I came into the Palm Desert area the morning of the race. It had rained Saturday, and so driving in there was a beautiful blanket of fog that lifted a couple of hours before the race began. I arrived with about 20 minutes to spare before the starting gun, knowing I needed to pick up my bib still. As I followed the clearly marked signs, I saw there was also a craft fair and market going on. I expected to never find parking, but alas, after entering the parking area, I had no problem parking about 50 yards from the start line.

I headed towards the line, looking for where I would get my bib, and there were more signs pointing me in the right direction. I found some tables and they were clearly marked. A young man helped me navigate the computer, and send me to my next spot where I exchanged a waiver for my bib, and was then sent to my next stop for my shirt and swag bag. The whole process took less than 10 minutes, so I had time to walk back to my car and put everything away before making to the corral for the national anthem.

I love how the volunteers were local youth and this felt like a small town event. When we started off, we ran through the streets of the park before heading out to the main road. We ventured through some neighborhoods before getting a nice view at the top of a hill. We made our way around a shopping center where there was a relay exchange. This was actually cool because it really helped pace you up the hill at mile seven.

We made our way up the road and through some more residences, before returning to the park. So... while it wasn't the most scenic of courses, the weather was beautiful, the volunteers were friendly, and course is fast (several people were setting PR's). I had no problem parking, getting swag, or finding the start/finish. I enjoyed my run and recommend the race to anyone else that enjoys small town feeling races and local-feel events.