April Fools Races Weekend in Atlantic City

This past weekend we participated in the April Fools race in Atlantic City! We love this race and this is the fourth year in a row we've participate.

Besides the fact that the race is a reason to go to Atlantic City, we like it because there is both a 7K and an 11K.  They are both out and backs on the boardwalk, and with such an easy course and short distance it makes for the perfect race even if you don't train much during the winter months.

Here are some highlights of the weekend.


The past few years we've stayed at the Tropicana but this is the first time we stayed at the Trump Taj Mahal. We chose the Taj Mahal because not only is it a beautiful resort, but it is located on the Boardwalk and is right next to where the Start/Finish line of the race is located.


For the past few years packet pick up was in one of the ballrooms of the host resort. This year it was inside the Nike Factory outlet store.  There was literally no where to park. We did see one parking lot but it cost $10. That would be fine if we were going to be there all day but to pay $10 to park for 5 minutes was ridiculous. We ended up parking at the gas station across the street. We had our mom wait in the car as we walked across to get our packets. Thankfully they let us pick up her packet with just her ID.

Packet pick up was very quick because there were a lot of volunteers working. The only negative was that they ran out of shirts!!!! We both registered for this race back in December and we registered for an XS race shirt.  They only had one XS shirt left. We asked if people were exchanging shirts and they told us and I quote "oh no, no one would ever exchange for an XS". Which we thought was funny for them to say.  We left with one XS and one S and were on our way. We were actually planning on wearing this race shirt for the race UNTIL we saw that it said FINISHER on the back.  We found this comical and had a good laugh about this. We thought it was ironic that we recently wrote this post about wearing Race shirts but now we knew better than to wear this one BEFORE the race...haha.


We knew there was a good chance that it was going to rain on race day so we all came prepared with our rain jackets for running. Of course it was pouring as we approached the start line. This race is an out and back all along the boardwalk. We were told to be careful because the boards were very slippery.  I was not expecting all the puddles though.


We were shocked to see how many people were wearing the race shirt...lol

We all ran our own race. Our mom hadn't raced since last year's Tinkerbell Challenge so she did more of a run walk for the 7k. I surprisingly ran the entire race. I can't remember the last time I ran the entire race (besides a 5K) so I was pretty proud of that. I always like running on the boardwalk and unlike most runner's, I am a fan of out and back races. It always gives me a sense of "how far I have to go". Because of the rain there were less spectators and the music trucks were not out. I missed this because something wonky was going on with my ipod and I lost my music. I don't know if it was because it got wet or what. I also lost a few seconds on my time because I stopped to mess with my hood and head covering as they were blowing and I thought I may have lost my headband.  I adjusted myself and continued to run. On the way back, I got caught up in talking to a gal who seemed to be running the same pace as me. She was doing the race today and then the half marathon the next day so that started a chat about race challenges.  After a while I thought "what am I doing, I need to run my OWN race and not keep pace with someone else".   I tried to pick it up a little from there on.
race on boardwalk
After a very rainy race!

I like how this race posts statistics and race pace averages. I was pleased to see that the average finisher time for the 7K was 53 minutes and I came in at 44. I finished 9 minutes quicker than the average finisher.....YAY! Although I had mixed feelings about this because this is the EXACT same time I came in at the very first year I ran it. Perhaps I was being more cautious because of the rain???

After I finished I surprisingly met Mar from Mar on the Run! I knew she was doing the half but wasn't sure if she was running this race. Had the weather been nicer we probably would have chatted a little longer.

Lacey ran the 11k. She unexpectedly placed in her age group last year and didn't even know it until she got an award in the mail.  Now that she knew that she had it in her to possibly place, I know she was going to try to do her best. According to the stats, she finished 21 minutes sooner than the average finisher at 52 minutes (and some change)and that was enough to give her a 2nd place finish in her age group and 7th female overall!


It continued to rain even after we finished. We went into Margaritaville for a beverage and then walked shivered on over to the awards ceremony so Lacey could collect her 2nd place award.  Last year she won third place, so she was pleased with a "silver" finish this year.

I know the rainy pictures don't make this race look very fun, but this really is a great race weekend if the weather cooperates. We don't go to Atlantic City to gamble but we do appreciate all that there is to do. Who can resist a walk on the boardwalk and when its dry enough, putting their toes in the sand. AC has some great shopping with both high end stores and outlet stores and has some of our favorite restaurants, like Rain Forest CafĂ©. So yea, it can be a great weekend.  Oh, and despite what some may think, the boardwalk and resort areas are very clean and well maintained.  I'm definitely looking forward to going back and spending some time there this summer. -M

41 comments:

  1. The weather for this race weekend sounded brutal! Glad you ladies had fun and made the best of it. Yay for Lacey winning an AG award-that's awesome! -C

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    1. Yea, it rained the entire race! I am just thankful it wasn't a long distance race!

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  2. Oh no, that weather sounds horrible, but well done for making the most of it :)

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    1. Thanks, and of all races we didn't wear our hats or visors!

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  3. Glad that you ladies had a fun race weekend with your mom and made the best of the crummy weather situation. I really like that they post the average finish time. Its always nice to see how you compare to others that ran the same race.

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  4. So unfortunate that the weather didn't cooperate with you guys for the race!! I hate having to run a race in the rain. I can't believe they were out of cels shirts either! You would think they would have had enough for those who registered for one. Sounds like you guys still had a great race though!

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    1. Yea, the shirt thing was a bit frustrating but in the scheme of thing not such a big deal. I think it was just the point that they had plenty of time to be prepared with enough inventory and they weren't.

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  5. Great job braving the elements! (It's my word for today.) Sounds like a good race but I have to comment on packet pickup. I wish that more races would mail packets. I've done that and I would gladly pay extra to do it. The time and parking, especially for Chicago races, is a deterrent for me--some races I won't even sign up because of the location of packet pickup.

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    1. Yea, it was definitely not more convenient for us. It worked out much better when packet pick up was at the host resort. I say this only because we stay on the boardwalk and park our car in the parking garage. Those that are not staying on the boardwalk may encounter similar parking problems.

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  6. Great job to both of you! Sounds like a fun race :)

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  7. Sounds like a fun race without the rain! Congrats on running a solid race despite the conditions.

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  8. Oooh, this sounds like a lot of fun! Minus the rain, of course. My husband has cousins in NJ we don't see too often, and of course, both distances would be new for me so a PR.

    It's still a hard sell to Mr. Judy because April weather can be so iffy (yeah, all that rain down there was snow/ice up here).

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    1. This is actually the first year it rained for us there..boo!

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  9. BOOOO on the rain.
    YIPPPEEE on meeting Mar - that's so cool!
    URRRGHHHH on running out of shirts. That just FIRES ME UP! How do races - especially big races - not come prepared? No excuses!
    Great job at another race under the belt... or feet ;)

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    1. Yea, there really is no excuse for not having enough shirts. That was poor planning on their part. In the end we both did get a shirt just not the size we registered for. Honestly it wasn't really a big deal but because we registered for the race so early, I thought it was noteworthy to mention.

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  10. Great job to both of you! I'm glad that you had fun. This sounds like a fun race and I haven't been to Atlantic City in forever. I definitely have this one on my list for some point.

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  11. Congrats to you both! I would be so scared to run on the slippy boardwalk. We went to AC a couple years ago for the first time and had a lot of fun on the boardwalk. We don't gamble. At the time, we stayed in the Taj but now that Trump is a whack job you couldn't pay me to spend my heard earned money there!

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    1. Haha, we'll, it was in the perfect location and we got it at a good price! My favorite place we stayed was at the Atlantic club one year but that one is all the way at the opposite end of the boardwalk and it made for a long walk to get to the start line on race morning.

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  12. This looks like a fun race. I can imagine the boardwalk would get very slippery though. Did you notice? Congrats M for running the entire race! And congrats L for the 2nd place award. I love Margaritaville and Rain Forest Café!

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    1. I was being cautious but I never felt unsafe. I did pass a runner who was down and seeking medical attention. I don't know if she slipped cus of the rain or if there were other complications. She looked as if she was unconscious.

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  13. Congratulations on your races!! That looks very cold! You are both braver than me! I wish I could convince my mom to run with me!

    That's funny, people wearing the finisher shirts!!

    I have been to AC twice, and we've had trouble with finding parking both times. Very annoying!

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    1. Our mom has done quite a few races with us. She's a good sport.

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  14. Mar's recounting of the race, and then your recounting of the race confirms it: you guys are champs! Great job to all!

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    1. Thanks Suz, but really it wasn't all that bad. It was some rain and we didn't melt..lol

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  15. Congratulations to both of you on your races! The weather looks like it was a challenge, but way for both of you to push through! That is funny about the Finisher shirts after the discussions on shirt etiquette last week. =) Beautiful medal!!! How awesome that you got to meet Mar, it's amazing what a small world the running community is!

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    1. This is actually the first race I ever ran that had a shirt that actually said "Finisher" on it!

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  16. Glad you had a good weekend and congrats to you, your mom and Lacey. Do you recommend this race over October's Atlantic City one? Do they cover the same course?

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    1. I have never done the race in October but I believe they are different distances. The 7k and 11k are only in April.

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  17. I have never been to Atlantic city. Sorry about the rain, that is so miserable!

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  18. I've never been to Atlantic City so need to visit. I heard horror stories about the races this year. Glad you didn't let the weather get to you and that you enjoyed them and did well. Congrats to you both!

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  19. Congrats to you both! Sounds like a tough day to race with the weather but you both did fantastic!

    There is a RiverWalk in Milwaukee that I run on often and it too has a board plank surface. I love running on it so I'm sure I would love running on the boardwalk, too! And like you, I also like out and back courses - it's a nice distraction to smile and wave at all the runners going the other direction!

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  20. That is just not right where packet pickup is. I mean I'd be pretty ticked too if I had to pay to be there 5 minutes. I hate this turned out to be such a soaker but sounds like you were prepared and did great despite all of it. I have to say I love the medal it is pretty cool! Great job M!!!

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  21. I think your pictures do make it look fun. I mean look at your smiles!
    Great job Lacey on your finisher place!
    Annoying about paying for parking for packet pick up. I've had to do that in so many large cities as I traveled around for races. I find it annoying. It's just extra way for cities to price gouge runners I guess.
    Great job to you both running in the rain. Oddly I think it's fun to run in the rain, except sometimes those freezing winds do make it less than favorable! But you both did so awesome regardless, who knows maybe that yucky weather just pushed you both to go faster:)
    Great job ladies!!!

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  22. You 2 do get around! Looks like a fun place to run a race despite the weather challenges we all had last weekend. Nice job on the speedier than average finish and how fun to meet Mar!

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  23. I love that you two have such affection for this race. :)

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  24. I've never been to Atlantic City and I'd like to check it out. The weather sounds like a bummer, but I'm glad you all had fun and did well in the weather. Are the boardwalks hard to run on when wet?

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  25. this race looks great and congrats on running well in the rain! I have been to Atlantic City a few times when I was in college-I think 3 times total. I went onc ein the spring and 2x in the summer

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