If you've never done a trail race and are looking for a new challenge, this is the race for you. If you're a trail veteran who wants a spectacular morning in the woods, this is the race for you.

Pros:
-Terrain: non technical single track trail great for the first-timer. Nice views of the lake. It's very run-able and the elevation is not bad compared to most trail races. If it's your first time on trail know that you'll probably get some good hiking in a few sections but nothing crazy.
-Swag: they gave nice gloves for many years but switched it up this year to a cool hoodie. Yay hoodies! You also get a reusable pint cup at the finish (it's plastic which is way better than glass for days on the trail).
-Aid stations: one thing that new trail runners have to get used to is the seeming lack of aid stations compared to road races. However, Red Top has an abundance of well-stocked aid every 3ish miles.
-Post race food: beer, veggie chili, she-crab soup, oversized cookies, hot chocolate galore. Yum!

Cons:
-Registration: registration opens in November and ALWAYS sells out within minutes. I set my alarm every year. I heard a rumor that they may go to lottery, which I think is kinda sad but maybe necessary. I think they should try a number transfer system first before moving to lottery. Every year there's people who can't run but there's no way to transfer their number to someone else. This seems like a loss to me given there's always people begging to get into the race.