This is my 4th year in a row doing the Esprit de She run in the Tempe/Mesa area. Historically, the 5k/10k has been held separate from the tri/du, which is in the spring, and the run fell on a weeknight in october. It was usually very hot and very dark for the run. I am thrilled that they combined the races into one event in the spring.

When I signed up, they were offering a number of incentives. In addition to a nice performance quality tank, they were also offering a Moxie performance running skirt. This is also the first year they gave a medal for the run only portion, so that is always a huge plus in my book.

There was good pre-race communication about packet pickup, parking, etc. There was packet pickup the afternoon prior to the race. I had a friend pick up my packet, so I missed the actual "expo".

There was plenty of free parking, This race is all women and it brings out ladies of all shapes and sizes - especially for the duathalon. It's a great experience for most to do a du for their first time. The race started on time, but had a really strange wave start - like every 5 seconds, but there was no obvious division between waves. Hard to know which one you should start in.

The course was a super easy out and back for the 5k along the lake, with a few inclines. The post-race finish area had many vendors, but the highlight was brunch from a local restaurant and the "bubbly bar" which included 2 free mimosas. It's a nice touch. Because it's all women and presumably because it fell on mothers day, there was also an area where you could put together your own potted plant and take it home. Although the idea seemed nice, it was rather chaotic. I think they should just have them pre-arranged so we're not down on the ground scrounging for potting soil.

They had awards, but the age groups were the wide groups that span 10 years instead of 5, so only a few winners. They offered free race photos through a sponsor which was also a nice touch.

I hope they decide to keep these events together, and bring back the 10k option. It was a very well - priced event, I will do it again!