Enell Ambassador Race Recap & Review: Baltimore Women's Classic

Note: As an ENELL Racing Ambassador, I receive race entry fees and merchandise, but I genuinely love the brand. All opinions here are my own. 

For the third year in a row, on the last Sunday in June, I ran the Mid-Atlantic's largest women's only race, the Baltimore Women's Classic. [check out 2014 and 2015's recaps!]

While the things I love about this course- the bling, the price, the atmosphere- stayed the same, there were a few differences. First, I was running this race as a part of the Enell Racing Team so I got to wear my sweet Enell tank and my newest favorite Enell, Biscay Bay. Or as I like to call it, the "Green Goddess."

The second thing that was different about this year's race was that I decided to run this race in memory of a former student intern of mine, Amanda Strous. On June 18, a little over a month before she was to be married, Amanda was murdered in her apartment, most likely by her upstairs neighbor. The night before the race, I decided that I wanted to run with Amanda's name on my back. I felt so incredibly helpless (and still do, to be honest) and this felt like something small I could do to honor her and share her name with others.

Flat runner.

The morning of the race, Matthew and I arrived to downtown Baltimore about an hour before the start. We'd pre-purchased parking (thank you, Parking Panda!) and then walked about a half mile to get the to pre-race expo/festival. My dad had already picked up my packet earlier in the week so we just walked around to see the different vendors and what they had for sale. I also might have eaten some watermelon :-)

While waiting near the start line, Matthew and I consulted the course map to see where he would station himself to get some good pictures. We didn't have long to wait and soon enough, the race began and we were off!

My strategy for this race was to reserve as much energy as I could. It was sunny and warm and I tend to get dehydrated and very light headed when I run in the summer.

Waving to Matthew, not saluting. ;-)

The biggest challenge of this course is the monster hill that you hit about a mile in. It's a heck of an incline but the good thing is that after that hill, there really isn't much elevation change throughout the rest of the course.

As you can see from the following pictures, the course was crowded. I'm not sure how many women raced this year but it felt close to 2,000. Given that I'm usually towards the middle-to-back of the pack, it was especially crowded on the parts of the course that narrowed. Sometimes I struggled to find room to slow down and take my walk breaks.

Beginning of the race... elbow to elbow.

End of the race... still elbow to elbow.

Despite the heat and the crowded course, I finished the race in 35:06. As I walked through the finisher's chute, I grabbed my medal, a bottle of water, and a cold towel- they take such good care of runners at this race. Then I walked towards a volunteer handing out roses- he went to grab one rose and accidentally came out with two as they were caught up on each other's stems and leaves. He said, "You get two!" with a big grin. I took both roses and immediately knew why I'd received two- one was for me; the other for Amanda.

After the race, I ran into two friends: Dr. Iannone, my undergrad psych professor, and Tara, an IG friend that actually won my blog's second birthday giveaway. It was awesome to see both of them and catch up. Matthew and I also headed over to a new vendor this year that was giving away free finisher photos. I also might have eaten some more watermelon :-)

Dr. Iannone, me, and Tara. And then me again. :-)

Thanks, Baltimore Photo Social!

All in all, this was another great Baltimore Women's Classic race. I was thankful for my beautiful new Enell for supporting me in style and always keeping the girls in their place. And I am so in love with this green color; it looks so great with my tanks/racer-backs.

I was also thankful for the 3.1 miles of quiet reflection I had during the race when I was able to think about Amanda's life and legacy that she left on this earth. It was a privilege to run every step with her name on my back.

This event has all the elements of a great race: semi-challenging course, ice-cold towels and watermelon at the finish, free photos, awesome bling, and easy race-day logistics. I think this one will be on the calendar for years and years to come!



Have you ever done a race more than once? If so, why? If not, why not?

Five Reasons to Love the BWC (Race Recap & Review)

In June I ran my last race as an Enell Ambassador: the Baltimore Women's Classic (BWC). This is the country's second oldest women's race and I was thrilled to run it again this year. Last year was my first experience with an all-female race and I absolutely loved it. Because much of my experience was the same as in 2014, I wanted to do a different kind of recap for this race but still highlight all the great things about BWC!

Five Reasons to Love the BWC

5. Pre-Race Vendors/Expo

Just like last year, there were a ton of vendors set up in the park before the race. Matthew and I actually helped out our friend Larry (from RUNtelligence) set-up his booth before the race. I also stopped by the Charm City Run booth and got a new Maryland flag Sweaty Band. Overall, I'm guessing there were at least 25 different vendors there. We especially loved the Dunkin Donuts booth :-)

Boxes and boxes of RUNtelligence shirts!

4. Challenging and Beautiful Course

The best way to see a place is by foot, and this race gives you a great view of downtown Baltimore. My favorite part of the course is when you round the final corner towards mile 3- you get an awesome skyline view of the city (you can see it in the picture at the top of this post). The course also contains some challenging elevation that makes you appreciate the downhill sections. 

Passing my favorite museum of all time, the American Visionary Art Museum.

3. Finish Line Swag

Roses, cold towels, fresh watermelon, and a medal?! Yes, please! This race knows how to spoil a runner!

2. Training and Support

One of the coolest things about this race is the free training program offered by the local running store, Charm City Run. In fact, there are eight week training programs offered at several of the store's locations. These programs include a coach and tons of support- for free! What a cool way to encourage women to get active and work towards a common goal.

1. Women's Only Race

But perhaps the biggest reason why I love this race is the fact that it's a women's only race. There is just something really special about the entire field being made up of only women. I think there's a different energy surrounding the race- it was really cool to be running along side thousands of women all racing towards the same finish line. 

All in all, the Baltimore Women's Classic is a fabulous, wonderful, fantastic race! If you find yourself in Baltimore in late June, you should definitely check out this event- and if you don't meet the criteria to enter the race, we can always use more guys in the cheering section :-)

Finished this year's race in 33:55.

Have you ever competed a women's or men's only race?

Race Recap & Review: Baltimore Women's Classic

On Sunday, June 22, I had the privilege to run in the 38th annual Baltimore Women's Classic. This is the country's second oldest women's race- meaning only women are allowed to participate. After the 5k race, there is a co-ed fun run for children under the age of eight. Men are encouraged to cheer- loudly :-) With a little something for everyone, this race was a really great experience.

I signed up for this race online a few months ago. I believe it was around $40. Having heard rave reviews about the event, I was thrilled it fit into my race schedule this year. Because we had just come back from vacation, we utilized race-day packet pick-up. The race started at 8 am and we got there around 6:45. We had to pay for parking but the race partnered with Parking Panda so we were able to pre-purchase parking a little over a half mile from the start.

Once at the start, Matthew and I were both impressed by the amount of vendors set up. There were probably 20- 25 different companies there, all with women's focused merchandise for sale. After getting my bib and race shirt (super easy, by the way), we wandered over to the port-a-pots to use the restroom. There were tons of port-a-potties (always a plus) and there were tables with free "essentials" for participants: tampons, hair ties, hair spray, sunscreen, and hand sanitizer. Super cool.

We also ran into a former student of mine- Gigi- as she was there to cheer on the runners. That's another thing I loved about this race- lots of opportunities to catch up with running friends!

Thanks for thinking of everything, race directors!

The idea of wearing blue was to stand out so Matthew could easily find me... but the race shirts were blue so tons of ladies were wearing them. BWC- 1, Sarah- 0.

We walked around for a bit and collected lots of free stuff from the vendors. I bought a pair of Maryland Flag Arm Warmers- they are pretty bad-ass. Charm City Run (my favorite running store) was there as well as RUNtelligence. There really was a great selection of vendors to choose from.

Matthew and I eventually made our way towards the finish line to find a place to sit. Since we'd gotten there so early, we had time to kill. Which ended up being awesome because we got to meet up with a twitter friend- Meg! She ran the Mission 10 Miler earlier this year and she was volunteering for BWC. We chatted for a few minutes until we needed to head to the starting line.

It was really bizarre lining up without Matthew. We start almost every race together so it was a little weird having him be the spectator for the day. I gave him my camera, we said our goodbyes, and then I lined up near the 11-12 min/mile sign. There weren't corrals for this race; we all just lined up according to our pace. Strangely enough, I spotted Morgan in the crowd! I'd known she was racing and was so glad to see her!

My handsome spectator, goofing around.

Morgan and I ran the Princess Half Marathon together in 2012- she is one of the people who inspired me to train for a half marathon :-)

After a few announcements, we started the race. I really didn't have a goal for this 5k- just to enjoy the experience of my first all-women's race and to finish. The course itself was pretty flat. There were a few rolling hills but nothing major. There were TONS of photographers; more than I've ever seen for a 5k. With over 2,800 women participating, this was a pretty large race for the distance. And for a lot of women, this was their very first race. One of the things I love about this event is that Charm City Run offers a free 8 week training course for anyone signed up for the race- how cool is that? It's such a great way to encourage more women to start running or walking and it creates a great support system.

The legend.

The last little turn provided a great view of the city!

Matthew and I had been in communication during the race via text message so he knew where to look for me. I was able to see him at mile 2 and the finish. After crossing the finish line, the runners were truly pampered- we got a medal, a wet towel, and a rose! Awesomely enough, Meg got to hand me my finisher rose- super cool! I met up with Matthew and I scarfed down some watermelon. After cheering on some more participants, we took some pictures and started to head back to the parking garage. On our way there, we ran into with a friend from college- Lisa- who also ran the race pushing her eight month old daughter in a stroller. Lisa is another person who inspires me to run- I loved watching her journey to her first marathon (Baltimore 2012) on social media and it's really cool to see her getting her daughter involved with fitness from an early age.

Matthew's awesome pictures:

Matthew's a great photographer!

Waving at mile 2.

Finished! And checking my splits on my app!

Delicious.

Larry!

Matthew and Gigi.

Yellow and blue were the colors of the day.

Love this city- and my Black-Eyed Susan medal! It's the state flower of Maryland.

I finished the race in 33:41 which put me as 873rd out of 2,890 overall and 152nd out of 458 in my age group (30-34). Not too bad. The weather was perfect- around 65 degrees and overcast. This race really was a great experience focused on women and running- what could be better than that? ;-) I have to again thank Matthew for being my cheerleader, photographer, and spectator. It was definitely a cool experience knowing I had someone waiting for me at the finish line. Thank you, BWC, for a fantastic race! I will be back next year for sure.

QOTD: Have you ever participated in a women's only or women's focused event? What did you think?