I flew into the Grand Rapids Airport and took a taxi my hotel on Friday
The expo was kinda small because it was on the 3rd floor of the YMCA, so there were still tons of people there exercising
There were several tables to go and pick up the shirt and race bag since there were multiple running distances people were able to pick (marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, relay)
There were several other tables advertising future races, which seemed cool! I wish I lived closer so that I could experience them!
There was one table advertising the 50 State Marathon Club! They had a 3:00 meeting later that day on the ground floor to give out awards to people that reached running milestones (ex. someone reached 600 marathons, someone finished their 50 state journey). I proudly told them that I would become a member after my Charlotte Marathon since it would be my 10th marathon!
The weather was absolutely perfect in the beginning of the race (40s) and as it went on. Even though it was gloomy (the sun didn't come out), I'm glad the weather held up!
We started at the YMCA
We ran a little bit throughout the city, but most of the course was along the river, lake, and other bodies of water through the "Enchanted Forest"
There were a decent amount of spectators! After my marathons in South Dakota and Colorado, I felt so uplifted!
Highlights
There was a pickle juice stop around mile 16/20!
There were PTs at the end of the race, so I had a nice massage
I met Don Kern! He stood at the finish line to give a handshake to the runners! He is a marathon runner, and held the world record for running a marathon on each continent in the shortest amount of time. I wish I bought his book so that he could've signed it!
The pacers were based on celebrity times, so here are some examples!
Oprah Winfrey: 4:29:20
Gordon Ramsay: 3:30:37
Kevin Hart: 4:13:10
No challenge options, so all the runs were on the same day, and no one could do anything crazy sadly.
Finishers received ice cream, Gogurt, water, beer, chocolate milk, and hot dogs
This was the first time I ran 2 marathons back-to-back! I did better than I thought because I thought I would be in much more pain! I was slightly faster than my time in CO, so that was a surprise!
I am excited to continue running marathons back-to-back because I want to challenge myself!
Since I ran 3 marathons within 3 months & 3 half-marathons, I've officially become a Marathon Maniac, a Half Fanatic, and a Double Agent! Woo-Hoo!
I recommend this marathon if you want to run a marathon that's cool (both weather-wise and fun-like)! The rumors are true, Don Kern knows how to set up a wonderful marathon!
Race Website: Grand Rapids Marathon