Subject: RE: Silver Comet Half Marathon I've done them both, and they're very different, so pick the one that you think you'll have more fun at:
Silver Comet - as described above.
Atlanta Half (Turkey Day ): From the Lowe's up on Peachtree Industrial to Turner Field. The opposite kind of course. Urban views as opposed to path greenery, and HILLS as opposed to SCT. If you like to descend and then climb, this is the course for you. After basically running downhill into Buckhead, you do Peachtree's heartbreak hill, and are reminded that it's actually the beginning of a much longer gradual climb all the way from there to the capital, that The Peachtree misses by turning off on tenth. If you're a road racer, this is a classic road race. It has the feel of a big 10k to me. Definitely a more challenging course. On the plus side, you get to eat guilt-free afterwards, and the scenery changes more regularly. It's a real history of Atlanta course, and you do get a good feel for the city. It's also the olympic half course, so you get to compare your results against the best out there.
Both of these races blow away the USHalf in Marietta - skip that one, which is organized by monkeys (bad monkeys, not the cute helpful kind ).
For me, the SCT half would be the winner overall, despite not being a real 'Atlanta' race, not finishing under the olympic torch, etc.
Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any specific questions,
Josh |