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Spinx Run Fest

10/25/2014

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2014 Spinx Run Fest Medal
Picture2014 Spinx Run Fest Tech Shirt
Lucky for us, Justin stumbled upon the Spinx Run Fest after a visit to runningintheusa.com. We signed up immediately for two reasons:
  1. Spinx Run Fest is held Greenville, SC, making it closer to home for us and therefore easy to get to.
  2. The Fest had a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon. Since one us was recently recovered from Achilles tendinitis, we were both able to experience the event at different distances.

Packet Pickup

Packet pickup was held at the Kroc Center in downtown Greenville. Volunteers were directing runners into a grassy area designated as packet pickup parking. For a Run Fest, the expo was relatively small, and manned by a half dozen vendors or so. Fleet Feet's Greenville store had a full staff selling everything from Gu to "Run GVL" shirts (which I still regret not purchasing for the bargain price of $15). Greenville's Pace Magazine had also set up shop, along with another vendor or two selling similar wares to Fleet Feet. After checking out the vendors, which were all located outside, we wandered into the Kroc Center where we located our bib numbers and picked up our packets, which included long sleeved, gender specific tech shirts. Each runner was given a Run Fest program which contained maps of all the races, awards ceremony start times, and other useful race info. We referred to this program numerous times between packet pickup and the race's conclusion, so we're glad it was provided.

Accommodations & Places to Eat
The last time we visited downtown Greenville we got a great rate at the Westin Poinsett hotel. Having booked the race so late, our options were more limited. Even still, we were able to stay at a recently renovated Quality Inn only a mile from the race start. The hotel had a continental breakfast, though we were once again too early to take advantage. We did make use of the room's refrigerator where we stored leftover pasta from dinner and milk for race morning's cereal.

Runners who can splurge on a race weekend could opt to stay at the Hyatt Regency downtown which looked both trendy and luxurious on the outside. Nearly any downtown hotel would be walking distance from the race start, just book early if you need more reasonably priced accommodations.

We arrived in Greenville just in time for dinner. Downtown dining options are plentiful and varied. Runners can eat in a place as casual and quick as Jersey Mikes, or eat at one of the finer dining options downtown like Roost or Ristorante Bergamo. Since we've ceased traveling for races with clothes other than running clothes, we opted for a more casual carb loading establishment: Antonio Bertolo's Pizza & Wine Bar. Here, diners order spaghetti or pizza at the counter and a waitress delivers it to the table of your choice. Both the food and the price of a meal are acceptable.

Course & Fan Support
All four Spinx Run Fest courses took runners on a tour of Greenville's scenic downtown, and if there is an unsightly part we didn't see it during the 10K or half marathon. The rolling race course hills took runners through the beautiful Falls Park and larger Cleveland Park. The races began with the full marathon at 7:30 am, the half at 8 am, the 10K at 8:30, and finally the Big Punkin 5K at 8:45. We loved that all runners crossed the finish line on home plate at Fluor Field (stadium of the Greenville Drive minor league baseball team), just one of the many things that make the Spinx Run Fest an event not to be missed. Because of the staggered start times, runners from all 4 races were sharing the course with each other at one point or another. Faster runners may be passing slower runners from other events and sharing the finish line, as well.

Aid stations were less plentiful than other races we've run, but the cooler weather didn't necessitate water every mile. If you need frequent water stops, we recommend carrying your own at this race.

The downtown location makes this race a spectator-friendly event. Police officers were stationed at nearly every intersection and volunteers were vocal and helpful. Justin was most impressed with the volunteer at mile 8 who yelled loudly enough that even the directionally challenged made the correct right turn. Along the course, especially near the end, there were many friends and family members out there cheering on loved ones with posters and cowbells.

The home plate finish line is ideal for spectators as anyone can enter the stadium, settle into one of its seats, and cheer on runners ranging from leisurely 5K walkers to exhausted full marathoners.
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2014 Spinx Run Fest Start
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2014 Spinx Run Fest Finish Line
Post-Race Festivities
The race finish inside Fluor Field made for an ideal post-race party setting. After crossing the finish line, runners made their way up the stadium stairs (a challenge for many of those who ran a tough race!) Spinx, being the race sponsor, had two long tables of post-race treats for racers, including the usual water and bananas, as well as sandwiches, yogurt, pineapple, and grapes. We are pretty sure that there was an entire truck that was just distributing coffee to everyone in the stadium. Runners and spectators were taking advantage of the stadium seats and enjoying both the views of the finish and of Fluor Field's version of Fenway's Green Monster.

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Finish line food at the Spinx Run Fest
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Awards ceremony at Fluor Field after the Spinx Run Fest
The awards ceremony for the 5K began shortly after its scheduled time. The 10K and half marathon awards began earlier than scheduled, a possible reason for why they were sparsely attended. We liked that the announcer was loud and personable, and pulling off an Elvis jumpsuit in the process. After receiving the pint glass awards offered to age group winners, we returned to the free food table to chow down on more sandwiches, and watch a fellow local Charlestonian finish his full marathon.

Final Verdict
This is an experience not to be missed. The beautiful courses, combined with a pedestrian-friendly downtown and flawless race organizing make the Spinx Run Fest one of our top racing experiences. There is no doubt that we will be back next year, especially because there are 4 races to choose from. Late October is an ideal time to experience Greenville and run any race distance.

Tips for a Successful Spinx Run Fest
  1. Train on some hills, especially if you are running the half marathon. The half marathon course was challenging by our Lowcountry standards.
  2. Pay attention to the volunteers and the arrows that clearly mark the courses. There were many turns, especially in the half marathon.
  3. If possible, experience this race with a group of people. Downtown Greenville is full of trendy restaurants and breweries. The post race festivities at Fluor Field lend themselves to hanging out with your coolest running friends in one of the coolest spots in Greenville.
  4. Start your holiday shopping early and visit the Mast General Store. There's something there for everyone on your list, including yourself.
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Carolina Beach Half Marathon

10/5/2014

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Carolina Beach Half Marathon
We debated long and hard about signing up for either the Carolina Beach Half near Wilmington, NC, or the Carowinds Half near Charlotte, NC, but finally decided on CB. It was less expensive than Carowinds by half, almost as close to home, and offered free race photos. We'll give the Carowinds Half a try next year, but were satisfied with our choice to run CB this year.

Packet Pick-Up
Packet pick-up was held at Omega Sports in Wilmington, which was conveniently located on our way to Carolina Beach. Runners were able to pick up their bibs any time between 
noon and 6 pm on Saturday, or pick up on race morning (Sunday). We arrived sometime around 2:00 and quickly retrieved our race shirts and race bibs. Shirts were short sleeve gender specific tech shirts, ones that we will likely wear in the future. I was most excited about wearing the beautiful, personalized race bib, one that would look great matted and framed if anyone is so inclined.

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Women's Carolina Beach Half Marathon shirt
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Back of the women's Carolina Beach Half Marathon tech shirt
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Front of the Carolina Beach Half Marathon shirt
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Back of the Carolina Beach Half Marathon tech shirt
Accommodations
After we signed up for Carolina Beach we immediately attempted to book a hotel room close to the start. While rooms near the start are plentiful, most require at least a two night stay on weekends...even in early October. We were unable to get anyone to compromise, so we settled on the Best Western in Wilmington, which was a manageable 15 minutes from the race start. The hotel was clean, comfortable, and attractive and we would recommend runners stay here. Be aware, the hotel will be filled with runners, all requesting extended checkout. Best Western would only offer us an extra 30 minutes when we really needed an hour in order to stay for the awards ceremony, post-race.  If you are willing to make a full weekend of this race, you can stay within walking distance of the race start and finish.

Pre-Race
Our drive into Carolina Beach was an easy one.  Prior to the event, race organizers had emailed us instructions about the tricky parking situation.  Metered spots and parking on the street had a strict two hour time limit, and parking lots were all paid.  After attempting to park in a paid lot where people were paying but being given no receipts, we moved on to a two hour street parking space, figuring we could always move the car.  Justin would be done in less than two hours, anyway.  We went over on the two hour limit, but didn’t have any trouble.  It would be great if the race could partner with the city and allow free parking for runners.  We are bringing business to the city during a time when business is slowing down!

After a short walk, we arrived in Lake Park, the center of all the race action.  The inflatable finish line arch was set up near the lake, and runners were mulling about waiting for their races to begin.  Enough people had already used the port-o-lets that there was no toilet paper left, and many runners were using the port-o-let at a construction site along the course.  The park had restrooms with flushing toilets, both of which were locked at the time of the race start.  We are always mystified by locked restrooms at the start of a race and though there must be a plausible reason for this happening at so many races, it’s frustrating when there are long lines or missing toilet paper at the portable ones!

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Carolina Beach Half Marathon finish line
Course & Fan Support
One thing we love about running half marathons is the tour they take us on of a new city. Unfortunately this race course didn't show us much of Carolina Beach. A large portion of the race was run on Dow Rd., which is rural enough that it almost functions as a bypass, allowing cars to avoid the traffic lights on the main street.  Half marathoners did spend about 3 miles in Carolina Beach State Park which was a little more scenic, especially at the marina turnaround. When runners weren't on Dow or in the park, they were running through the residential neighborhoods of Carolina Beach. There were some turns and turnarounds and Justin, who was out front, needed better instruction from the volunteers stationed on the course. If you run this race and don't know where to go, ask, and ask loudly. Fan support was pretty much limited to the finish line. It was up to the volunteers and police officers to cheer us on through the course.

We had hoped this course would have showed us more of Carolina Beach, both its downtown area and the actual beach. Apparently it's not easy for smaller races like this to close streets, and we can only assume this was the reason we were relegated to the back roads.

On the bright side, this course is ideal for a PR. It's flat and fast, and there were pacers beginning at 
1:30 and ending at 2:30 to help runners manage their finishing times. The final quarter mile of the course ran around the picturesque lake in Lake Park and finished under an inflatable On the Mark arch. Also a perk: the early October race date means weather could be ideal. This year the race began with temperatures in the low 50's and ended with temperatures in the low 60's, nearly perfect for half marathoning.

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Carolina Beach Half Marathon start
Post Race Party
The Carolina Beach Half Marathon ended in one of the most scenic spots in the area: Lake Park. Post-race, runners were treated to the usual (bagels, bananas, Cokes, cookies) as well as burritos from Moe's. Live music was playing from 9 am to 11 am when the awards ceremony began. Overall winners and age group winners were recognized, awarded with plaques, and photographed in front of the Carolina Beach Half Marathon Banner.  One of the coolest things about this race were the many photo opportunities in front of the aforementioned banner.  The race organizers had supplied runners with signs to hold while taking pictures.  We made sure to pose with “I Ran Like a Girl,” “I Just Beat This Girl, “and “13.1 Miles and No Walken” (which also featured an intimidating looking photo of Christopher Walken).  

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Places to Eat
We rolled into Wilmington uncharacteristically early for Bullard Standard Time, mostly because the Georgia-Vanderbilt football game began at 4 pm, and Justin wanted to be somewhere to watch it.  Since the Best Western didn’t subscribe to the SEC network, Justin called around to find out who did subscribe.  We wound up at the Lazy Pirate on Carolina Beach, a sports bar that was playing just about every college football game worth watching (and a few more).  For a sports bar, The Pirate supplied us with a pretty tasty salad, both generous and delicious enough to tide us over until dinnertime.  At halftime we left The Pirate to scout out the race start and finish and passed a number of options for dinner.  For finer dining, runners could choose from Havana’s or The Deck House, both of which were recommended to us at packet pick-up.  We stumbled upon Uncle Vinny’s Pizzeria Ristorante; apparently many other runners stumbled upon Uncle Vinny’s, as well.  The chicken parmesan and bruschetta were both serviceable for pre-race carb loading.  We were more impressed with our server, EJ, who was as witty as he was skilled at answering Jeopardy questions (the game show of which was playing at the bar EJ was tending). 

 There were plenty of other dining options in the area, but we’d eaten one and a half dinners Saturday night, and the race organizers fed us lunch on Sunday, so we headed out of town with no need to stop for food anywhere else. 

Final Verdict
This race is a great opportunity to PR due to the fast and flat nature of the course and the potential for prime running weather.  If race organizers can re-route the race course so that it includes more of the sites to see in Carolina Beach, this would be a race runners would NOT want to miss.  

Tips for Running a Successful Carolina Beach Half Marathon
1.  Book the Best Western hotel, unless you can settle in for more than one day, which will allow you to stay somewhere near the start and finish of the race.  
2.  We strongly recommend wearing a visor and/or shades.  Portions of the course required us to run into direct, rising sunlight. 
3.  Enjoy hamming it up for the camera in front of the Carolina Beach banner at the end of the race.  
4.  Think about picking a pace group.  Many were available during this event and they offer a chance to better pace yourself through the race and have a group to socialize with for 13.1 miles.

For more information visit http://runcarolinabeach.com/ 
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Awards from the Carolina Beach Half Marathon
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