Loved: The views. Running nearby a National Park is a must you have to add to your running bucket list. This is the second Vacation Races half marathon I have ran and it's by far the most beautiful race I have ever ran; ever!

Vacation races always puts on a good race. They are professional and the bling is some of the best around. I ran the Wolf Double, so in addition to running the Teton Half, I ran the Yellowstone 5k, in West Yellowstone. Participants received a finisher medal for both races in addition to a medal representing the Wolf Double, ironically in the shape of a wolf. All the medals have lots of colors and beautiful neck straps. Now if only I had a good way to display them at home...

Vacation Races offered the Wolf Double (Grand Teton Half + Yellowstone 5k) Grizzly Double (Grand Teton Half + Yellowstone Half) and the Bison Double (Yellowstone 5k + Yellowstone Half). All great options for anyone planning a runcation near two National Parks in June. The fees are reasonable for the two race combo.

In addition to being friendly, professional and offering some awesome bling, Vacation Races offers some post-race snacks that beat out other races. Each finisher gets a box full of goodies like Honey Stinger, bars and other healthy eats, plus fresh bananas, water and chocolate milk. The staff and what they provide really wows!

The race expo was okay, all the normal bells and whistles. The rain was really coming down when I stopped by the pick up my bib so everyone was taking shelter under the tent. The staff and volunteers were efficient and friendly. Vacation Races offers a ton of tees and swag and the race shirts for this race were the best I've seen from VR.

Hated: The shuttle lines. Something must have went awry because we were waiting for a bus back to the starting line (where we parked) for more than an hour, with a long line of others, too. There was construction in the area so this may have led to the bus backups. But it was all good, the staff and volunteers brought bananas and snacks to everyone waiting in the lines. It was a minor hiccup that didn't damper my post-race endorphins. After all, we were in good company and got to hear about another runner's Zion Half experience.

What to know before you go: This is a cup free race, meaning, no cups will be at the aid stations. So, bring your own hydration system, or, opt for the VR provided hydration pouch. And, the elevation of this race is 6,000 feet. So, train for the altitude and hydrate appropriately.