Just Run

Running Scared 10k

This was such a fun race! My whole family did this race, including my 8 year old (running) and 4 year old (half running and half in the stroller).

The communication was excellent. They had to move the race and I got several emails to inform me of the changes. 

Packet pick up was that morning and went very smooth. There was a line right before start time but we avoided that by going early. 

This race was a 5k and a 10k. It was a loop so the 10k ran it twice. The course was easy for the most part with a slight uphill towards the beginning and flat the rest of the way. It started and ended at a park with activities for kids waiting.

The best part was because it was a Halloween run everyone was dressed up. We loved dressing up and seeing all the other costumes. The shirts were awesome with no advertising and we loved our medals. There was plenty of food, drinks, and fun after the race. I give this race 5 shoes.

Alisa!

We would like to welcome Alisa to our blog! She has reviewed two races for us, Running Scared 10k and Herriman's Step Rock Run 2013 (coming soon!).

This year she will be contributing to our review of the Top of Utah Half Marathon and Herriman's Step Rock Run 2013. Hopeful a few more races, once we get her talked into it!

You will be able to tell which reviews are written by Alisa because her signature will be included at the bottom of the review.

Thank you Alisa for becoming a member of our team!

 P.S. If you are interested in writing reviews for us, please shoot us an email goodrunsblog@gmail.com

Utah Runner Girls 5k

Utah Runner Girls 5k, let me start by saying that this is one of those races you don’t want to spend your money on. With that said, let’s start with the good points.

Their packet pick up was great, there was no line and we got to try on the shirts before to make sure we got the right size. 

The bling, well it was a girly necklace with their logo on it. Not the kind of medal that I prefer but I know a lot of ladies that loved it. So while it wasn’t my style, it was a crowd pleaser. 

The after race support was some bagels and water. Can’t complain about that right?

And that wraps up the good points of this race. What was so wrong with this race? When I sign up for a 5K I want to run a 5K. This race was advertised by Utah Runner Girls as a 5k, I signed up thinking it was a 5k, got ready that morning to run a 5k. Turns out that they decided not to do a 5k! I signed my daughters up for their Princess mile, which also had the same issue. It was not a full mile. 

On course support was offered, they had water and chocolate. Nothing special or outstanding, just one table with two volunteers.  Because of the loop in the route, you were able to pass the table twice.  A chocolate mile was promoted on their website and while I understand you can’t do a whole mile, the mini chocolate pieces that were offered were a huge disappointment. 

Communication was normal until I sent in a complaint about the race. The race director that responded stated that they were aware that the race was not a full 5k and that the Princess mile was not a full mile. Instead of offering an honest apology and trying to make it right, they placed the blame on others. Not exactly the type of customer service you expect but it is all too common in our current society.

Overall, the things promised online and by email were not delivered.  Our rating of this race is a 1 shoe. After all, when you sign up for a race you want the length that was promised.

Our Famous Friend

Check it out, one of Goodruns readers is now a famous model! Way to go Windy K! And thanks to the organizers of Timp Half who supplied us with the banner. See why we love this race so much?

Surf City Half Marathon

In a perfect day in Southern California, the Surf City Half Marathon kicked off. There are so many good things about this race, the views, the course support, the bling! So let’s start with my favorite, the bling! It is super cute and perfect for this particular race, considering that the surfers were dodging runners to get to the waves. It was by far the best entertainment on the course. 

The course support was abundant. There was tons of water and Vitalyte every couple of miles. There were tons of volunteers there handing it out. I even had a volunteer ask me who I was cheering for in the Super Bowl. It was so nice to think about something besides running at that point! Wish I could thank that volunteer personally, so kid wherever you are, thanks for keeping me going!

They also had jelly beans and Clif Shot’s. Tons of port-a- potties, I didn’t visit them on the course, but at the start line they were well taken care of and not too nasty (based on past port-a-potty experiences). 

The race goes right along Pacific Coast Highway and you have a view of the ocean almost the whole way. It was breath taking, or maybe that was the 13.1 miles! I especially liked that they closed down PCH to allow room for all the runners. Even with the amount of runners there, I did not feel crowded and felt like I could run without worrying about affecting other runners.

Because our flight did not get in until after packet pick up, I sent a family member. It was made very clear on the website what was needed to have someone else pick up the packet and was seamless when my family member picked it up.  The communication on the website, emails, and signs at the race gave me all the information I needed to complete a stress free race.

Only one recommendation on this race, provide a map with the elevation shown on it. I was expecting a relatively flat course, but surprise, surprise, there were hills. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t anything major but when you think flat, even a few hills can mentally throw you.

Overall, a fantastic race! I am amazed how they successfully managed 20,000 runners and made it a fantastic experience.  I would give this race a 4.5 shoes (you know cause we are running!).

Timpanogos Half Marathon

The Timpanogos Half Marathon started extremely early in the morning at American Fork High School, that is where we boarded the bus up into American Fork Canyon.  The start line was cold, dark, and not exactly my cup of tea. Good thing I had a few girls there to keep me company! They did offer yoga while we waited for the race to start, which was a cool option.

When the sun came up and the race started, it was beautiful. I loved the canyon run, even if I was constantly checking the side of the road for snakes (just a little phobia I have). The best view was when you came down the road and there was the LDS Timpanogos Temple. The route was great and very well planned out.

The course support was pretty good, no complaints here. They did offer GU Energy Gel half way through the race. This was the first race that I used GU, and while the consistency alerted by gag reflex, it gave me energy!

And, we cannot forget the bling. The medal was almost as big as my head! It was a great medal, had a picture of the mountains on the front and the route on the back. For people that love the bling, this is a great one.

There was only one bad thing about this race, and it’s so minor I hesitate to even mention it. Packet pick up was a little disorganized at the beginning.

Their website is fantastic and offers a lot of information. Their communication was outstanding, they sent several emails with all the info you need to make race day low stress. 

Overall, this race is getting  4 shoes on a 5 shoe scale. There is room for improvement, but not much!