ABOUT
Run 13.1 Race Series hosts races in Chicago, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, also being part of the Florida Storm Series which is a 3, 4, or 5 race challenge throughout the year. They pride themselves on their after race/finisher experience.
COURSE
The A to B course takes you through the neighborhoods of Las Olas which were beautifully shaded and drops you off at an out and back along the gorgeous white sand beaches!
PACKET PICK UP
The packet pick up was at a local running store which made it convenient to pick up last minute running supplies. However, when asking volunteers questions about the race course/parking they did not know any of the answers
PARKING/SHUTTLE
Because this is an A to B course, you have to park (AND PAY-GASP!) for start and then take a shuttle back after the finish. There were 4 parking garages that were listed as options to park near the Start. Please do your research ahead of time on parking, or look around. I ended up following a large group to a lot and we had to pay $15. Walking over to the start, there was another lot only charging $5!!! This really should be communicated better from the race director for those of us that are out of town and do not usually deal with parking fees!
To catch the shuttle back to the Start area was pretty much a mess. It was a long walk first of all to even find the buses. Then, they drove what seemed forever to get just a couple of miles away. At this point it seemed running back would have been faster. Then, the driver dropped us off in the middle of nowhere (because there wasnt just one parking lot for Start) and most of us had no idea where we were. I do not understand why they couldnt at least drop us off at the Starting Line and then it would look familiar. I couldnt get a signal, so I literally walked in circles around the blocks trying to find my car. No bueno.
START
The race started right after sunrise, so it was cool to still be able to see the full moon waking up and getting ready. The porta potty situation was insane. There were about 20 of them for thousands of runners and the line (no lie) went straight through the Starting Line up. The announcer kept trying to get us to line up for start, but there were more people facing the opposite way (towards the porta potties) than towards the Starting line. Then because of the U Shape line up of the porta potties, people were sneaking in the side and cutting the outrageously long line. Which, in turn lead to people yelling at each other. Not a good way to start your morning!
RESULTS
This super early start helps control the heat of Southern Florida, but it still came out when we were in the pure sun along the beach. I felt good the entire race until those last few miles.
PERKS
At the Finish Area, Michelob Ultra provided a bag of goodies with your beer, which included a visor and sunglasses! There also were free race photos that were sent to you, or posted on Facebook.
AFTER PARTY
After you cross the finish line, you could literally kick off your sneakers and put your toes in the sand (or ocean!) There was Pollo Tropical for food, as well as lots of samples of nutrition bars. Michelob Ultra provided you with one beer, but you could not leave the beer area to visit the vendors they had set up. There was even entertainment to enjoy.
SHIRT
The gender tech shirt is unique with not only the map of the course, but the runners and palm trees in the design. I just wish it wasnt a weird green color.
MEDAL
This medal is one of my favorites, being a spinner with the moon and sun, which is cool because the race took place during the full moon phase. Im not quite sure though, why the moon is in the resting position up top, instead of the sun, since we ran during the day, not night?
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Overall, the best thing about the race was running along the gorgeous white sands of Fort Lauderdale. For the price of registration, I would want things to be a little more included (parking) and organized (shuttle).
TRAVEL
I drove down from Jacksonville, but ended up staying in Hollywood, FL due to a comp agent stay. This was only 20 minutes away, so was a breeze to and from. The Diplomat hotel is run by Hilton and has some cute rooms. The tall building will give you excellent views of the sunset on one side and sunrise on the other. Both sides will give you water views. They are connected to a convention center and have a huge self parking garage as well as valet. There is a marina where the local water taxi stops and also the trolley stop is right outside the door. The multi leveled pools will give you a great view of the beach, which is on the smaller side and could get packed. I would recommend this hotel if you are looking to get to a more quiet side of South FL.
HM#68
13.1-2:33
I am on a 10 year mission to run a half marathon a month as well as run one in each of the 50 states, all to help spread the word of breast caner prevention, early detection, and living a healthy lifestyle. Please consider making a DONATION today to show your support. 100% net proceeds go towards the Mayo Clinic and Donna Foundation.