My adventures in the 50 states marathon circuit has lead me here to a small residential area in…read moreBoiling Springs, Pennsylvania and a 12 hr ultra event called What the Duck 12 hour. I needed Pennsylvania again for my 2nd time around the 50 states and this one popped out at me. It was very easy for me due to logistics and it being on Memorial Day weekend 2023. I found this race on runningintheusa website. Well, that said, I came prepared and ended up catching an uber to the race venue that Saturday morning with a friend of mine. The task was to do as much miles that you can within a 12 hour period. The course loop was about just shy of 1.4 miles around the Spring Meadows Park in lovely Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. And so, What the Duck 12 hr ultra is a small but great event that started before Covid ruined the world but they're back! There was one main aid station at pavillion 4 where the packet pick up on race day was held from 6am to 7am and a lot of the aid was staged throughout the day's event. My friend and I opted to place our gear near the course, so we didn't have to venture far off course to get stuff if we needed. I didn't know that there was a local road that ran into the middle of the park and a small parking that helped support pavillion 4. It was a nice setting for a race that ended up being perfect weather conditions that day. No rain, but yet, it got warm in the middle to late in the day when the sun was on us relentlessly. The overall experience here at the What the Duck 12 hr ultra running event was good and encouraging, while participants and volunteers were inspirational and awesome throughout the event. The course was a box loop, circumnavigating the Spring Meadows Park here in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, which was about 45 min away from Harrisburg, PA. The course was nice and maintained by the local park authority, which was nice. It was great to see nice outdoor space and just everything opening back up like it was in 2019 where everyone seemed to not care about face masks and such things dealing with Covid-19. There was one timing station on the course, which we passed as each loop was completed. There was also a laptop on a table next to the timing station, which gave instantaneous results / feedback for us participants on how much laps we completed and how many more we can go before the 12 hours had expired. What the Duck 12 hr ultra running event is a low key event that gives you the satisfaction of doing long distance endurance while keeping it in a small local community park with minimum cost. Quite the event they have here and you may want to consider coming to this one, if you wanted to rock whatever distance you want to or try for a longer distance to test your limitations, physical, mental, or both, and or other. What the Duck 12 hour ultra marathon running event is staged at the Spring Meadows Park in Boiling Springs, PA. Registration for this annual event is usually online and prices are fairly good for a 12 hour event. Registration comes with a race bib with chip timing and a race t-shirt. However with this race, as mentioned before, the only race finisher medallion is for individuals or teams who finish cumulatively 35 miles. For those who don't, get nothing but the credit of miles logged in electronically. My main intention was the credit of the miles. I knew going in I just wanted the marathon or 50km distance. The medallion was secondary, although it would have been nice to carry home something extra to remember the race by. For the most part though, I ran and got the marathon distance here in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania in 2023. It is my 30th state marathon/ultra, 2nd round in a quest to do it again. Many people car pool here, but my friend ultimately decided to take Uber to and from the race venue. There's plenty of parking at the Spring Meadows park. Just arrive early enough to secure your parking. There's also places along the course to set up tents and for family and friends to cheer you on. They do provide ample aid for you as the miles wears on, but at the end of the day, the accomplishment of running a distance you can be proud of is immeasurable and simply sweet. If you are a 50 state marathoner or just someone who wants to dabble in long distances, consider coming to What the Duck 12 hr ultra event in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. While it is loops around a small park, it's a different vibe that doing a big city race like in Philadelphia or in Pittsburgh. Just different and laid back. No time pressures for a specific distance but you'd need to finish within 12 hours time, which provides a very generous amount for a marathon or 50km distance finish. It was nice to see familiar faces along the course and meet new friends that day. Definitely recommended if you are in the area or want to pick up Pennsylvania for your bag of States. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Support local! A+

my arms, legs, and stomach got covered in fiberglass. Also there were "safety" pins in the water…read morepits. When I notified them, I didn't even get an apology. My advice... don't use fiberglass or pins. Didn't think I'd have to make that recommendation but here we are.

Hands down the best race for spectators! Over the years I've come to cheer on hubs and my brother…read morein laws at many races including Spartan, Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash. None have been as entertaining and exciting to watch as Savage Race located partially in the woods of a Skirmish course in the middle of eastern PA. There is a spectator fee ($15 online in advance, $25 day of), which I originally thought was lame the first time we were here about three years ago. That was until I saw we as non participants could actually run parallel to the actual course the entire 6 miles!! We are able to be right there in the action and watch so closely as our loved ones did their thing! It was awesome then and it just gets better after I got a feel for the land. If you're a down to get in a bit of a workout and get down and muddy, and probably a bit wet, this is a great race to attend! The kiddos who are actually free to watch love it too! Dress appropriately with hiking boots or sneaks and clothes you don't care that much about. We always bring a backpack with water or Gatorade, clean socks, a dry towel and flip flops. It takes roughly 1.5-2 hrs to finish. If you're not into experiencing Savage so closely, there are tables and chairs as well as some shaded areas near the final course, the Colosses, which is the best! The whole race is very well organized and is family friendly. They are very thorough with their waivers, so make sure everyone has their printed out and has their ID's ready. The area and crowds aren't super overwhelming as many of these races can be. I never worry about not being able to meet up with my entire party afterwards since we're all right there together pretty much the entire way. There's also a nice mix of natural elements and wooded areas too, which also sets this race apart from others. There's always an entertaining dj and a guy who gets everyone at the starting line pumped. The energy is infectious and everyone is super nice! This year they've added more food options such as 2 for $5 tacos to their usual burgers (beef and veggie), chicken fingers, fries and such, but we usually go to eat elsewhere afterward. Your bib price includes a cold beer post race. Parking is $10 for cars and $20 for trailers. Cash only. Just a heads up, you probably won't have reception. Unlike most races he's had to drag me to, this one we all enjoy as a family so much! Always an awesome, enjoyable day!!

Over all a good race with lots of hills and varied terrain. However, the course planners really…read moreneed to look at some parts of the race as unsafe footing. There were several parts I walked including the finish line to insure I didn't fall. Risky large gravel, pot holes, stairs and such were more than I bargained for. Also the traffic was scary. I had several drivers honk at myself and others approaching Bolivar and we had no where to go. Cars raced past us with little care for our safety. Nice shirts but the donation or money from the string bag really should have gone into the medal. How many chintzy string bags does one need? The Landry soap though was a nice surprise. I will do this one again in hopes that a few parts of the course are changed and more traffic monitors up the HF hill into Bolivar.

I've done 20 or so HMs in the greater DC area and Harpers Ferry is my favorite. Nice mix of…read moreterrain. Good atmosphere - small and casual. But it's not for everyone - it's extremely hilly (and, as Metina's review mentions, the course is open to cars). But if you like history, scenery, and killer hills - all at a modest price, it's a wonderful race. My only complaint - no gatorade at the aid stations. There's only water and gels along the course.

This is literally the worst race and most unprofessional race production company I've ever dealt…read morewith and I run a race like every weekend. The race is a joke and a rip off. It is $100. They didn't mark the course right and the half marathon ended up being a mile short. This is a big deal to runners. They never apologized. They just pretended it didn't happen and deleted Facebook posts that complained about the race instead of writing an apology. Also the swag was terrible. And the course was not even very nice.. Do NOT sign up for the race or anything by Bad to the Bone Sports unless you want to waste money and support terrible human beings.

I am a pretty avid runner and a Loudoun County wine enthusiast, so this is a race that I have…read morewanted to run since it first began back in 2011. But I was also put off by the race reviews posted here and elsewhere, so my expectations were tempered for both the pre- and post-race experience, and did not plan on running a PR. The negatives mentioned included the high cost plus the up-selling of race-related services for packet pickup, transportation, and - of course - the wine glass. Yes, the cost seems pretty steep when you factor in the hassle AND cost of "remote" packet pick-up (in Ballston for $10, vs the Race Expo at Lansdowne -- I opted for Ballston since I was coming from DC), and I think bus transport was another $25 for car-free runners. Despite all that, I was still eager to run the race. The course itself is a lollipop: heads out on asphalt for 5-6 mostly downhill miles past farms before looping back on a graded gravel/dirt road - mostly uphill - for 3-4 miles. It then resumes on asphalt for a mile or so before rejoining the main stem for the final 3 mile push back to the finish line. It's true that you only see a vineyard for the first and last half-mile. I had driven the course before hand so I expected the ascent on the return leg over gravel, plus I noted very little shade for much of the run. Happily, race day was slightly overcast so the the sun was not a big factor, but it was breezy with 10 mph winds out of the WNW - right in your face for the last 3-4 miles of the run. Brutal when you factor in the uphill grade and the cumulative effect of running 10 miles when you get hit with the wind. So this was definitely challenging. But I found that there were plenty of water stops at approximately 2 mile intervals, so that seemed to have been addressed by race officials.The last quarter mile was on the Doukenie Winery gravel drive, with one final rise before the finish. After 13 miles, that rise felt like Mile 20 of the Boston Marathon, but spectators lined the drive and by the time you made that final turn down to the finish line it felt like a huge achievement - which it is. This is not an easy course. It gives you vanity splits on the outbound section, but it will test your mettle from mile 6 onward as you deal with the gravel, hills and - in my case - wind. And if it's hot and humid, you will likely suffer more, but this year was perfect running temps. Yes, they have no bananas at the finish line, but water and "hydration stations" - multi-spigoted water coolers - were available. A food truck was slinging breakfast burritos and there was a tasty crepes cart, among other offerings ($7-10). The wine festival lines grew longer for tastings as the runners streamed to the finish line (tip: run fast if you want to avoid lines!). There was also a charging station for handheld devices, and the band was wedding-band efficient and performed a spot-on cover of Green Day's "Basket Case" which seemed to sum up the overall experience. For whatever reason (WINE) a lot of chicks run this race, so this definitely had that "Chicks Day Out" vibe which was fun. In summary: Don't expect an easy race. Expect wine-festival-style lines (tip: just find a wine you like and then buy a bottle). Yes, you could get better wine at Trader Joe's, but you just ran a half-marathon! Celebrate! Deal with the marketing and up-selling - this is a boutique race. It would be nice if the organizers threw in a glass with the race fee, but the comfortable shirt and medal (with a very functional wine glass holder) were nice touches, and it really was a nice way to kick off a day in Wine Country!

I would like to commend Diva's Half Marathon for making one of my issues right. I'm a firm believer…read moreof expressing my gratitude or my dissatisfaction to the proper entity. I expressed my dissatisfaction about being charged an extra night at my hotel due to the poor logistical planning of the race. I sent them an email on Monday night, received a response from them on Tuesday and the hotel refunded us our extra night stay the next day. Great turnaround time! I appreciate the fact the Diva's organization is working hard to rectify all that went wrong with the race. I'm sure the race will have improved tremendously next year and I wish all future DC Divas the best. Customer satisfaction is important and given the circumstances...I'm satisfied.

The best part of the race was meeting and running with other duped ladies…read more Their pre and post events were so lackluster that I don't even know where to begin. How about I begin with green bananas?! I ran the 5k and I'm happy about it because I heard nothing but complaints about the hills for the rest of the half marathon route. I was so disgusted with the finish line being on top of the hill that I didn't even look at the men at the finish line!!! The fact that no one was told that we would be running on a dirt road, was rude. Several people fell and there was 2 hour traffic jam because no one within the Diva Run Series thought that there should be bus services for 4000 people on a single country road. The race was scheduled to start at 7:30a for half marathoners and 7:50a for 5k runners. I was 5k runner and didn't start until 10:02a...unacceptable because I scheduled myself for a late check at my hotel and missed the 1pm deadline. I thought the volunteers were great and so was the host in the white shorts. I won't return next year or recommend this race to anyone else.

Ran the one on April 2026. The communication was great. Picking up the bib was easy. It is a…read morerelatively small marathon , no pacer. The course is beautiful. But there are parts of the course I didn't like the beginning was very crowded and there were a few steps and quite a few turns. Around 6 miles, there was a loop in the park and I thought the signage wasn't that clear. Talked to a few guys and we were not sure if we were going the right way. Otherwise the course is very scenic and has a bit of everything. There's a bouncy suspension bridge, boardwalk by the water, downtown, cute old little houses, park and you get to enjoy the nature. The first half was rather hilly so run more conservatively and may not be a good course to PR if hill is not your thing. The finisher medal was ok this year. I thought the previous years were much cooler looking. The Under armour long sleeve tech shirt is nice. It was an enjoyable experience.

Warning: The full is just two loops of the half! For that reason alone I am glad I signed up for…read morejust the half. Still, the Delaware marathon running festival is rather well organized. Besides the half and full options, they also offer a relay and daredevil option. I opted daredevil, which was the twilight 5k followed by either the half or full marathon the next day. I set PR's for both the 5k and half, coming in at 1:55:15 for my first sub 2 half! While I managed PRs, the course was not that easy. However, it was well stocked with plenty of volunteers to cheer you on. Besides water stations about every mile and a half, they had gels and chews twice on the course and someone was even handing out water ice! The expo was a little weak. However that may have been because it was out door and it was rainy. Overall a great time and probably one I'd return to repeat!

Muck Fest is a 5K course with 18 obstacles where a portion of the proceeds go to the National MS…read moreSociety. It is dubbed the "fun mud run" because it is not timed or competitive. Anyone can be a "Mucker" including the average Joe with no previous run experience. You are encouraged to set your own pace and work together with other fellow muckers. The run hits major cities such as Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia and more. Have fun while raising money for a good cause!