Fun 5k + extreme bounce houses = Awesome!…read more With your entry you get a t-shirt, a beer, a free bag check, and discount on merchandise. The course was not hard like most fun 5k. It is not timed and the inflatables were fun. Some of the slides were HOT as it heated up in the sun and it was dangerous sliding down if it touched bare skin. I got burned as did many on my team. No water obstacles for this race. Pro tip: parking was $10 but you could have just parked across the street at the mall for free.

I did this race this year and the RD was extremely rude. I have been having lung issues all summer…read moredue to air pollution so had a slow race. Even though there was no stated time limit the RD basically packed away almost all of the finish line, ran out of medals promised to all finishers and packed away all the finish line food and water bottle. The RD did not cheer me on as I finished and was very rude. I have completed about 300 races and never had a finish line experience this awful. I also want to note that while I was pretty slow I was not last so multiple runners got this awful treatment. I would never recommend anyone support this RD who does not support all runners

One of my favorite races ever! I've done the ten miler at Yankee Homecoming for the past two years…read more(there is also a 5K option). The race starts at Newburyport High School, then runs into the downtown area of Newburyport and along the waterfront. There are crowds of spectators in this area at the town's Yankee Homecoming celebration with concerts, food vendors and more. The second half of the race winds through beautiful, shady country roads, past open pastures and lush greenery. It finishes at the high school again, where there are sprinklers, freeze pops and cold water to refresh after the summer heat. Parking can be somewhat of a challenge at this race, so arrive early for street parking, or park at the middle school behind the high school and leave enough time for a short walk. This is a race I'll do every year - an awesome summer tradition!

The Boston Athletic Association has added a 10k race to its competition offerings. The Inaugural…read moreBAA 10k was staged with the professionalism and precision you would expect from the group that organizes one of the most famous marathons in the world. While the weather was lousy (95% humidity!), the race was excellent. The Course: The course begins on Charles Street between the Public Garden and the Common (if you've run the Tufts 10k, it's the same start/finish). The course goes out to BU on Commonwealth Ave. and Bay State Road, then features a hairpin turn at the 5k mark to return via Comm Ave. I never realized until I ran this race, but Comm Ave is pretty dang hilly along the BU campus. They have a timing mat in advance of the finish line that allows the emcee to announce runners as they cross--pretty cool. I don't know if they announced me because I was too busy looking for a place to lay down and die (see: 95% humidity). The course also featured a few hallmarks of what I consider a well-organized race. Every mile was marked and featured a digital clock with the gun time. Water stations were plentiful and increased in frequency toward the end of the race. The race was completely chip timed. And they staggered the start beautifully to prevent course over-crowding. People self-selected into gates by anticipated pace, then the gates were released in three waves four minutes apart. This is the first race I've run with a hairpin where I did not have to walk the turn due to crowding. The Extras: If there's one place where the BAA 10k loses points, it's the post-race festivities. They did have bagels, bananas, and other snacks for runners, but on the whole there wasn't much to see and do after the race. In fairness, the reason to race is not to get a bunch of free crap from advertisers afterward, so I won't knock stars for that. I will say I wish water were available closer to the finish line, especially given the weather. The t-shirt, on the other hand, is fabulous. It's an Adidas performance shirt that has the texture of a Smartwool. Love it. The $40 entry fee was worth it just for this t-shirt.

The BAA 10k is a fun run around Boston. It starts in between…read morethe public garden and Boston Common, just like the BAA 5k. It runs all the way down to Boston University, makes a u-turn and runs back to the start. THE DEAL: if you sign up for the BAA 5k, 10k and half marathon, they give you a special Distance Medley medal and bibs for each race.

A great way to spend a Friday night under the lights and watching some fun racing. Easy access,…read moreparking is in and out with no real traffic and plenty of up close seating. Get right up by the start/finish line and you can meet the drivers after the races as well. Qualifying races are 10 laps and the main events are 25.... you'll get to see 10-15 races so for the $15 entry ticket that's a steal ($1/race). There's a beer tent where you can watch the race between turn 3 and 4. Perfect event for the kids as well. In addition to the racing there's a playground when they need a break from the left turns as well. Concessions are reasonably priced.

Was there tonight with my family. Had a driver start a fight with some fans. The fans were kicked…read moreout but nothing happened to the driver. Would not bring kids to this place. Definitely not family friendly

Me and my friends went on the ride untamed. Our ride attendant, Braydon, was PHENOMENAL! TOP TIER!…read moreHe was very helpful, kind, and even made sure to say "I'm about to go on my lunch break right now, but i'll make sure to tell my coworker to get you on this ride very quickly" (we were in the disability line). HE WAS AMAZING and made our experience 10x better. Shoutout to Brayden!

My son loves going to Canobie Lake Park. I think it's the perfect park if you have a toddler/young…read moreelementary aged kid. The little kiddle land is perfect to just bounce between riders without a wait. The train ride is cute and myself and my son love the little dragon coaster. The adult rides did have long lines, but I was there with my son so didn't really get a chance to wait for those anyways. The Taylor Swift cover band they have right now was actually super fun and entertaining. The performer makes for an impressive Taylor Swift! To me the greatest room for improvement here is the photo. It is just not very good and the options are random/spread out. Like you can get chicken tenders at one spot, but then have to go across the park if you want a hot dog. We went with BBQ and while it was pricey, it was not very good.

I highly recommend this marathon, - Pick up packet expo was…read morea little sad - The race itself was perfect, which matters the most. The amount of spectators was consistent and the crowds enthusiasm, support, and smiles were overwhelming. - Even though I did not PR in this race, probably because I wanted to be careful, but I did do one of my top three times ever. - The post race series was contagious in finding loved ones after the race was extremely easy compared to other faces that I've participated in. There was an amount of alcohol for the spectators and race finishers to indulge in the local breweries of the Portland area.

Just completed the 2013 edition of the Maine Marathon on Sunday, 10/6/2013. It was an epic…read morechallenge for me, since I was coming from Hawaii to attempt this epic feat. This was state #39 and lifetime #61. The Maine Marathon is one of the larger marathons in Maine, although there are a handful of others within the state. I chose this race because it paired up with the New Hampshire Marathon the day before. I could get 2 states in one weekend and it would stretch my travel budget further this way. Its a crazy goal and ambition, but what a crazy adventure to be had! While the finish line was very bittersweet for me, I could not have pass up this opportunity to visit Maine and have a lobster roll as well. Most people fly into Boston Logan international airport and drive 1 1/2 hours on I-95. Portland, ME has its own regional airport as well, but it may be more pricer, but most major carriers do service this regional New England hub. The Maine Marathon expo and packet pick up was held at the Sullivan Gym on the campus of the University of Southern Maine in Portland. It wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either. You could get in and out within 10 minutes, if that. It was a bit of a challenge finding parking for the expo, being out of Towners, but we got it. There also was a half marathon event and a marathon relay too, so that added a lot of people cheering at some points along the course. The expo was held on Saturday and early packet pick up from 5:30am to 7:30am on race morning, if you need it. Plus, the expo arena had a restroom too. There is an early start for those participants who expect to finish over 6 hours, which I did since I was doing New Hampshire the day before. The course itself starts at the University of Southern Maine and runs out to the surrounding neighborhoods of Portland. This course has its share of hills and then some. Basically, this course is an out and back course, with a small mini out and back section of its own as well. There is a couple scenic points along the course, overlooking a lake or a large water source. Majority of the course, you are running in Portland's rural neighborhood. The race is chip timed, with timing mats at the start, half way, and at the finish. For an out and back course, I would have thought one at 20 miles would be there to curb cheating. Weather can be a hit or miss here, but me and the Marathon Maniac / 50 State Marathon Club family, two running clubs which I am proud to be apart of, were ecstatic to be here participating once again. Weather this year was a good 50 degrees and never really warmed up significantly to the upper 60's. It was great to have reached the finish line and claim Maine for my 50 states and hope to return someday to Maine for more sightseeing, since it was just a quick trip up here for the marathon itself. Overall, this race is well run and well marked course. Being that it was an out and back, sometimes, it can be a drag seeing the same things twice, but it turned out pretty good. Only good things about this course and I would do this one again for Maine sometime down the road. Run more! B+