Pretty well organized race. Good communication leading up to the race. Plenty of free parking by…read morethe start and end (essentially the same area). The checkin and finish area has all the porta potties. The start area for the half marathon is a few minutes walk from the check in area right next to some torpedo statue. Flat route, you get to see and envy some rich people homes as your run by their mansions, the streets are pretty well closed off by the local pd (many thanks!) Warning: no portapotties anywhere to be found on the route.. I've never encounter a race more than 10k without portapotties on the route AKA you see dudes peeing in bushes.. but us ladies don't have that luxury! But plenty of portapotties at the finish. So word to the wise if running this race... pee multiple times before you run especially if you're running the 1/2 marathon. Post race refreshments: watermelon, banana, soup, water and some weird flavored water My 2 star deductions are ... lack of potties and the sharing of one medal between 10k and half marathon. Yes 10k also has it's challenges but a half marathon is a little more than double the 10K distance. I think it only be fair to those who run it to have their own medal #justsaying

What a fantastic inaugural event! Port Jefferson can really throw a party! You could not ask for…read moresuch perfect weather in a picturesque seaside town, plus the water was warm and with plenty of excited energy in the air. The festivities started with the introductions of the local officials, a monk to bless the fleet and the eye dotting ceremony to "awaken the dragon". Each team had their encampments along the shore with their tents, banners and brightly colored uniforms. From then on, the teams were on the water all day for some intense competition, paddling their butts off. The boats out on the water were a fair distance away and were hard to track, but each boat came back to a rousing round of cheers! The festival would not be complete without some great food from vendors serving some tasty Asian dishes. Potstickers, teriyaki chicken bowls & spicy pork skewers were some of the stolen bites I got from my wife. But I was racing, so I couldn't load up on food or I would've chummed the bay. Entertainment was provided all day by local dance & choral groups, and a lion dance demonstration by a martial arts troop. The highlight was Hsu-nami, a erhu band that rocked the stage! We didn't win a medal, but it was an exhausting and exhilarating day! Can't wait for next year.

Gravel walkway not conducive for pushing toddlers in strollers…read more Very few vendors. Performances were ok Couldn't really see races since course design was unclear. Came from Nassau county and I would not come back again. Don't come here unless you live less than 20 mins away otherwise it's a waste of your time.

I don't know who will give these individuals less than four to five stars however from my…read moreexperience they were extremely patient they were professional they were kind and they just were excellent I enjoyed the experience both my son and myself and I look forward to returning back to them whenever they come back to New York

Son's 13th birthday gift! He chose the Nissan GT-R and the Lambo Huracan. We had a bit of a wait,…read morebut it was absolutely worth it!! The staff was super friendly and so kind to my son. We bought upgrades when we got to the event and don't regret it a bit!! Thanks, Velocity Driving!

Organized through my Awesome Adventures meetup group, 5 brave souls came out here while others…read moreflaked because of Hurricane Irene. Instead I donned war paint in spite of it. Really great group of people. A spotter at every obstacle. Water station, porter potty, wash down area. Bag to put your stuff in. Only thing missing is a private shower so you can change into your dry clothes after. Cousins is awesome.

The Survival 5k is an obstacle course mud run that is held at many locations across the country…read more It's basically the Tough Mudder-lite. The Survival Race at Cousin's Paintball in Manchester, NJ, while a fun experience, has a lot of kinks that need to be worked out. First of all, amble showers does not mean 8 barely dripping shower heads feed by 2 garden hoses. No exaggeration, the line to wash the mud off at the end of the race was an hour long and the water pressure from a water foundation would look like a fire hose compared to these so-called showers. Also, the mud at the end might as well have had shards of glass in it, as I and the three other friends I ran this race with had cut up knees and palms that were filled with pebbles and splinters. The course itself was designed decently, however, there were too many obstacles with bottle necks at the beginning that force you to stop and wait at least a minute to be cleared before you can resume the race. Hopefully the organizers can work out these problems. Otherwise it's not worth $60 to run this race.

Well, now I know that when the Rock N Roll crew says "rain or shine," they mean it. The race took…read moreplace in a downpour, and kudos to the volunteers and organizers for making sure water stops, medical tents, and finish line were all fully staffed despite the horrible weather. As Stephanie mentioned in her review, a good number of the bands who were supposed to play along the course didn't show up. I do blame them. The bands had tent coverage, and the ones who were there seemed well protected from the weather. Part of the allure of this race was the live entertainment and it was basically missing for the middle third of the course. Boo to the bands who can't handle bad weather. Don't sign up to play at this sort of event if you won't show up in rain. On the flip side, an extra YAY for the bands who did play. It was cool to be serenaded with live music throughout the course. And it was great to see so many Providence residents out on their porches cheering--and local cheerleading squads organized at several points on the route! The course itself was definitely a good one, although hillier in the second half than I'd expected. A steep uphill to the finish felt a bit cruel. Still, I appreciated long straightaways along gorgeous tree-lined streets. Mile markers were clearly placed with digital clocks recording the race time, and time was captured at the 5k, 10k, 10m, and 12m marks. The wave start was also extremely well-planned and resulted in a fairly non-crowded course, although we were delayed in starting about 20 minutes due to some sort of street congestion. Unfortunately one consequence of the torrential rain was huge puddles along the course, sometimes unavoidable. Even my wicking socks couldn't prevent some nasty blisters from soaked footwear. Finally, the all important issue of THE RACE T-SHIRT: Short-sleeved, navy blue, technical tee with an understated almost nautical logo. Unfortunately they are cut for men and run a bit large, so mine is pretty long on me, but I think this will be a nice addition to my running collection. I'd suggest getting some ladies' shirts next time--the race costs enough. Overall, this wasn't a bad little race. I'd do it again next year, but definitely pray for sun.

My running coach suggested that when I get ready to run my first half marathon, to go away. I took…read morehim at his word for the first time last year (2011) and ran this one. Whereas others lament the rain, I loved it and was hoping for the same this time (2012). Instead we were greeted with low to mid 70's -- equally good weather -- and the benefit of hearing the headliner band among others. Add to this that the city of Providence, made the weekend a festive one with Water Fire and evening entertainment -- something I missed by one week last year -- great move, there. I love the course -- it's a good mix of easy and challenging and offers different views of the city for one who is not a local (I come fr CA). There is nothing like finishing a race all "Rocky" status while running the last point one mile up to the State House. Even though it was my 2nd time running this, I still welled up a bit....just don't ask me about my finishing time :\ ...maybe that was the real source of my tears. lol.

It's a tradition! I jokingly say it's why we moved to Manchester…read more 4.78 miles attract over 10,000 runners & walkers. The elite runners come from all over the world and it's always an exciting race. Then the mass of normal' runners go by in a dizzying blur. The amount of walkers has increased over the years too. Costumes, bands, crowds and food line the race route. It's the best way to start off thanksgiving day!

This Thanksgiving, I will be running the Manchester Road Race for the 5th time! One of my favorite…read moreThanksgiving traditions is this race, I honestly look forward to it and have changed around my Thanksgiving plans just to ensure my attendance. It is a tradition I plan to continue for as long as I live in Connecticut. This is one of the largest road races in the country. 2nd to the Boston Marathon as far as races in the Northeast go and that is saying at lot considering this race is under 5 miles (4.78 to be exact) and is on a holiday. It's hard to put the experience of the Manchester Road Race into words, you really have to experience it yourself to really appreciate it! There are over 15,000 runners (many elite runners from around the country, a bunch in costume, some drinking, etc etc). You see every walk of life running this race, that is for sure! There are SO many spectators too, I would say in the thousands. Whether you are a runner, a spectator or just someone looking to have some fun, the Manchester Road Race is the place to be on Thanksgiving!! See you there!

Helluva race! A 70k run from Rocky Point to Hampton Bays, which you can run solo or as a relay…read moreteam. It's separated into five different legs, from 6.75 to 10.5 miles for each, with an aid station at the end of each leg. This is an assisted race (for solo runners), so you can bring drop bags to pick up at each station. The aid stations themselves were packed with snacks, Hammer Gels, Heed, water, first aid, portos and more. They really made it easy for a first-timer and Jen (organizer) was super encouraging and helpful at every stop (I took my sweet time). As for the race itself, wow. So. Much. Fun. Darting through trees, dodging rocks and debris on the trails, 3k ft of elevation, running (slowly) through the charred remains of the pine barrens in Brookhaven... in no way did it feel like a boring road race (sorrynotsorry) and it was exciting at every turn. Only once did I want to escape and that's really due to the fact I ate a bean burrito upon entering Leg #3 aka the beast. Poor decision, Drew. Overall, David and Jen did a great job and it was an insanely fun day. Thanks to all the volunteers and everyone else who put hard work into making this happen (marking 43 miles of trails can't be easy). Another big shout out to all the other competitors who were super friendly and gave it their all. Try it. Try a leg of it. You won't get lost and will have a great time. Fun fact: Paumanok is the Native American name for Long Island

I have participated in two soon to be three New England rugged races. They are a ball! First year,…read moreI got injured and ended up with stitches at the second to last obstacle. The people running the event were extremely organized and more than helpful when rushing in an emergency. Emergency tent was great. The second year I completed all obstacles and enjoyed it so much we were tempted to go another round. I have done many obstacle races and the rugged is by far the best!! I call it a "REAL" obstacle run as opposed to the other "FAKE" obstacle races I have run! Cheers to everyone that volunteers for these events and makes it great for all participants. I look forward to this event every September and it is well worth my money!!! Also, we accidentally placed a racer on the wrong day- a minor. And they fixed it within minutes, to reflect the correct date and time!! Thanks Rugged!!!

Rugged Maniac is a 5k obstacle course that is fun for everyone. It has 25 obstacles of varying…read moredifficulties. All of the obstacles can be passed over if they are too difficult. If you can walk/jog 3 miles you can do it. There is a party afterwards and you get one free beer. There are also a lot of companies like Bai water giving away free samples. Let me say this was a really fun time. It wasn't a race but more like a challenge course. I went with a group of 12 guys and girls. Every single person we met in the course was super encouraging and helping each other through obstacles. From teenagers to the over 50 crowd (most of my group) everyone seemed to get along in the common goal of finishing the course. I highly recommend the Rugged Maniac. Just as a piece of advice I do not recommend buying a timing chip. Unless you are in the Elite wave (first race start time for serious obstacle course runners) you will encounter some wait times before some of the more challenging obstacles (rope wall wait was like 20 minutes). As I said earlier, it's not a race so much as a "let's all finish" event.

First time I've heard about the New England Challenge was in 2017, the inaugural series was held in…read more2016. What an insane way to pick up states for the half marathon or marathon goal in a minimal amount of time. I've been around the block, but 6 days in a row seems pretty nuts. I've been around long enough to know virtually everyone in the club who's done at least one round of the 50 states marathons. Race morning - day 5 started at the Nutmeg marathon / half marathon here in Hartford, Connecticut. The New England Challenge attracts veteran marathoners and half marathoners who wish to run a half marathon or a marathon up to all 6 states in the series. You decide on what states you want to do or need for your own personal goal(s). With that said, we arrived at Goodwin Park & Golf Course in Hartford around 5:30am on a brisk Friday morning, already tired from the previous 4 days. It was interesting to be genuinely not really tired after 4 consecutive days + a marathon in NY the weekend before. The New England Challenge / Nutmeg marathon & half marathon draws a small field, which is less than 100 individuals for both events. I ended up running the half marathon for Connecticut at this event, which was basically loops around a large city park / golf course. The event was small and felt like a training run, even though it's a race with a race number on your t-shirt. The overall experience here at The Nutmeg marathon / half marathon in Hartford, Connecticut was quite nice, quite excellent, and casual. The main thing about the entire series and not just this event is that there is no time limit. Many others do have a one, ranging from 6 hours to 8 hours, depending on the race. It's not festive like many races out there, but you can say that it has its purpose for goal oriented people - like myself. The course is basically multiple loops around Goodwin Park & Golf Course, which was 2.13 miles once around. We had a shorter out and back loop of 0.32 miles (0.64 for the marathoners) to do initially before we started the larger loop around the park. I didn't like the gradual uphill leading to the north parking area, but it is what it is. It was nice to see familiar faces each time I came across them. I did enjoy the scenery while I went around purposely and it help me motivate myself to keep moving and keep on smiling - since it was just day one and already a bit tired from doing the same thing in the other 4 New England states before. Goodwin Park itself was nice and we creeped around the main road through the park and weaved around the golf area. The only area where we saw cars was on Western Avenue, but there was a sidewalk. It was nice and serene, especially during a week day morning. Registration is conducted online, but they do have race day registration. Just need to get there early to fill out an entry form and pay the fee. There was an electronic timing station that was basically next to the main parking area at Goodwin Park & Golf Course. It recorded the time for every lap that we do, which is cool. The lone aid station was loaded with food and drinks - you probably could gain weight while doing a half marathon or marathon. The support staff was great, cheering us on lap after lap. It was inspiring to see friends out there to help me push forward, even though I had 1 more days to go after this - just different venues. It was a cozy race that was nice. Goodwin Park & Golf Course was the ideal location for this race. Upon finishing my half marathon, I announced that I was done and got my finisher medal. I hung out at the finish line area to wait up for a friend of mine to finish. Once everything was in order, we gingerly walked back to the rental car and headed to Rhode Island for day 6 and last day in Warrick the next morning. The appeal for The New England Challenge and doing marathons or half marathons is the economic factor. Doing them all together brings travel costs down a lot, but you'd have to be physically and mentally prepared for such an adventure. For the most part though, I enjoyed my time here in Hartford, CT at the Nutmeg marathon & half marathon. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Consider this race or the series when you are running 50 states half marathon or marathons. Support local! Run More! A+