This is the second time I've done the Carmel Marathon, and both times it has been a great experience. From beginning to end, the race organizers did a great job of making the race unforgettable. They moved this year's race up a couple of weeks, which helped with weather (it was 70-80 degrees when I ran it in 2016, much cooler this year) and increased overall participation. Hopefully this race continues to grow!

Pre-race--Between pre-race emails and social media posts, the race organizers were on top of things. There weren't any questions I had that went unanswered, and they were very responsive to the questions of others on social media. The expo was in a different location this year, and it made parking and access easier. Also, I was an expo vendor for my company and they treated the vendors better than just about any other race expo I've been to. Kudos for that.

Race swag--The shirt wasn't my cup of tea, but it was cool how they allowed participants to vote on the design back in the fall. They also gave out drawstring bags that worked as gear check bags.

Race Morning--It was super easy to get to the race start and get parked, free and only about a quarter-mile to the start. It was easy to hear announcements, and things seemed to flow smoothly. There were some longer lines for the port-a-pots, so they could've used a few more. But that's always the case, always port-a-pot lines before a race no matter how many there are.

Course--The course was new this year, with the full and half running together all the way through the finish line (the marathoners kept going to the left of the finish line while the half runners finished). It made it a nice little crowd at the beginning, but nothing unmanageable. Course support was great, with plenty of aid stations and water and Powerade easily differentiated. The water did taste a little funky though. There were a few smaller hills, but for anyone used to running hills, it wasn't bad at all. Like, as flat as you could hope without being boring. You did have to run through a lot of roundabouts, but that's Carmel for you. The Monon Trail is great, but got a little isolated after the 13.1 point where the half finished. I was able to set a huge PR in the race though, which is always a plus.

Post-race--There were plenty of volunteers handing out water, chocolate milk, donuts, and a bag with snacks in it. You could get a printout of your results, which is always nice. There were also some vendors selling food, and free pancakes from First Watch and free beer and wine in the beer garden. One thing I wish they had was a step and repeat for pictures. It was a pretty windy though, so it may have been there earlier and just had to be taken down because of the wind.

All in all, I had a great Carmel Marathon experience and would highly recommend it. The Race Director, Todd Oliver, and his crew at the Carmel Road Racing Group put on a top-notch event!