The organization was great. The expo is huge and full of great vendors. It was held in a hall in the Georgia Convention Center. There were some giveaways, but not enough, from the booths at the expo. Race packet pickup was easy and quick. I didn't stay long, because my husband was waiting in the car so we didn't have to deal with parking. Traffic leaving the expo was horrible, as usual in Atlanta. Plan for a long trip there and back when going to the expo. They don't offer race day packet pickup, so plan accordingly.
The race starts in Centennial Olympic Park and shows off the city of Atlanta and surrounding suburbs very well. The course runs through some of Atlanta's finest neighborhoods, parks, and college campuses. It is in spring, when all the trees and flowers are blooming beautifully. The course is very scenic.
Along with the scenery, though, comes the hills. Anyone from the Atlanta area knows that it is hard to find a running route that avoids hills. And the hills aren't gentle, rolling hills. They are monsters. So if you're looking for a fast and flat course, look elsewhere.
This race was my first marathon (back in 2008). Back then, my inexperienced self hit the wall at mile 17, and I walked up every hill after that (which is most of the last seven miles). Coming into the race this year, all I could think about was the hills toward the end of the race. I was actually scared that I couldn't do it, and this would be my 36th marathon. It is definitely one of the hilliest races I've done.
The starting line is right beside Centennial Olympic Park and the CNN Center. The race offers gear check on the opposite side of the park. The starting line is easy to get to if riding Marta, which is what I did so I didn't have to deal with parking and traffic. The Marta trains can get quite full, though. After arriving at the start, a friend mentioned that you can get into the Omni Hotel to stay warm and use a decent bathroom. I followed him into the building, and we found a short line for the bathrooms. After the pit stop, I sat around the Omni's restaurant and looked out the window at the start line and activities.
The start was chilly, but it warmed up nicely during the race. The temperatures held in the upper 50s to lower 60s with no rain, so it was really perfect weather. Weather this time of year in Georgia is really hit or miss. The first year this race was run, it was hot and humid - getting into the upper 80s. Then the second year it was cold and rainy. 2016 looked to be the perfect running weather.
The race has pace teams, so I lined up with the 4-hour pace group. They had plenty of pace groups for all speeds. My plan was to run the first two miles easy, and then see what I could do for the rest of the race. I stayed with the 4-hour group for about three miles, and then took off.
I am a downhill runner, so I essentially sprint down hills (without feeling it). Most of the time, I can keep the momentum going on flats and about halfway up the next hill before it starts slowing me down again. If you are like that, then this race is the race for you. There were plenty of downhills to get me going and to make the up hills not feel as bad.
I ended up catching up to and passing the 3:50 pace group around mile 16. I felt good and powered ahead. If a marathon was just another mile longer, I probably would have caught the 3:45 pace group, since I came in at 3:45:16.
The support on the course was great. They had water stops close to every mile with both water and Gatorade at all the stops. They had cookies and oranges and bananas and pretzels scattered along the course at various water stops. I didn't have to stop at the porta potties, so I didn't notice if they had those as well at the water stops. I never had to wait for whatever drink I chose, as there were plenty of volunteers. They had a competition among the water stops, so the volunteers were cheering you along like crazy.
The city of Decatur is always great about supporting the race. They put up signs with fun little rhymes about the race and the city. They have great fans that come out to cheer the runners. The race is the only race in Georgia that is run on Sunday, so many of the churches along the route come out and cheer on the runners. The crowd support is great and very motivating.
After the finish, instead of typical Mylar blankets, they had track club jackets to keep you warm. I use the word "jacket" because I don't know what else to call them. They are not normal jackets, but rather the same type of material as a hospital gown that surgeons might wear. They then guided you to the food and water stations, where they had a box of food, bananas, chocolate milk, Gatorade, etc. There was so much, that I didn't have a way to carry it all until I claimed my gear check bag and could put some of it into there. I then went back to the Omni bathroom and changed out of my sweaty running clothes into dry warm clothes.
In typical Atlanta Track Club fashion, the shirts are unisex dri-fit shirts, which are always way too big on me. The metals are pretty good, but nothing special. Other than the jacket at the finish, there wasn't anything special about the SWAG. If there's one area that can be improved, they could work on some better SWAG.
With the beauty of the course, the great organization of the race, and the crowd support, I give this race a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Well done, Atlanta Track Club.
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