Race started at 7:00 AM on Saturday. Excellent time to avoid the warm weather. The director did a wonderful job letting runners how much time there was left before the race started. There was plenty of parking near the start line.
There were 137 runners for the half-marathon, 65 males and 72 females. There was a 5K race that started at the same time than the half-marathon. There were enough porta-potties near the start line.
First couple of miles were on asphalt. Rest of the race was on gravel roads. Some parts of the road were nice to the feet, but others were too rough (to go barefoot). There is a tough hill in mile seven (from 724 ft to 892 ft). A couple of other hills are also a little bit tough. On mile 10.25 you go down on a steep hill and then gets flat again to the finish line. You can find a map of the race with elevation chart @ http://www.mapmyrun.com/us/fairfax-ia/back-road-half-marathon-route-325368875.
There were enough water tables on the way. Most of them provided runners with water and/or Gatorade. There were volunteers in most of the turns, and not being an elite runner, it was easy to follow the route with other runners.
Results were posted a few hours after the race the same day. http://www.wayzataresults.com/event/show/355387862.
Award ceremony started around 10:00 AM. Socks were given to first three places in each age group. It seems to me there was a mistake, and 60 and + group did not get awards. That was a misfortune because these guys deserved proper recognition. I hope the director pays more attention to this important detail. It's not about the award, but the recognition all these runners deserve.
Medals were given to all finishers. It's not a bad medal, but I have seen better ones. The medal can be used to open Mexican beer!
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