Knoxville Marathon Race Rating

Race: Knoxville Marathon
Date: March 29, 2015 (will be the first weekend of April in 2016)
Location: Knoxville, TN
Year Running: 11th
Registration: $40 (with the most generous Marathon Maniac discount ever!)

Race Information

Size: 585 full, 2221 half

Course Limit: 7 hrs

Min. - Max. Elevation: 800 - 960 ft

Min. - Max Temperature: 37 - 66

Charity Supported: Knoxville Track Club Youth Athletics, Katerpillar Kids Camp, Innovative Recreation Initiative, Thompson Cancer Survival Center

Travel

Airports: Knoxville has an airport, and I think some of the surrounding cities do as well. Flights from CLE, at least, were pretty expensive, so I would recommend driving, if possible. 

Rental car: I would say possible? Packet pick-up, the host hotels, start, and finish are all in a small cluster downtown. Even if none of the hotels had an airport shuttle, a quick cab ride would solve that. Plus, you would still be in easy walking distance of lots of cool stuff!

Host hotel: Several downtown. They're all nice chains, but very expensive because of their location. We stayed 10 minutes away in North Knoxville for a fraction of the cost, and driving in was painless.

Pre-Race

Communications: Pretty good. We got some final instructions that were in PDF (annoying to download on my phone whenever I needed it), and it would've been nice if that information was also easily accessible on the website. 

Expo: Very spacious, but it was all basically packed up when we got there. I think I heard other runners during the race comment that they really enjoyed it.

Other Activities: pre-race past dinner
I think the dinner was at least $20 per person, so we opted out. We saw the spread on our way out of the expo, and it did look very well catered by the hotel, so maybe the price wasn't that outrageous.

Race Day

Parking: Plenty, but a little tricky to find. The best place to park is right next to the stadium, where the finish is, but Google Maps doesn't understand where the entrance is. I would recommend checking it out beforehand in the daylight to orient yourself.

Shuttles: None, but not needed (host hotels were within easy walking distance)

Bathrooms: Plenty. We arrived just as the gun sounded, and there was still a huge line, so they probably could've used more.

On Time: Exactly on time.

Corrals: Yes. There were large signs, and people seemed to seed themselves appropriately. There was lots of space at the start, so it wasn't an issue either way.

Course

Type: Loop

Terrain: Concrete, asphalt

Bathrooms: Every aid station

Crowding: None

Highlights: bike paths, downtown Knoxville

Support

Course Support: Awesome. All the volunteers were extremely enthusiastic, even early in the morning. Every aid station had at least one person clearly calling out what was available and where. Later on when more things were available (i.e. fruit, GU, etc.), the volunteers were very vocal about what they had.

Spectators: Lots in the first half and at the very end, though very few in the back half. The neighborhoods that were officially involved were so enthusiastic and had an unbelievable amount of fun signs up! These people were awesome.

Local knowledge of race: I'm not sure, but I would guess pretty good. The ranger at Obed (a good distance away) knew we were running Knoxville when we said we were in the area for a marathon. I guess the people in the square near the end seemed pretty confused, so it's a toss-up.

Post-Race

Food: Great selection! (Though they did run out of pizza before Michael got any, since some people took a whole box to bring home...not cool.) But lots of other unique choices were still available for us.

Atmosphere: Laid-back, but it was so nice to have a private indoor finishing area 

Party: Just what was at the finishing area, I'm guessing it was in bigger swing when the halfers were around

Swag

Shirt: Short-sleeve technical shirt. The v-neck is actually normal, and it fits great.

Medal: Really cool. I love the skyline!

Bag: Ok, the bag is a drawstring backpack, but also has handles like a tote bag. I am super geeked about it!

Hat: I've been wanting a technical running hat for awhile, but couldn't justify spending the money, so getting one at the finish was a fun surprise. I've since tried it out, and it stayed put in huge wind gusts and completely sheltered me during heavy rain.

Final Thoughts

• I loved this race and would probably rate it my third favorite (after MDI and Monument, but I'm very biased towards nature rather than cities). There was quite a bit of nature on the route for a city race, but the skyline views throughout were also awesome. I especially loved running through World's Fair Park and downtown at the very end.
• Finishing on the 50 yard line of Neyland Stadium was super unique. I don't care about the Vols and hate SEC football, but the experience was still amazing. I also loved being able to watch Michael finish on the jumbotron. (Plus you exit via a ramp, not stairs, like other stadium finish races make you do!)
• The community that comes out to support this race really gets into it. Not only were the spectators so enthusiastic, there were plenty of unique signs put up, and they really helped take my mind of the pain.
• Yes, the course is very hilly, and my minimal hill training was not enough. However, if you live in a hilly area and/or put the specific training in, I think this could be a really great course to PR on. 
• The second half of the race does get very lonely. There was a good number of finishers, but I was surprised how much I was on my own. I could almost always see other runners, but we were pretty spread out.
• This was the best finisher's area, hands down. Having a special indoor lounge was incredible. Nothing feels as good as eating pizza on a couch immediately after finishing.

Recommendation

• 50 Staters: Yes. This race is so well done and does a great job giving special perks to the marathon runners. Plus it's very scenic and in a fun city! (And there's a killer discount to boot.)
• Non 50 Staters: I'd say yes if you want to plan a trip to Tennessee. There seemed to be lots to explore in Knoxville, with the Great Smokies nearby, as well as some other cities. Fit this race in if you can!

Myrtle Beach Marathon Race Rating

Race: Myrtle Beach Marathon
Date: February 14, 2015 (note the race will be in March in 2016)
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Year Running: 18th
Registration: $60 (with the extra early bird deal, which I think has passed for 2016)

Race Information

Size: 1478 full, 2793 half, 86 relay

Course Limit: 7 hrs

Min. - Max. Elevation: 0 - 50 ft

Min. - Max Temperature: 40-62

Charity Supported: Red Cross, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Travel

Airports: Myrtle Beach has its own airport, but some direct flights are seasonal (like from DTW). It seems like a lot of flights connect through Charlotte, which isn't a bad drive from Myrtle Beach, especially considering the money saved. We ended up flying on a baby plane to Florence because it was actually cheaper than ending our itinerary in Charlotte. I'm not sure if more options will be available now the race is moving to March.

Rental car: Could do without. Some of the host hotels have an airport shuttle, and there is also a race day shuttle. Depending what else you want to see in the area, you could live without one. (I think there is a bus system, but it seemed to be running very infrequently in February.)

Host hotel: Many. But be careful - lots of them only can be reserved by people over 25, and these aren't specifically marked on the Myrtle Beach website. Maybe people from beach towns know to look for this, but we almost got screwed. (Also, we stayed at the Crown Reef Resort, which I do not recommend.)

Pre-Race

Communications: Very good. I think we got several emails leading up the race, including our bib number. It was communicated parking would be $3 at the expo, but it was not made clear that it was cash only. We got lucky I happened to have some. The expo is moving locations in 2016, so I'm not sure if this will still apply.

Expo: At the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, but it will have a new location in 2016. There was plenty of space, but the volunteers let people congregate in large groups and block aisles. I ended up feeling pretty claustrophobic.

Admittedly, it looks less crowded when I'm not hangry.

Other Activities: Friday night 5K, post-5K party, post-race party 
We didn't participate in any of these, but I think I've heard in the past that the 5K is fun. The post-race party sounded like a good time, but we had tickets for the Carolina Opry instead.

Race Day

Parking: Plenty, since it's at a honky tonk area. However, it was pitch black, and honestly dangerous to walk around in. Cars couldn't see you, and we almost fell into a ditch as well.

Shuttles: These cycled between all the host hotels every 15 minutes, but we didn't want to deal with finding them after the race, so we drove. I also read less than stellar reviews in the past, so I'm not sure if any of those issues were addressed this year.

Bathrooms: Plenty. We arrived at the start with about three minutes to go and walked right in.

On Time: Exactly on time.

Corrals: None, though they had pacer signs lined up. We got the whole road to start with, so it never felt crowded, even with the halfers.

Course

Type: Loop

Terrain: Concrete and dirt/rock - major road along the beach, neighborhoods, bike path

Bathrooms: Every few miles, but there was a wait until about mile 18.

Crowding: None

Highlights: Myrtle Beach

Support

Course Support: Great. There were plenty of volunteers, and most aid stations had a person clearly calling out the order of the water and Powerade. They also did a great job dealing with annoyed tourists that couldn't leave their hotels for a couple hours. I give them major props for that.

Spectators: Few, but it was unseasonably cold. 

Local knowledge of race: Hard to judge. The permanent population of Myrtle Beach is small, and we were mostly in the honky tonk areas.

Post-Race

Food: It seemed pretty picked over, and I couldn't find the promised donuts. There was a nice variety of sweet and salty options. They also had a police officer guarding the tent keeping out non-runners. He was a boss.

Atmosphere: Festive, since there was a post-race tailgate type area set-up. 

Party: The official one was later, but lots of people hung out and checked out the booths.

Swag

Shirt: Long sleeve technical T-shirt. I got a woman's small, and it actually fits!

The v-neck scared me a little, but it's pretty shallow once you put it on.

Medal: Awesome. I love the flip-flops to tie to the beach theme!

Each distance had it's own size and color.

Final Thoughts

• I'm glad the race is being moved to March. While the weather could be perfect in February, it was pretty cold (relatively speaking) this year, and someone we ran with said it had snowed the past several race days. It didn't bother us during the race, but it was hard to enjoy the rest of our trip when it was in the 30's-40's.
• Overall, the organization did a great job. I felt well taken care of on the course and afterwards. I think they could use some crowd control at the expo (but this might just be a Southern cultural thing) and maybe a few signs at the finish pointing towards the food tent. 
• Be prepared for the wind. The race made no mention of it (but again, maybe people from beach towns don't even consider it?), and I'm glad I read about it on Marathon Guide. It really sapped my energy in the final miles, but I think it would've totally drained me if I hadn't been expecting it.
• The course is very fast and flat. I did all my training in Michigan, and I don't think I noticed anything I would consider a hill the whole race. Some people have said they found the course boring, but coming from a small town, I thought the honky tonk was fun to see.
• Lots of the typical tourist trap stuff is closed in the off-season, so research some other things to do. Charleston was a doable drive, and we really enjoyed taking a day to go there.

Recommendation

• 50 Staters: Yes. The race is well-organized and a fun location. 
• Non 50 Staters: Yes. Myrtle Beach is already considered a big travel destination, and it's fun to go when it's not packed to the gills with people. I would recommend it even more now that it's been moved to March and will be warmer.