With that said.
I want to run all THREE of those races... But which one should I do first??? I'll list them out, and I would love some input from people that have run them!
1. PORTLAND
2. TWIN CITIES
I was NOT crazy about the half marathon that I ran in Minnesota. I was stupid enough to run it in August and it was humid and hot and miserable. This course looks pretty and the weather looks a lot better.
3. CHICAGO
I also wasn't that crazy about the half that I ran in Chicago. Mainly because REALLY big cities STRESS me out. But... it looks so flat. And fast. And it is one of the "majors" - so do I want to get in on the action?
Anyway.... any input on these races would be greatly appreciated. Registration is already open for PDX and I know that Chicago sells out FAST. Don't know that much about Twin Cities. I'll likely end up doing all of them over my lifetime, but need to pick one to do FIRST.
Maybe even tell me about St. George...
Also... just a few days left to enter my virtual race - you can do so HERE.
After some pretty extensive google-fu, I've determined that waiting for anniversary years is dumb. This year was CHI's 35th, PDX 41st, and TC's 32nd.
ReplyDeleteSo, I propose PDX 2013, CHI 2014, TC 2015 (35th anniv).
Voila.
Also, of the three, I want to do PDX the mostest.
I've done Portland (last year) and TCM (this year). Portland is probably my favorite marathon, though I am biased because it went well for me. Portland is a beautiful place to go to, you can stay downtown near the start and finish (no shuttle), and I like the course (though there is one BIG hill). The expo is great, lots of good food in town, and the weather is likely to be pleasant (though in 2010 it did pour). Twin Cities really does have a beautiful course (the hype is correct) and it's a nice combination of flat and moderate minor hills. Logistically it's a little more challenging (though the shuttle works), the weather may be a bit unpredictable (it turned out fine this year), and I ran my PW here (though that's not a factor for anyone else, many people run good times and PRs at TCM). I personally would pick PDX first and TCM second, but that's my bias. I am scared of Chicago, the weather extremes have been so unpredictable. Oh, also I would say that the corral system is better in Portland. TCM has three and the mid pack 2 is huge and crowded. I never had a chance of getting up near the pacer signs I was interested in. I'm sure that's why I bombed. Ha.
ReplyDeleteYou know you've got a place to stay in Portland. Or Eugene, for that matter.
ReplyDeletehmm, want to do all 3 and have done 0. i’m no help :)
ReplyDeleteI've done Chicago twice now and TCM last year. Chicago is a great race but really big. If you are not a fastie, the first miles are so crowded so it's tough to settle into a pace rhythm. But it so so cool to do for the experience. There's so much energy.
ReplyDeleteTCM is one of my favorite courses ever. It's so beautiful. Thw spectators are constant but not overwhelming. It has a few hills and a long gradual incline at 22ish so it's tough that way, but not terrible.
Good luck with your choice!
I may be biased, because I live here, but I love Chicago. It's the absolute best marathon ever. This year, they started people in 2 waves, which REALLY helped with the crowdedness. It's really easy for spectators to navigate the trains and see you multiple times on the course. There's free beer IN THE FINISHER CHUTE.
ReplyDeleteThey say Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, and you get to run through 29 of them, each of them it's own distinct area. You would have SO MUCH FUN taking pictures!
The course is totally flat, and there is always something interesting to see. Again, I'm a little biased :)
LOVED TCM! By far my favorite of the three full marathons I've done (TCM, Fargo and Minneapolis) .
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe you ran that race in Red Wing for you MN half...so many other awesome races in MN!!
I did the Portland Half this weekend (recap will be up tomorrow) and it was amazing. I highly recommend it!
ReplyDeleteOf course you know I just did Portland, and it's great, but I'm going to argue for Twin Cities 2013 because that's my (unofficial) plan! Was even going to try to talk Diary of An Average Runner into going with me...I really love the Richmond, VA marathon and everyone says that TCM is even more beautiful (hard for me to imagine). Chicago freaks me out - huge and bipolar weather.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it was my first and only marathon, I loved the TCM, just did it this year. The course was beautiful, the crowd support was unbelievable and I thought it was pretty well organized. It was pretty easy to find a place to stay with all the surrounding suburbs.
ReplyDeleteFinally!! You wrote about a marathon that I, of all people, actually did!! Not that you finally wrote about one I did, but I finally did one that you mentioned. Meaning I actually did one.
ReplyDeleteDon't mind me. I'm babbling in still post-Disney/post-marathon delirium!
Listen to Heather ... do Portland. I'll come be the cheer squad!
ReplyDelete