2012 Screaming Pumpkin Quarter Marathon--Peoria, IL

First before anything, this race is worth the drive if you have to make one. We had to drive 2.5 hours and I would do it again to race in a quality race like this. I loved it.  You run through a massive, very old cemetery in Illinois.  The trail through the cemetary is an old paved road with lots of potholes, however the race crew put glow sticks in white bags all along the entire course to show you where broken pieces of road were and where to run.  It was so peaceful to run through this ancient cemetery in the dark.

Good points to the race:
Packet pickup was quick
Race number has chip timing built in
Announcements regularly so you knew when races were starting.
Shirt is awesome and one I'll wear again when running.
Finishing medal for your efforts that is actually really nice.
Food at the end that was really good.
Lots of volunteers.
Well marked course.
Here are the results if you must see them:  The results

Tracy and I before the race.  I really liked this sign.  Didn't realize
at the time there was going to be a larger sign to get pictures with.

Cute blow up Halloween things to get
pictures with.

The big sign.  Here is us before we put our
costumes on.

Us after we put our costumes on.

Lots of cool costumes, these people were
Zombies.

The Tooth Fairy.

Tortoise and Hare.

Snow White and some new dwarf.

Cool costume. I thought and she lit up.

This is the picture I HAD to have that ended up costing me
a HUGE sprained ankle.  I was running with my friend who's last name is Schmidt.
I thought it would be cool to have this picture since this gravestone was
massive.  So I proceeded to run towards it.  There was a ditch FILLED
with leaves and the leaves made the ditch not seem like a ditch.  So I
didn't know there was HUGE hole there.  I stepped wrong, fell about a foot or so, rolled
the left ankle (heard a snap), was sure it was broken, still not confirmed that it is or
is not broken, but just sat there for a few minutes trying to let the shock of
getting hurt and pain go away a little.  Then Tracy said, "Why don't you try
and walk?"  So I got up and tried to walk.  It was very painful, but doable.  We walked for a
while and then I tried to run.  Running actually felt better.  We were able to complete
the race in 1 hour 37 minutes and 1 second.  Pretty good for getting injured at mile
1.33 and then running the other 5.22 to complete the race.

A finishing photo of us.

The shirt, which I really like, however this year they
did women's sizes and those ran small so note to self, if
they do women's sizes again, get two sizes bigger than
usual to be happy.  I usually wear a small and traded for

a large.

The entire finishing medal.

Up close picture of the awesome finishing medal.