Lincoln Marathon

The first half of the course was nice around downtown Lincoln. The second half was not nearly as nice. Out and back, most on a busy coned off road. Biggest problem was the no shade for half of the race. It was a sunny day. I think marathoners should do the first loop twice! Spectators were awesome and the course support was the best ever. Every time I had to walk someone biked by me to check if I was ok. Big medal, pizza at the finish, chocolate milk and other goodies. They arranged for participants to have free showers at the YMCA afterwards. Crucial for people driving 6 hours home. Well run marathon! Don’t stay at the Marriott Cornhuskers. They will not give you late check out even if the expo is there.

I was really impressed by how well supported this race was. It was hot and sunny but there were plenty of aid stations and all of the stations were incredibly well stocked- water, Gatorade, Vaseline, some food, ice at a few (so wonderful!!) and even wet sponges. Of the 60+ marathons I’ve done, this was one of the best supported. A few things I would change- find a route that has more shade- maybe more use of a running/biking path. It was brutal to have little shade. The other thing is to please save more goodies for the back of the pack marathoners. There were a few things but I was really looking forward to some cold chocolate milk (thought it was advertised) - no luck. I did appreciate the coffee truck that was there - had to pay but that blended ice coffee was worth every penny! Love the medal and nice shirt!

This was our first race back post-Covid and we couldn't have chosen a better one. We've found any race that's organized by a running group is typically done very well and this was no exception. This is the longest running marathon in Nebraska and Lincoln is a great city to visit. Unfortunately, they had to cancel the Expo due to Covid. The course provides a nice tour of the city and normally finishes in the Lincoln Memorial Stadium (where the Cornhuskers play) though we finished in the track & field stadium. The half and full run together for entire time until right at the end where anyone doing the full can see and hear the finish line party as you trudge away to do another 13.1! Lincoln has a lot of nice greenways. You run on them some, but there is more street running with coned off traffic. The last half of the marathon is primarily an out and back. The aid stations were very good and well stocked. I'd describe the fan support along the course as strong. The swag included a medal, t-shirt, and marathon themed face mask (let's hope that ends up being a one-time keepsake)! Lincoln is a fun college city. The downtown area around the Historic Haymarket is always hopping, a very fun atmosphere. There are lots of other attractions in the area, the zoo was particularly enjoyable. And we actually escaped from an Escape Room for a change! You can get a good feel of the race, place and taste from our YouTube video at Race The Nation.