I just wrapped up my third Baltimore Running Festival and it was less than a great showing from a performance standpoint. I went into the weekend undertrained and well aware of that fact so I ran some and walked liberally to my 2nd slowest half-marathon time yet. But, I finished and still had an amazing time - that's what's important!! So instead of making this the typical race recap post, I'm going to shed a little insight to things you should know about the Baltimore Running Festival in case you decide to run in the future!
Registration - Registration is easy and on the relatively inexpensive side if you do it early enough. This race is organized by Corrigan Sports Enterprise (CSE), which organizes several other races around Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic. When you register for the Baltimore Running Festival, you'll also see this race connected with several other. You can register for the
Maryland Double or the King Crab Challenge as well if you're interested in competing in multiple races during the course of the year. For the Baltimore Running Festival, you can find a race distance regardless of your ability - 5K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Team Relay, and even the
BaltiMORON-a-thon (running both the 5K and Half in the same day). Thinking about registering? Keep your eyes open during the holiday season as previous years have seen race discounts as deep as 25% for a 24-hour period during the holiday shopping season!!
Premiums & Bling - Each year the Baltimore Running Festival provides top notch premiums from one of our favorite Baltimore companies, Under Armour. Runners for the 5K and Team Relay each receive short sleeved tech shirts, while half and full marathon participants get long sleeved tech shirts. And then, there are the medals! In recent years, the Baltimore Running Festival has celebrated Maryland's unofficial state symbol, the crab, with their designs. As the final leg in the Maryland Double and the King Crab Challenge, you'll hear lots of runners walking around with "clanging" medals after the race.
Getting Around - In each of my three Baltimore Running Festivals, I've had different transportation experiences on race day. My first year, I ran the 5K and was on the road into the city in the early morning hours. Traffic was backed up and it took a while to get into the city, but there was ample parking at M&T Bank Stadium that was free. Getting in and out of the city isn't super easy on race day with road closures though so plan with ample time on both sides of the race. The second time I ran, my husband and I got a hotel room at the Hilton the night before. This was the year I ran the BaltiMORON-a-thon and was a fabulous option. We could sleep in a bit on Saturday morning, walk right out of our hotel just a few steps to the 5K start and had a warm place to hang out and relax between the 5K and the half. This year, I was only doing the half and opted to take the Metro into the city. This was a super easy and effective option. If you know me at all, you know I despise city driving so I couldn't have been happier to park in Owings Mills and take the subway in from there. This may not be a good choice for 5K or full marathon runners though depending on how early you need to get into the city and when the Metro begins it's service that morning - be sure to check the schedule!
The Course - Is it just me or does Baltimore get more hills every time I run there??? You will certainly find your fair share of hills throughout the course. The fist half of the course trends uphill so be sure to train for them. On the plus side, what goes up must come down, so the the back half of the course trends down hill. One of the prettiest parts of the course is the run around Lake Montibello. This is such a serene half-way mark on the course and features the best aid station - energy gels! Well, maybe that's the second best aid station. Who can forget about the munchkin mile presented by Dunkin' Donuts?!? I usually pass on donuts during the race, but decided to stop and smell the sugar this year with any time goals being nonexistent anyway.
The Best of Baltimore - This may be my favorite part of this race. Baltimore doesn't always get the best press, but this event brings out the best in the city! First of all, the support from the police department and other first responders is top notch. There were countless cops who not only worked to block intersections throughout the city to keep runners safe, but they also joined in on the cheering and the fun. Neighborhoods came together to throw some of the absolute best block parties - from music screaming from speakers, to costumed dancers, to children giving high fives, and endless cheers and applause, it was certainly a sight to be seen and helped motivate everyone regardless of how fast you were running.
Despite the tough terrain, Baltimore is one of my favorite running events - for all of these reasons and much more! I hope to see you in Charm City sometime soon!!
