Big Ass Medal Race Series Oak Island 1/2 Marathon 2018

Want to take some time to review the Big Ass Medal Race Series Run Oak Island. This review covers the 1/2 Marathon distance.

Cliff Notes 1-5 Scale. 5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest.

-Finishers Medal/Bling (Score 5)
This medal is massive. And features a 3D design of a dolphin jumping out of the water. Excellent craftsmanship. Coming in at a whopping 8 inches.There is a 5k version of this medal coming in at 4 inches. The full marathon medal is the same size of the 1/2 marathon but features

-Course (Score 4)
The course is relative flat with the exception of 2 small bridges(about mile 9). Nothing that some hill training can take care of but the gotcha is the following. The last 6+ miles you are literally running into a headwind. Be prepared to compensate by powering through it or use other runners to block the wind :-) You will run with some traffic. Course is well marked and Police supports was exceptional.

-Aid Stations (Score 4)
Aid stations are well stocked with water and gatorade. The only drawback here is the volunteers dont call out water or gatorade.Sometimes you have to ask them.

-Post Race (Score 5)
Uhhhh Beer. Bib includes 2 beer vouchers and food voucher. Food is plentiful from bananas to Barbecue.

Shirt (Score 4)
Nice shirt this year. Shirt didnt run big and made of a triblend.

My racing splits. Because of the nature of the course(relative flat) you may be tempted to push pace. Air on the side of caution to take on the headwinds.

No ill will on this one and will probably do it again in 2019. Folks you have to show the smaller runs some love. You will be surprised sometimes the experience is better than the bigger runs and more personal.