Grinnell Games Half Marathon

Race Date: June 14th, 2014

Race location: Grinnell, Iowa

Distance: 13.1 miles

Race Website: http://www.grinnellgames.com/run.html

This race was a terror for me. I chose this one because of the proximity to myself and also because of the price (45$). Personally, I did not like this race at all. For me, I do not like running in circles and should have backed out once I saw the course map. The race is a 6.5 mile loop that is done twice. To some this may not seem bad, however what makes it as bad as it seems is that many of the spectators do not realize how many loops you have done and as you run past the finish line the first time, they cheer you in as if you're finally done when you still have over half the race left to complete. The course is also hilly in spots as well, with the hills coming out of no where. The mile or 2 runs through a neighborhood with rolling hills, then comes a long gradual incline with a short, fairly steep decline on the back side. Turn a corner and you weave in and out of a sport complex to enter another neighborhood (this portion is flat). Once you get close to the finish line, you turn away from it and start to climb a not-too-short, but not-too-long hill that has a nice steep incline, turning again to have about a mile to the finish. Then you do it again. The course was only made more difficult due to the fact that there were only 78 people in the entire race. The mental game is extremely difficult within this race, however those who are strong mentally should have no problem. The one nice thing about this race was the water stops. They had plenty of water and were very supporting of runners passing by. They balanced out for the other course volunteers who were unhelpful. Many of the people who were supposed to be pointing us in the direction of the course were highschool students who you could tell wanted nothing to do with being there. Many of the corners I went around had girls texting on their phones, talking with their friends, mainly ignoring the race that was happening in front of them. There were a couple times when I felt lost and had to ask where we were going, but this was the only time that I was given directions. I do not know whether I would recommend this race. 

Me finishing the race, as you can see, there is no one around me. 

Pros:

• Great waterstops
• A lot of spectators
• Good price

Cons: 

• Looped course
• Unhelpful voluntteers
• Small participation