Running Georgia - Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon

The last marathon of the spring season in Georgia is the Chasing Jefferson Davis marathon near Fitzgerald, GA.  The race was in its second year running this year, and is extremely small.  In its inaugural year there were 27 marathon finishers.  This year, there were 40.  The race organizers said that they would cap it at 100 if it ever got that big, and there are several good reasons why.  To begin with, there is hardly any parking or volunteers putting this race on.

This part of the state is extremely rural.  It is all farmland, with no industry to speak of.  According to the race organizer, they had a tourism consultant come in and try to help them boost the revenue for the area.  The consultant asked what they had to offer.  The only thing they have going for them is the history that Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, was captured just outside of Irwinville, GA.  So they decided to try to capitalize on that and started the race.  They had it officially measured and certified (they said that "if I was running that far, I'd want it to count for something"). The certification, which isn't cheap, lasts for ten years, so they said they will have it at least that long.

The first year's race ran on the route that Jefferson Davis took from Abbeville to Irwinville before he was finally captured by the Union troops.  This year, they reversed the course and started in Irwinville and ran to Abbeville.  The race organizer said this was to give the EMTs and police a break, so one city wouldn't always have to stay the longest until the last finisher was done.  They plan to alternate each year.  Odd years will run north to south and even years will run south to north.

Another interesting thing to note is that the race organizers are not runners...at all.  The main organizer said he has run a 5k...once.  How they managed to put on such a good event with that lack of running experience is beyond me.

So, enough about the background.  Let's talk about the race.  The course is run on open, rural roads and is point-to-point.  This year it started at the Jefferson Davis monument, literally.  The monument is set off the road in a grassy area near a nature trail.  So the first quarter mile or so is run on a trail, then into a mowed hay field, and then finally onto the road.  The race starts at 6am, so there is no light on this trail.  I had to use the flashlight on my phone so I didn't trip over the roots which are sticking up on the trail.

Once on the road, we were almost on our own to watch for the orange arrows painted on the road.  Luckily there was a water stop near most of the turns to help guide the runners in the right direction.  At one of the turns, the arrows were on the right side of the road and the water stop was on the left.  I almost missed the turn.  The girl in front of me did miss the turn and kept on going, despite the calls of the two water stop volunteers.  I suggest having orange cones or something a little more obvious (like course marshals) to ensure the runners make every turn.  Once the girl in front of me missed the turn and I almost followed her, I was paranoid about missing turns.  There aren't a lot of them, but you get in your rhythm and tune out enough that the arrows on the pavement are easy to miss.

Between mile 17 and 18, the course goes onto a "dirt" road.  I don't know if I would call this a dirt road.  It's more like a sand road.  The sand is not packed, and my feet were slipping everywhere.  I could definitely feel my calves doing extra work as I tried to find the most packed part of the road to run on.  There wasn't a lot of traffic, but there were a few cars that passed as I ran on the road, and they kicked up enough dust to make a runner cough.

After about four or five miles, the dirt road ends onto a "paved" road.  This paved road was more like a gravel road, based on the roughness of the pavement.  I don't wear minimalist running shoes, but I could feel every bump and rut in the pavement.  But at least my feet weren't slipping, like they were in the sand.  That road lasted for one to two miles before it turned onto a much better road around mile 24.  Finally, another mile later the sign for Abbeville appeared and the farmland turned slightly more urban as the "city" appeared.  When I say city, I mean the houses were closer together and there were a few historic square type buildings at the 26 mile mark.

Overall, the course was mostly farmland with only a few trees to shade the road once the sun came up.  There were several times where we passed pastures with horses or cows, but the farms here are mostly vegetables or vineyards.  Many of the farm fields didn't look like they were being used, or they had just recently been planted and hadn't shown any growth yet.  Either way, once the sun came up the temperatures started to soar with minimal shade to cool us.

I almost missed the first water stop.  It was a card table with water cups set up on it.  This is just fine for a race as small as it is, but this is another reason they will have to cap it at 100 if it gets any bigger.  There were no volunteers at that water stop at all.  I am happy to report that there was at least one volunteer at all of the other water stops.  And I'm also happy to report that I was never without water when I came to the water stop, although I was one of the first dozen to finish the race, so I don't know how the back of the pack faired.

Speaking of the water stops, they were extremely well stocked for such a small race.  They had water, of course, as well as at least two different flavors of Powerade.  Also, many of the stops had food as well.  Several had had pretzels, there were stops with small peanut butter and jelly sandwich squares, one station had Lance cheese cracker packs and individual Pringles in their containers, and several stops had Hammer gels.  One suggestion is to use paper cups instead of plastic, as runners like to take the cups and pinch them as they continue to run on.  That wasn't possible with the plastic cups that were provided.  I had to stop to gulp my water down before continuing on.

The bathrooms were about four miles apart, which is tough when you really need to go and you just passed one a mile back.  It would be helpful to have them more frequently.  Although they did have plenty of places to hide on the side of the road (trees, bushes, etc) if the need arose between porta potties.  Not the most ideal situation, but it worked if need be.

If you're looking for crowd support, don't look here.  Pretty much the only people cheering you on are the one or two people manning the water station, and even they weren't paying that much attention to the runners.  One of the water stops had some people playing a board game to pass the time and hardly acknowledged that I was there.  There were a few more people in Abbeville, but other than that, you're on your own.

The SWAG consisted of a unisex dri-fit shirt, a canvas grocery bag, a visor with one of the sponsors on the front, a water pouch, and a couple chapsticks.  The metal looks like a coin encased in a clear case, and age group winners also received a different color ribbon to hang the metal.  The overall winners received a trophy bowl, which was pretty neat.

At the finish line they had some good food.  There was water, Powerade, and chocolate milk.  They had sub sandwiches (several different kinds) and donuts.  The finish was at a gym, so it had a normal bathroom, which was nice.  They had shuttle buses that took you back to the start line.

As far as communication, this is another area they can improve upon.  If you were on the Facebook page, they posted updated and asked for suggestions (which they took and actually implemented).  But the race website can use some major improvements, including more information about where the race starts, FAQs, types of hydration/support, turn-by-turn course map and directions, etc.  It would also be helpful if they sent an email with race day information during the week leading up to the race.

In south Georgia in May, the weather can get quite hot.  This day was no exception.  The race start temperature was 66 degrees, and the ending temperature when I crossed the finish line 3 hours and 38 minutes later was pushing into the upper 70s.  By the time the last runner ran in, the temperature was in the mid to upper 80s.  The sun was out and there was barely a cloud in sight.  With limited shade on the course, this could be a brutal race.  It is good that they start at 6am before the sun comes up to warm up the temps.

For a small race, and one put on by non-runners, I was extremely impressed overall.  They have some opportunities for improvement, but put on a good race.  I give this race 3 out of 5 stars.

Running Georgia - Skidaway Island Marathon

The Skidaway Island marathon is held in mid-March down on the coast of Georgia, not far from Savannah.  This race is one of the best kept secrets in Georgia.  The website claims that it is the race that the locals want to run.  It is small, yet very well organized.  2016 was only the second running of the race.  The website brags about a 100% refund policy if you tell them ahead of the race start.

There is no race-day packet pickup, so I headed down after lunch on Friday.  The packet pickup is at a Dicks Sporting Goods store in a nearby city.  The shirt was a unisex dri-fit shirt, that was huge on me (and ended up getting donated because of the poor fit).  Why don't races offer gender-specific shirts??

There isn't much on the actual Island, so hotels were suggested in Savannah.  The island itself is made up of neighborhoods, a research institute for Oceanography, a state park, and a small aquarium.  There isn't much else to it, and the race course shows it all.

After picking up my race packet I headed to Saint Simons Island to stay at my brother's house overnight.  The race is about an hour and a half from Saint Simons, so I had to get up early to head to the start.

Beware of the bugs!!  There are little flying gnat-looking bugs everywhere at the start, and they bite!  I'm not sure if bug spray would have helped at all, but I would definitely recommend it.  Also, it never gets really cool down on the Georgia coast, so the weather will likely be pretty warm and humid throughout the race.

This was definitely true this year.  As I was driving up to Skidaway Island, it was sprinkling, and I could see lightning in the distance.  All I could do was pray that the runners were safe and no one got struck by lightning.  At the start line, the rain stopped, and the humidity set in.  I could still see lightning in the distance.  The race starts when it is still mostly dark, but the sun comes up by about mile two.

Parking was very easy.  The parking volunteers directed you to a spot on the grass near the start line.  They have a "key check."  The race starts and ends at the same place, so you can leave your gear in your car, but they will check your key for you.  It was pretty dark, so I couldn't really tell what else was at the start, and there wasn't a lot of signage to tell you where to go.  They had music playing. And several tents set up along the parking lot, as well as about ten porta potties.

The race had pacers (for both the marathon and half), which was totally surprising for a race that small, and very much appreciated!  I started with the 4-hour pace group and stuck with them for about two miles before surging ahead.  The marathon started five minutes before the half, so as we were running, there were several lead half marathoners passing us along the side.  I'm sure that was frustrating for them, but it is always appreciated when the marathon goes first, as we don't have to run around the walkers.

Around mile three, the sky opened up and the rain poured on us.  The pouring rain lasted about a mile or two before it let up.  I could barely see a few feet in front of me while it was raining.  I'm glad I wear a hat, or I would really have been in trouble.  Once the rain stopped, you could see the water evaporating off the pavement, and it got even more humid.  The temperature started to climb, but didn't get above mid-70s.  

The water stops were fully stocked and volunteers were plenty.  I hydrated at all of the stops to keep from getting too overheated, and often poured water over my head, once the sun came out and the temperatures rose.  Two of the water stops had energy chews, but they were hard to get open with wet hands.  I couldn't dry my hands off either, because my clothes were soaked from rain and sweat.  At the first chew stop, I eventually had to just throw them on the side of the road unopened.  At the second stop, I told the volunteers to open the packets for the runners.

The course was beautiful.  We ran on bike/golf cart paths and through neighborhood, beside marshes and near the park.  The trees often grew over the road to form a canopy of shade, with Spanish moss hanging down.  There were a couple of out-and-backs, which allowed you to see the other runners.  While the temperatures were high, the course was mostly shaded, so it didn't feel as hot as it could have been.  The terrain in South Georgia near the coast is almost entirely flat.  There was one bridge that we ran over, and a few of the bike paths had some minor hills, but for the most part, the course was completely flat.  This is definitely a fast course, and it is a Boston Qualifier certified course.

There weren't a lot of fans in this race.  It was quiet most of the course.  There were a few spots with fans, but they were mostly near the water stations, and were probably extra volunteers that weren't actively giving out water.

As you get close to the finish, they have a photographer to take pictures of the runners.  The race director runs with you during the last 100 meters into the finish line.  They have plenty of food, water and Garorade.  The results are printed out and placed in the food tent shortly after you cross.  By the time I was changed (in the porta potty, since there are no other open bathrooms), my results were posted.  The age group winners received a picture of a spot along the course, a beautiful path with the tree canopy.

The best perk about this race were the free pictures.  All pictures taken along the course were offered to the runners completely free.

Overall, this was a great little race.  I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Running Georgia - Publix Georgia Marathon

The most popular race in Georgia is the Publix Georgia Marathon in Atlanta Georgia.  The race started ten years ago as an ING race, and has grown ever since.  Publix became the title sponsor a few years ago, and this year the Atlanta Track Club took over as race organizers.

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.

Running Georgia - Snickers Albany Marathon

Georgia race #3 was the Snickers Marathon in Albany, GA.  This race does not offer race-day packet pickup, and is far enough away that you have to drive down th day before and stay overnight.  Since the purpose of me running all these Georgia marathons is to save my PTO and money for the adoption, I had to wait until after lunch on Friday to leave to head down.  I was planning on leaving at 2:00, but my boss was nice enough to encourage me to leave at 1:00 to beat the Friday traffic.  I'm so glad I did!  There were still two slow spots getting onto I-75 south, but I was able to make the drive and get to the expo by just before 5pm.

The expo was held in a hotel in downtown Albany.  I believe it was a Hilton Garden Inn, but am not sure.  I think that was also the official race hotel. The expo did have booths and merchandise that you could purchase, unlike the other races I had done thus far, but it wasn't huge.  I didn't have much time to check it out, because on my drive down, my maintenance light in my car came on, and I needed to find an oil change place before the city shut down for the weekend.

After finding a place open at 5pm on a Friday (that charged an arm and a leg) and getting my oil changed, I headed to my cheap hotel.  I stayed in the Baymont Inn.  It was cheap (remember the goal is to save PTO and money and still get to race), but functional.  The hotel actually gave the runners a nice welcome packet with bottled water and some other goodies.  It was across the street from a Publix and Target, so I decided to walk across the street to buy my typical race morning breakfast in case the hotel breakfast was not acceptable.  The hotel had a refrigerator to store my cold drinks.

After buying my breakfast, it was time for my traditional pre-race dinner.  I headed to the IHOP to meet my co-worker, who was also in town to run the race.  I had my pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast, and it was delicious, as usual.  Afterwards, I walked across the street to Walmart to buy some sunscreen and a throw away jacket (which I got for $3!).  Then it was time to go back to my hotel, set my clothes out, and get some sleep.

The next morning, I ate breakfast in the hotel lobby and headed over to the start line.  It was very easy to get to, and they had plenty of parking.  I parked close to the start line and waited in my car until it was close to start time.

They had music blasting and plenty of porta potties at the start line.  The problem was the placement of the porta potties, though.  The line for the bathroom was basically the same place as where the runners line up to start.  You couldn't really tell where the line started and where people were just standing and waiting to start.  There were no corrals, but they did have pace groups.  I found the 4-hour pace group and hung out.  My co-worker met me at the pace group, and we started together.

The four-hour pacer was very excited and talked a lot - almost too much.  So we moved ahead of her and ended up in the 3:55 pace group.  I was pretty impressed with the number of pace groups.  They had one for every five minutes under the 4-hours.  We stayed with the 3:55 group for almost half of the race.

The first part of the race takes you into a small college in the city.  Then you go out onto a long stretch of a somewhat busy road for several miles.  After what seems like forever, it turns into a nice neighborhood area.  The houses are nice, and the road is lined with trees.  The course gets a little hillier in the neighborhoods, but the hills aren't bad.  They are gently rolling.  That is about the halfway point, so the rest of the race is making your way back into town.  Once you get close to the finish line, you run thought an old train station and downhill into the park.  The race ends in the park under a bridge close to downtown and next to the river. The walk back to the car is a short couple of blocks, and passes by the Ray Charles statue.

The water stops were well supported with volunteers and plenty of cups with water and Gatorade.  I don't remember any times when I couldn't get what I wanted.  There were pockets of fans throughout the race that cheered for all the runners.

The park at the end of the race had tents set up with beer, food, and water.  There were tables under one tent with chairs so you could sit and eat the food.  The medical tent was nearby and ready to tend to any runners needs.  There were plenty of people hanging around the finish and cheering the runners on.  

The metal was a number 10 (it was the 10th anniversary of the race) with a snickers bar as the one, and it was pretty big and heavy.  The shirt was a gender-specific dri-fit shirt that looks like a snickers bar.  They also gave you a snickers bar in the race packet, a water bottle, and a magnet to save the date for the next year's race.

This was my favorite Georgia race thus far.  I give this race 4.5 out of 5 stars.  I would definitely do this race again.

Running Georgia - Callaway Gardens

Race number two of the year was the Callaway Gardens marathon in Pine Mountain, GA.  It is the last weekend in January.  This marathon is also about two hours away, south of Atlanta, so I drove down the morning of the race.

Parking was easy.  They had someone at the entrance to the park that directed you to the parking lot.  They offer race-day packet pickup, although they ran out of safety pins.  Luckily, I have my running belt, so I don't need them.  I also found four in my car from a previous race that I donated to the cause to help someone else.  The packet pickup was located in a building that kind of looked like a circus tent.  (It may have actually been one, for all I know.) The line got pretty long, and they didn't have a whole lot of volunteers handing out the packets.  There were only three people in front of me, and I probably waited in line for 15+ minutes.  This race's SWAG left something to be desired.  The shirt was a cotton t-shirt, and that was it.

The morning was chilly, so I stayed inside the circus tent building until right before the start.  The start/finish was right outside, so a few minutes before the start I was able to walk out of the building and into the line.  They had pace groups, so I found the 4:00 pace group and stuck with them for awhile.

The Christmas lights were still up in some places, and there weren't any flowers blooming.  The park was pretty empty of guests, so it was a perfect time for the race.  The roads weren't closed to traffic, so every now and then a car would drive through the course, but it wasn't too often.

The course was pretty hilly.  It went past some lakes, around the park streets, and then into the woods on a bike (?) path.  It was a double loop course, so the half marathon turned off at the halfway point, and us crazy people continued on for another lap.  The scenery was very nice, and I'm sure it would be even nicer in the spring with the flowers blooming.  There was an out and back portion near the back entrance of the park in addition to the double loops, so you got to see and cheer on the other runners quite often.

I stayed with the 4:00 group for about three or four miles before a huge downhill took me ahead of them.  I'm a downhill runner, and I can't help but fly down the hills.  After that, I decided to stay ahead and try for a sub-4 hour race.  I felt good, and passed a bunch of people in the beginning of the second lap.  My middle miles were my strongest.  I would have my eye on someone ahead of me and see if I could catch up to them.

The water stops were well manned with cheering volunteers.  There was water, Gatorade (or some other electrolyte drink), and Coke at most stations.  They also had chips and pretzels.  I'm not sure if the chips were for the runners or the volunteers.  I'm not sure how you eat chips while you run.  But I did take a pretzel around mile 8 and 21.

I started to get tired toward the end when I was on the bike path through the woods.  Three or four of the people I had passed in the middle miles passed me back.  I couldn't keep up the pace in those last hills, and was glad to emerge from the woods and head down the last path to the finish in under 4 hours.  I finished in 3:52:59, which was good enough for 3rd place in my age group, 7th female overall.  The age group awards were beer mugs with the race name, age group, and place.  They are very nice!

I met some great people at this race.  One of the girls I passed in the middle who passed me back at the end was Shannon Hays.  Shannon had also run the Museum of Aviation marathon and snagged 1st place in our age group in both races.  She introduced me to Bob Kennedy, who heads up the 50<4 marathon club (for people who have run or trying to run a sub-4 hour marathon in all 50 states).  They convinced me to sign up for the club.  I also met Loren Starr, who, at the time, was close to a 100 marathon milestone (He was since crushed that goal).

Another small Georgia race in the books.  I give this one 3.5 out of 5 stars as well, although the scenery might tip the scales toward a 4.

Some of the "fast women" in the race.  We all finished right under 4 hours.

50<4 Marathon Club members with our awards

Shannon and me with our age group awards. That girl is amazing!

Running Georgia - Museum of Aviation Marathon

As many of you know, my husband and I are in the process of adopting.  We will be adopting a child from Albania.  We are in the waiting phase, where we are just waiting for a match before we travel to Albania to pick her up.

The trip to Albania will be about a two month ordeal.  Because of that, I have to save all of my PTO this year in case it happens this year.  Normally, my PTO would go to either a Friday before a race or a Monday after a race, since I'm trying to run in all 50 states.  I have already run in most of the states that are close enough to drive to without taking time off work, so I decided to put my 50 state dream on hold this year and run all of the marathons in Georgia.

My first marathon this year was the Museum of Aviation Marathon in Warner Robins, GA.  WR is near Macon, GA about two hours south of where I live (in the northern suburbs of Atlanta), so it is pretty convenient to drive to the morning of the race.  For anyone traveling from out of state, it would be easy enough to fly into Atlanta and make the short drive down to WR. They offer race-day packet pickup, which is very convenient if you want to stay in Atlanta and just come down the morning of the race.

The race is typically held on MLK weekend, so it allows for extra recovery/travel days before going back to work.

Parking was very easy, and the volunteers helped us see where to park in the dark.  They could have used more signage to guide us to the right door for the museum entrance, but we were able to find it. The museum building was open for us to stay warm before the race.  The race organizers require that you provide your ID to participate.  They keep it until you finish to make sure that all civilian runners are off the base after the race.

Before the race starts, they have a small ceremony in the museum with the National Anthem, music, and a short speech by the race organizer and museum employees.  They have chairs set up for everyone to sit in to watch the ceremony and wait for the start.  There are bathrooms indoors, but if you get there too late, there will be a line.  But they were very nice to change in after the race was over.

The course is a double loop course through the Air Force base.  This allows for the full and half marathoners to run together for 13 miles before the split, although the half marathon starts 5 minutes after the full starts.  The first half of the loop is pretty flat.  It goes past the landing strip, so you may get a glimpse of some of the planes taking off and landing.  The back half of the course has two pretty decent hills.  After the first hill, you pass a couple of lakes and a horse pasture before heading up the second hill.  

The course is run almost entirely on the base, so spectators are rare.  I believe you have to have a military ID to get onto the base, so most spectators are limited to water stations and the start/finish, which is located just off the base.  This is not an ideal race if you depend on fans for motivation.  But the volunteers are great, and will cheer you on as much as they can.  On the back half of the course, before the hills, there was a DJ on the side of the road playing rap music.  I'm not sure if that is a normal thing, or just a random 2016 thing.

The water stations are about two miles apart the whole way.  They did have bananas at one of the water stations.  I believe the electrolyte drink was Gatorade.  The water stations were well stocked, and I never had trouble getting the water or drink that I needed.  After the race, they had pizza, cookies, and other goodies in the museum waiting for us as we picked up our IDs before we left.

As far as SWAG goes, this race is lacking.  The shirt is a regular cotton, long-sleeved shirt.  There wasn't much else to it.  The winners (both overall and in age groups) did get a very nice trophy.  To were very good about mailing it to you if you weren't there for the ceremony as well.

Overall, this was a nice little race, and very convenient to the city.  I ran with a co-worker, and we finished in 4:10, which was good enough for third in my age group.  Race #1 in Georgia is done.  I give this race a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Dossier Sent!

After five long months, we have finally sent our dossier to Albania for review/approval!

The international adoption process comes in various phases.  The first phase is the home study.  We completed that January - June of this year.

The second phase is the dossier.  The dossier is a collection of documents that proves who you are and what you said in the home study.  They all have to be official documents, certified within the past six months.  Most of the documents have to be notarized and apostilled.  Most people (including the attorneys I work with) have never even heard of an apostille.  The notary certifies that the signature is yours.  The apostille certifies that the notary is certified to notarize.  Apostilles are generally only used for Hague country adoptions.  Apostilles have to be done in the state in which the document originates.  For example, I was born in Ohio, so I had to have my birth certificate apostilled by the Secretary of State in Columbus, Ohio.

Because we had to get documents from out of state and also because of my name change, the process for compiling all of these certified, notarized, apostilled documents took quite awhile.  We were notified of the home study approval in June.  As soon as we were notified, I ordered the documents. My name change caused some major confusion for the company that we used to order the documents.

• Georgia couldn't locate our marriage certificate because they were looking for an Elizabeth as a first name (my first name was Janet back then).  
• North Carolina sent the incorrect divorce certificate, because, again, they were looking for an Elizabeth.  

When we finally thought we had everything, the apostille office wouldn't apostille the copy of our property deed because it wasn't an official, signed, sealed version.  So Rob spent some time driving back and forth getting all the last-minute paperwork completed.

But it's finally sent!

So what happens next?  The Albanian office of Bethany will have all of our documents translated into Albanian.  This will take about a month.  After that, it is submitted to the Albanian Adoption Committee for review.  The Albanian Adoption Committee then matches our dossier with waiting children and decides whether or not to give us a referral.  They have cautioned us that the waiting period for a referral can be up to 2-3 years.

So now, it's a waiting game.  We don't even expect to receive a referral before end of January at the very earliest, as the translation process takes that long.  And it could be up to 3 years, as they said.

Be praying for patience as we wait.  Pray for wisdom for the Albanian Adoption Committee as they review our dossier and match us with a child.  Only God knows what child is the right one for our family.