SLO is a wonderful place for a race, from the scenery to the community. It was a difficult course but from top to bottom, the event was excellent.

The expo had a great variety of products, including many additional SLO Marathon themed items for purchase. Anything a runner could need, it was there. The race shirts themselves were great design, color and quality. The SWAG bag doubled as a drop bag and is a reusable sack pack, which is perfect!

The aid stations were top notch with AMAZING signage on the drinks provided (Fluid first, Water second) and phenomenal volunteers who were so encouraging and high energy. Each aid station provided a variety of Clif energy shots and mile 7 had an entire Clif energy station. I wasn't a fan of having Fluid for electrolytes but this was known ahead of time and I was able to bring my own Gatorade.

The course scenery...wow. Just perfect. Rolling vineyards, blue skies, mountains. Perfect. Everything you would want. That said, the course was HILLY. Hill training is an absolute must for this race. I couldn't imagine running this race without incorporating weekly hill training. Some steep, some long, some steep and long.

My only complaint is that race day parking was a pain. It is a point to point course and the shuttles weren't running from the finish. Spectators had a difficult time parking. It would be nice to bus from the actual finish instead of a random location. It also should be included in the price of the entry fee, not an additional. I would've liked to see a few more pace groups for the full marathon, as the slowest was 4:45.

All in all, an excellent race and I will be back!