March 23, 2019 , an inaugural half marathon in Owensboro , KY
https://wendellfoster.org
I arrived Friday afternoon after a short drive from Louisville . I checked into the hotel which was adjacent to the Convention Center , packet pick up area . It is a small community centered expo with different booths to visit . I picked up my packet and it was full of swag . I was definitely impressed ! Long sleeve Tech Shirt , headband , hat , 13. 1 sticker , restaurant discount card ( which I happily used for dinner ) among attraction and city info inserts . If you have kids in tow , Smothers Park has a spectacular play area to keep them occupied. Its adjacent to the river and the view is beautiful.
Race morning I only had to walk down a block to the start / finish line at Smothers Park. Ample porta-potty stations for the racers , no lines which is definitely a bonus right before a race. Race started promptly at 7:30am CT . The course was fast and flat through downtown Owensboro and the adjacent neighborhoods. The course support was SUPER and lots of cheering folks the entire route . There were aid stations , water & Gatorade , every mile or so . I did not carry my own water and only carried some food / fuel . The volunteers were amazing and helpful for this event. Intersections were manned by local law enforcement and kept runners safe from traffic. Some of the course was closed to traffic and some sections had side lanes with cones & signage for runners . The side lanes were a little snug , maybe 2 runners wide so did have to go around cones to pass on a few occasions. There were large mile markers every mile and they were spot on with my Garmin . The bling was huge and beautiful , one of a kind . I can’t wait to hang it on my wall at work. The finish line had plenty of volunteers to assist you. There was water , Gatorade , milk , bananas and pizza for the runners .
This is a very runner friendly half marathon . If you had to pick a first half marathon , this would be a good one in my opinion . I really appreciated the race supporting the local Wendell Foster organization which provides services to persons with disabilities. The RD , John Gleason , and all the volunteers did a fantastic job on this event .
JanuaryRunr11 