This weekend I had the chance to run the Crawlin’ Crab Half Marathon in Hampton, VA. I can’t believe it was the 6th half marathon that I’ve completed!

I love running half marathons because they’re challenging but doable. I’m a bit of a race snob and choose races based on their entertainment value, the SWAG, and the size of the race. I won’t just sign up for any old race because I’ve learned that I’m not a fan of paying a lot of money to run if I don’t get much in return.

Well, the Crawlin’ Crab did not disappoint. I didn’t have much time to go through the expo which is always one of my favorite things, but it was a nice size and well organized. I loved the shirts this year, they were bright and neon and make for an excellent addition to my shirt collection.

The morning of the race was perfect. It was a little cloudy, but great weather. The sun came out which was a little hot during the race, but it was nice to see the sun after a rainy week.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture, but the announcer was wearing a crab costume which was awesome. I always love seeing the outfits that people wear on race day and applaud anyone in costume. I have no idea how they do it!

The course was nice and fairly flat which I really appreciated. I hate hills! The course went through downtown, near Hampton University and along the water. It had gorgeous views and was a great way to explore the city.

Along the course were radio stations, music, cheerful volunteers and supportive spectators. It always makes me happy to see people cheering on runners. If you’re around, why not cheer someone on? It will probably make their day. And high fives are also highly encouraged.

I also loved the jokes that were throughout the course. They had questions about crabs on one sign and a few feet ahead was the punny answer. This definitely kept me entertained. I wish I actually remembered some  so that I could share.

At the end of the race I was awarded with a medal and a hat as an additional prize (yay!). I really like getting additional gifts at the end. Some people did the Shell Yeah Challenge and ran a 5k the day before and the half marathon, so they got an additional medal, which I’m pretty jealous of. Maybe one day I’ll work up to racing two days in a row.

I think my favorite part was the after party. For participating in the race we were given four craft beer tickets and a food ticket to get crab or tomato soup. I opted for the crab soup and it was delicious. They had a live cover band that actually performed very well. It was so much fun to relax after the race with good beer, good food and good music.

I love the feeling of accomplishment after running a half marathon. I definitely need to step up my training for my marathon coming up in a few months but this was a great race to gauge where I am.

I highly recommend running the Crawlin’ Crab Half Marathon. Have you ran this race before? Let me know what you thought!