Fort Lauderdale A1A Half Marathon - Race Review

I am by no means a racing expert.  I have 2 half marathons, a handful of 5Ks, 5 sprint distance triathlons, and a smattering of other fun things on my resume.  So I'm far from a seasoned racer in a blogsphere.  This is the first time I'm writing a review of a race I have participated in. But I couldn't resist with this race, because it was SUCH a pleasure to run.

What I loved about this race:
-It is small  (~5,000 runners)
  Yet even though it is small (I'm comparing it to the Miami ING, which has 24,000+ people every year.  I don't like people enough to run with 24,000 people.  And its hard to run your own race when you are toe to toe with a bazillion other people.).  Yet unlike some of the other smaller half marathons in the area (like the 13.1 Series), it has an expo.  Win!

-It has both marathon and half marathon options
 Small race but still both distances.  Win.  On top of that, both races start at the same time.  Its pretty awesome.  The half course is the first ~8-9 miles and the last ~4.5 miles of the full course.  Its just cool (and humbling) to see all those marathoners out there.  If I do a full marathon next year (something I toy around with in my head before freaking myself out), it will be this one.

- The Course
  Prettiest. Course.  EVER.  The course begins in Fort Lauderdale, crosses the intercoastal waterway over a small drawbridge (small in the sense that it is not steep and not that long), and then is waterfront for nearly the remainder of the course.  There is an amazing loop through scenic Birch State Park which offers some shade (a bonus if its hot out, which it WAS NOT this year) and a nice change in scenery.  Plus, since its a loop, you pass by lots of runners heading in the opposite direction.  I spent some time looking for my fast hubby instead of thinking about what mile it was.  The park included some intercoastal waterfront, which was beautiful.  Then it was back on the beach for a ways before hitting a more populated area and turning around.  The last 4ish miles were all beach front and beautiful.  You literally finish RIGHT next to the beach.  Every mile had a marker and a clock, and the markers were DEAD ON.  Oh, and if you are running your first half and are concerned because you are a penguin, don't worry because the half marathon course is open as long as the marathon course because it IS the marathon course--course time for both is 6 hours.  Because the course is pretty flat, its a perfect PR course, if the finicky South Florida winter weather decides to cooperate.  

-The event staff
  Unlike many of the other races in the area, this race is put on by a small company, Exclusive Sports Marketing.  They only have 2 races and a handful of other events every year, so they put their EVERYTHING into making sure their events are A+.  The CEO manages the Facebook page and answers many of the emails. Everything from the water stations to the port-a-pots are meticulously planned out because they care about each and every one of their athletes, and they will be as proud of you as you are of yourself.


The Swag:

I'm not a big swag person but I know a lot of people care about it so here's the DL on the swag.  There was a swag bag, which was a nice change from a lot of other bags I've gotten at races because it was a little smaller and had handles as well as the whole draw string thing going on.  Its nice to have something smaller.  The shirt was cute, but not my favorite material.  Unisex sizes only, which was a bummer, but also not a surprise.  Something that was REALLY nice was they gave you a full color program, which included all the maps relating to the race.  That was super nice for the out of towners.  Race bibs could be personalized (although ours were not).  My favorite items were the Publix towel (Eat Right, Stay Fit, Have Fun), which is the perfect size for the gym (although not actually included in the swag bag--it was a freebee from Publix's vendor booth) and the medal, which is the absolute CUTEST medal I've ever received.  Much nicer than the 13.1 medal I have.  This is the first medal I didn't give to my kids when I got home because it was so pretty.  This baby is MINE.  (Of course, it may be because it has that nice 23 minute PR attached to it . . . ) There were lots of freebees in the bag, but nothing that I'd rant about.  Probably because I'm just not a power bar fan.  There was a bunch of Kashi cereal--which was awesome because we don't eat cereal much so the kids thought it was the BEST PRESENT EVER when we gave it to them. Sooo . . . Win.

The Downside:
I personally had few complaints about this race.  I have been watching the facebook page though, and listened to a lot of what people had to say on race weekend, and here are the two items that I have seen people gripe about.

-The Cost
Standard Registration for this race is $100, whether you do the half or the full marathon.  Many people have commented that its unusual to have both be the same price.  I am sure it is this way because 1) They start at the same time  and 2) because they take up essentially the same course.  So whether you run the half or the full, you take up one of the ~5,000 spots for the race, and its pretty much the same effort for them no matter which one you register for.  While it is a bit pricier than some of the other halfs, it is a small, well run race with personal attention, and therefore worth EVERY PENNY.  Heck, just the course alone makes it worth the money. But right now you can register for $75 on Active.com for either one. 

-Nutrition
I heard a few people gripe that there wasn't any nutrition on the half marathon course and not enough on the marathon course.  I always carry my own, and it seems to me that's the better way to operate, so non-issue for me.  I always plan to have my own stuff because I don't like eating things that I don't usually eat on race day.

-Medal issue
I personally loved this medal.  We haven't had any issues with ours. But many participants have had the hinge on the small disk that opens on the front break.  The silver lining with this is that the wonderful event staff is just as upset about it as some of the participants.  But again, a non-issue for me.  I don't run for the bling, I don't run for the swag, I run for the run.  Still the prettiest medal I own!

So, hopefully that gives you a good feel for the race.  I wish I had been able to take pictures on the course, because THAT is really my favorite thing about this race and what sold me on it for years to come.  I plan to run this event for every year I am in the area and physically capable.  Nearly every part of it was so breathtakingly beautiful that it kept every minute of the 13.1 miles engaging and fun. If you are an out of towner and are thinking about heading to South Florida for a race, this is the one.  And if you are a local and haven't tried it yet, you don't know what you are missing!

My race report for A1A can be found HERE.