The most recent issue of Level Renner had a recap of the 2015 USATF NE grand prix series that I wrote. Due to size constraints some of the article was cut. In the spirit of full disclosure I’ve included what was cut from the article below. It gives a much more balanced (Level?) account of each race rather than just pointing out the good things the race did.
Five College 10 mile - The race organization was fantastic, the course was well marked and there were more than enough volunteers out there. The hot soup and treats afterwards helped get the body temp back up to normal. My only real gripe with this event was the $3000 difference between what was bid and what was actually given out to teams. Of the 565 finishers 377 were USATF members.
New Bedford half-marathon- The minor drawbacks are the high entry fee and possibly the worst post-race food selection at any race (unless you dig filet-o-fish). I set a PR of sorts on this day, covering the course in 53 minutes. Unfortunately I was on a bike, but I did get to watch the race which was another close one.
Vermont City Marathon - The only minor gripe I’d have would be how narrow and potholed the final section of bike path was. It wasn’t terrible, just a small annoyance during the last few miles of the race
The Bobby Doyle 5 mile - The only complaint I had was the narrow start with a sharp turn in the first 100 meters, but if you kept your head up and paid attention it was just a minor irritation
Season’s 20k - For the most part the race was very well run with a great wide start, plenty of parking and porta-johns. The only drawbacks were the high entry fee, a lack of volunteers at the earlier water-stops, and not all of the miles being clearly marked.
Lone Gull 10k - The Lone Gull race had a very reasonable entry fee, ample parking, a fair course, and good post-race eats. The negatives were nowhere near enough porta-johns for nearly 1,000 people, a late start, and (for at least the second consecutive year) no clear starting commands.
1 comment:
Thanks for the kind words about Vermont City Marathon. The bikepath potholes from mile 25 to the finish should be largely gone for 2016. The city is just finishing up a major rehabilitation project to the area just north of Waterfront Park. The new bikepath has been poured, and today the new skate park opened which will be at mile 25.8 of the course. In 2015 that's where the construction fences were. It looks fantastic, and should make for a huge improvement in the surface conditions at the end of the race.
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