This is my fifth time running this race, but the first time since the race has been taken on by completely new organizers. (Here are my previous recaps: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) This race didn't happen in 2019 due to construction on the bridge and there were various issues with the organizers as well. (Like how they were trying to sell the race after recently buying it, and there didn't seem to be any deals.)
To be honest, I have a love hate relationship with this race. I love the race itself because it's so straight forward. What I don't love is all the logistics involved with it. The packet pickup is always going to happen fairly smoothly since it's so straight forward, but the additional logistics of arriving early enough to get the bus in time to make your gun time is also a little stressful. Then the race is kind of notorious for the bus drivers getting lost on the way back. Since the race was taken on by new organizers with help from one of the original organizers I had high hopes that this race would be flawless.
Yeah, not so much.
I signed up for it the day registration opened in July, choosing it over the MCM10k (another favorite.) I was genuinely surprised when they announced the race would be the same day since MCM is such a big draw for runners from all over the area. This time around rather than being assigned a wave, you got to choose which one in 15 minute increments from 7am to 8:30am. I signed up for the 7am wave to get it over with, and for once I would finally run with my wave! (I have always been assigned a later wave and would get there super early and jump in on an earlier wave usually in the first half hour.) I also signed up with a local running group and we quickly had enough people sign up that we got a $15 refund (so essentially free parking) and tent in the finisher's area.
Race weekend arrived so quickly and for the first time in a long time, I had my husband come with me. (Generally I have him stay home since it's so quick it's not worth both of us making the trip.) This time there was only one packet pickup day (on Saturday) and the crowd definitely reflected that.
We got there around 11am (it opened at 10) and the line just to get in was obscenely long. I was glad I brought my husband with me this time because I was in line for an hour and a half! (We saw one guy screaming at a volunteer over how long the wait was when he was almost to the front, which was a little frustrating to see since the volunteer had nothing to do with the line.) Then once we got to the front of the line, there were four pairs of volunteers for the 7am - 8am waves, and another 4 pairs for the 8am - 8:30am waves. (Which also explains why one of the lines was longer than the other, but nobody said anything until we could see the line markers.) So I got my bib and parking pass there, and as usual walked to the other end of the stadium for my shirt (not all the way around like in previous years.) Before that was the expo, which was simultaneously dense and sparse in terms of vendors. The usuals were there: Race merchandise, Charm City Run brought in a few running brands like Altra, then there were some random vendors, then the t-shirt pickup and t-shirt exchange. Thanks to the general supply shortages, they were offering the race shirt in three different colors--grey, black or white. I had debated exchanging my shirt for a smaller size which I had asked for a month+ before when I found out the shirts ran big. For some reason they left my original size on the bib but decided that I liked the color I originally received (white) better than what was left to exchange (black.)
After that, I realized we spent more time in line than it would take me to run the race. No matter, it was done, and my husband and I went out to lunch at Red, Hot and Blue and I started hydrating.
After the downhill was done and I was on the side road by the country club, I was just ready to be done. I always hate that part since everyone is squeezed down to one lane in the road until you make that next to last turn when it widens out to at least two lanes again. Then there's another little downhill as you run over Route 50. When I crossed the finish line, it wasn't my best time or my worst but I was happy to be done.
Going through the finisher's chute I was reminded again of how disorganized the race has been in the past. (One year they gave out moldy bagels!) When we saw tables full of gatorade cups. I finally looked into the cups and saw that one of them had animal crackers and grabbed a cup. Apparently others had chocolate dipped animal crackers and some had trail mix too. The volunteers also had placed full bags of the various snacks in front I guess to show what was in the cups, but people were grabbing entire bags as they walked past instead of a cup. Another minor frustration. I got my banana, a cup of animal crackers, some chips, water and medal.
After talking with some running group friends, I walked around the finisher's festival and was relatively unimpressed. The beer vendor was Budweiser (surprising considering how the organizer gets Dogfish Head for the Baltimore Running Festival which was just a few weeks prior) and Charm City Run was there again along with a race merchandise tent and some other food vendors. Surprisingly the kettle corn vendor that I visited every year prior wasn't there this time, so I just headed over to the line for the bus.
Thankfully the bus driver was only lost for a few minutes, and unlike previous years I wasn't stressed to get home. (Usually I'm refreshing twitter on my phone like crazy trying to see how the New York Marathon is going.) Then I managed to be the driver's first stop so it was even more convenient.
Overall, this is a race Marylanders (or really anyone within a reasonable distance) should do at least once. I fully acknowledge that the logistics with this race are difficult for many reasons. But there were things that definitely needed improvement, especially if they go from the 10,000 participants they had this year to the "normal" average of range of 16,000 - 20,000 runners. Two days of packet pickup would be a start so then almost 10,000 people aren't trying to get their packet in a 6 hour timeframe in a single day. If there's a glaring mistake like starting late, just tell us! We're understanding. Just give us a heads up so any last minute preparations we take as runners can be altered as needed. It felt like the organizers made a lot of rookie mistakes like having so few volunteers (which I fully acknowledge are extra hard to come by these days) but they're a big enough organizer that it shouldn't take a lot to find a group that is eager and willing to help! Get some of the students from the Naval Academy to come help. (I can tell you from first hand experience they're amazing!) Reach out to the organization that benefits from the race! (Oh wait, there wasn't one! Yet another gripe with this race's new organizers.)
All in all, I am such a completionist and hopeful that the race will be different for the better in subsequent years I will probably be back.
Have you run this race? What did you think? Would you run it again?
