This race made the trails welcoming and the atmosphere of ultra runners and knowledgable athletes was contagious! It made me want to run my first ultra! There was no expo, and not much for a "virtual goodie bag"; however, at packet pickup they had a panel consisting of the Race Director and elite North Face athletes. It was the most engaging and informative panels I'd ever attended! You did get 10% off in the store as well when you attended.

The trails themselves were challenging, but not too technical. Rolling hills on the Marathon Relay course. But not the toughest route I've ever encountered. Had I been better trained, I could have flew on them.

Weather was cold, but perfect for running. Marathon Relay participants had to pass a chip strapped on our ankles. It wasn't too much of a hassle, but something more easily exchanged would have been helpful. There was lots of coffee, beer, bagles, bananas, etc at the Start/Finish/Exchange Area.

I only have two "negative" things to say about this race, one of those being getting to the starting line. There was no address for where we were supposed to go, just a pinpoint on a map (even that didn't have the address). So it was a guessing game. We eventually found our way there but it was more difficult than it should have been. However, that's an easy fix so not a major issue.

The only other thing was the cold. It was overcast, windy, and in the low 50s. And being used Arizona weather, I was FREEZING! However, the race made as many accommodations as possible for us, including small fire pits to stay warm. The weather was actually perfect for running. When I was on the course it was amazing. Only when I was standing around did I get cold. So moral of the story is... bring plenty of layers!

Parking was great. For the amount of people there I thought we'd be hiking quite a ways in but it was only about a football field's length away, so not too bad in my opinion. And lots of park restroom facilities and porta potties.

Overall I highly recommend this race. I can't wait to run another North Face Endurance Challenge Series Race! Maybe next time it'll be for a 50K! For a more comprehensive review and tons of photos: Visit my blog review HERE--> http://confessionsofanamateurathlete.blogspot.com/2015/10/my-north-face-endurance-challenge.html