I have never had the experience of a half marathon like the Beach to Brewery. First you parked at the finish and the bus took you to a warm building where you had the start. There was coffee, donuts, and bagels. There were about 200 runners and it was amazing how we all got to know each other before the race. It was the first one they have had and the event was awesome. Then the course was fantastic. It took you through several parts of Manteno including some parks, by 57 and lots of fields and farms. I have never ran so close on a frontage road and the beeps from cars despite the cold wind was pretty cool. Bathrooms were all over the course. Even though the race was small the aid stations were great and lots of support along the way. They even had trivia on the town, some landmarks and famous people. When we finished they had pizza, bananas, coffee, bagels and for those who chose to parktake beer. I enjoyed the event and even though I did not stay the race was super close so I was home mid morning. I think I even did a negative spilt with faster miles at least the last third of the race. I was pleased with three minutes faster than last week even with 15 degrees colder conditions. As soon as this race is mentioned for next year I know for sure I will sign up.
