Shamrock Half in VA.. (Read 470 times)

Anyone do this one? If so, you like? No like? I ask the same of the Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 in VA Beach in Sept.

I've done the full at Shamrock and the rnr 1/2. I liked Shamrock mo bettah, but then the Elite rnr events have never been big favs for me and that rnr 1/2... the original... is very crowded. Shamrock is a flattish course BUT it can be windy... and "wind" is a four letter word, same as "hill". The rnr 1/2 can be windy too. Shamrock can be cold, rnr 1/2 can be hot.

Thanks. Why don't you care for the Elite rnr events? Too crowded? Sucky courses?

Thanks. Why don't you care for the Elite rnr events? Too crowded? Sucky courses?

Lots of hoopla, and not particularly good hoopla. I don't care that much about music stops (you are only near one for a few seconds), but other races... The non-Elite Portland Marathon, for example... seem to do them better than the rnr events I've done. Oh, and when I did CMM, the weather was crappy before the race and only half of the promised music stops actually had music. They are big events too, which is not my thing. The courses aren't really an issue. Well, I liked the Country Music course, I did NOT like the San Diego course, and the AZ course was so-so. The upcoming San Antonio course seems pretty annoying (I used to live in SA and know the roads), and they haven't announced the upcoming Seattle course, but the clues they've left indicate a real bastard of a course. I do NOT like that most rnr events seem to be point-to-point courses that involve shuttles. This may not be true about their half events. You usually get a short-sleeved cotton shirt with a crummy design. Want something nice? Pay extra. Want food at the end? They have it, so no complaints. But also not really better than your typical club race. Like Disney, at every opportunity, Elite will come up with something to part you from even more money. After awhile, it started bugging me. Special shirts. Premium shuttle packages. On and on and on. Also, some little things at San Diego and CMM really bugged me and made it feel like Elite was way more into it to make money (a fine thing) and less into it for runners (a bad thing). Big example: CMM in 2004. Horrible rain storm before the race, which they couldn't control. BUT. After shuttling us to the start 90 minutes early, they made us stand in the driving, cold rain. Then we all stood in the corrals and waited. And waited. Rain rain rain. Start time came and went. We were still waiting. No one told us why. We just stood there. Finally, 30 minutes after the start time, stuff started happening. Now, you'd think... YOU WOULD THINK... that since the start was 30 minutes late and we had by that time been standing in cold rain for two hours... you would think they'd let us go. Nope. We had to go through the full 15 minute opening ceremonies, which involved speeches that no one could hear, followed by a bunch of dancers doing a long aerobic-dance routine, followed by more stuff... THEN they let us go. It really sucked. In my opinion. The races themselves are ok and lots of people like them just fine. I don't despise them... I mean, I've done a few and signed up for another. But I don't seek them out. I *do* think that all their special medals for doing various race combos is a fun idea. Of course, it's really there to get you to give Elite more money.