen to while racing. If that seems to be boring me to death, I'll switch back to music.