Wow - what a race! I had heard good things about B2B but now that I've run it, I want to go back and run it every year for the foreseeable future! It's a gorgeous point-to-point with massive volunteer and spectator support, and a fantastic time overall.

Expo:
Bib pickup is held the 2 evenings before the race, and there is a small expo on-site as well. At the expo, each runner got a $10 gift card to LL Bean, a $10 gift card to Olympia Sports, and a $3 to Dunkin Donuts - awesome. There were also free swag bags, bananas, Clif Bars, pasta, etc. and several vendors and running clubs were there too. I haven't run many big races, so this was my first expo and I wasn't disappointed.

Pre-race:
Minimal parking near the start and finish, so runners are encouraged to park at designated areas that are served by shuttle buses. Shuttles run from 6am-7am for the 8am start, and were organized efficiently. Runners are strongly encouraged to pick up their bibs the days before the race, and must contact the race organizers to arrange for day-of pickup. The staging area at the starting line is great - a huge line of porta-potties; tables with water, Gatorade, coffee, and snacks; and bag-drop buses with helpful volunteers.

Race:
A point-to-point course that winds from the southern end of Cape Elizabeth up to Fort Williams and Portland Head Light in South Portland. Not spectacularly hilly, but the worst hills are cruelly at the end. Spectators lined almost the entire course, and were fantastic! It felt like the whole Cape had turned out in support, cheering for runners by name (names on bibs), ringing cowbells, and even offering trays of bacon (with a sign reading "Beach 2 Bacon"). I felt like a rockstar running this race, even at the back of the pack!

Swag:
A really nice Nike Dri-Fit short-sleeve tee and a car magnet were given out with bibs, and gift cards were given to each runner at the expo (see above). The post-race party had a giant food tent for runners, full of yogurt, fruit, crackers, cheese, etc. Vendors were giving out chocolate milk and four-packs of local soda, and the race sponsor, TD BankNorth, had a table with running reflector lights, body wipes, and other swag. You could walk away from this race fully loaded with stuff! Oh, and free race photos as well.

Aid stations:
There was a fantastically staffed water table on each side of the road at every mile marker... I've never seen so many volunteers at a race, unless it's the Boston Marathon. Each aid station had one porta-potty as well, though the lines for each were pretty long.

Course scenery:
Gorgeous. A mix of woodsy back roads, residential areas, small farms, and breath-taking ocean views near the end. (There were a bunch of race photographers set up near Mile 5, where the scenery opens up to an amazing view of the ocean... I can't wait to see these pics!) There were a few commercial areas as well, but they were so packed with cheering spectators that I hardly noticed what strip malls we were running by.

Post-race:
After hitting the final hills, you run past bleachers and even more cheering spectators across the finish line and into Fort Williams Park, where you get a view of Portland Head Light (the "beacon" in the race name). Runners, spectators, and press are all separated at this point, and runners are herded up a hill to a meetup point and, finally, volunteers handing out bottles of water. There are a bunch of porta-potties on hand as well. Across a small road is the food tent area, where most runners seemed to congregate. There are shuttle buses to take runners back to their cars, and the lines for these were long but very well organized. There's also a small beach for anyone who wants to cool off in the frigid Atlantic.

Bonus:
This is Joan Benoit Samuelson's race, and it follows her training route. I was surprised to bump into her after crossing the finish line and was star-struck for a few seconds!