I have actually run this race 4 times, 2011-2014 but decided to combine my reviews all into one since my experience was similar during each of them. Full Disclosure I am also writing this review several years after the race so the race experience may have changed over time however the couse has still remained the same.

This was actually the first half marathon I ever ran, and ended up being the first 4 of the over 15 that I have now completed.

EXPO/PARKING: I have never gone to the proper expo for this race and have instead always used the morning of packet pick up option. The day of there isn't much of an EXPO to speak of but a few things are set up. This has always been no problem and I have easily been able to get into the area and get my packet in mere minutes. Parking has also rarely been an issue although it is a bit of a walk to the race site and I tend to arrive pretty early for a race because I prefer to be relaxed and have lots of time before a race. Most of the parking is in various strip malls near the race site or in surrounding garages although parking was always free.

SWAG: If you run the half you always get a long sleeved tech shirt which is nice. Most of mine look pretty similar just in various colors although one of them is covered in footprints which makes it a unique addition to my collection. Not much else to speak of in the SWAG bag. If you run the 5 or 10k you get a short sleeve shirt. There was no finishers medal in 2011 or 2012, 2013 & 2014 did have ones but they were cheap and flimsy, I'm sure this has improved.

Course/Elevation/Aid Stations: The race starts and ends at the Mercer Island Community Events Center. The start lines up along a driveway that dumps out onto a main road. It can be a little crowded for the first mile or so before people start to spread out. The course essentially just runs around the entire perimiter of the island. You are not running directly on the water but you can see the water through the trees and houses as you run. The trees and crazy expensive houses make for a nice view while you run. After the first mile or so the course narrows down to the right hand lane (water always on your left) which it maintains for the duration of the race aside from a quick use of a greenbelt in the final mile or so to get you back towards the finish. The course is almost all gentle rolling hills and turns. If you have ever driven a mountain road along a river you get a feel for the bendy nature of this road. At the 11 mile mark or so there is a pretty signifigant hill. Aid Stations are about every 1.5-2 miles (7 total) and have both water and some form of electrolyte drinks, they also give you a Gu packet at around the 7 mile mark. I'm fairly speedy so there is always still liquid available but I havn't heard friends complain about them running out.

Race Management: This a pretty well run race, especially for the price, (normally <$50 as late as Christmas time). Volunteers were nice and helpful. My only real gripe is as someone decently quick (~1:35 pace) the division of people by expected finish time/pace was not well managed. They have signs up which hopefully would get people sorted where they should be but it feels like many people ignore it and then crowd towards the front which can make the start a bit dangerous and frusterating as you dodge around people, a few of whome are even walking 100 yards into the course.

One other nice thing that I've never seen at another race is they have a walking half marathon option that starts 1.5 hours before the runners, dodging the walkers as early as mile 7-8 can be a minor annoyance but having a walking half option is a really nice touch for people who are not quite ready to run one. They also have a kids dash which while I didn't have children at the time of the race I now really appreciate.

This was my first ever full marathon so it is also one I will never forget. At the time this was the largest race that I had run. Full disclosure I am writing this review several years later so the course is now much different but the race experience remains similar.

EXPO: No day of pick up which is to be expected for a race this size, they had the expo in the events center attached to the Seahawks Stadium. I went in the evening after work so parking and getting to the expo was not really an issue if you know where the free parking is (most who have been to Mariners games know). As with any other Rock and Roll series the EXPO is really large and filled with vendors of all kinds and you can get your running needs met. I bought a few shirts to commemorate the experience (again first marathon) while I now tend to buzz in and out and just get my bib.

SWAG: A few coupons and peices of food from around town but nothing special. The finishers medals as with all the rock and roll races is solid and nicely made and shows off the scenery of the city. The short sleeve tech T shirt was nothing special although the design is midly interesting.

Parking/Access: This was a point to point course from Boeing Field to the Mariners/Seahawks stadiums finish, this means that someone had to drop my off. The course has changed nearly every year some as a loop some as a point to point which means you either need to get dropped off or find parking in downtown, neither of which is easy/cheap.

Course/Aid Stations/Elevation: The course started near Boeing Field which isn't a real pretty area and made its way towards lake washington where we ran along the water which was really pretty. We reached I-90 and the half/full split happened at around the 9 mile mark. The half marathon people headed for the stadiums/finish, the full marathon people got on the I-90 express lanes and headed on an out and back along the freeway to Mercer island and back (this was safely guarded by barriers and was actually pretty cool, friends who are slower or ran in hotter years have told me this stretch can be hot/brutal due to the lack of shade). The course headed back towards downtown through the I-90 tunnel which was really cool and had a band inside. After running by the stadiums we ran on through some of the tunnels and roads all the way towards the freemont bridge over lake union where we turned around and ran back on HW99 and then the viaduct (RIP) before finishing in front of safeco field. Running on the top level of the viaduct made for some really pretty views.

It's Seattle so of the course was hilly which can be difficult especially at the end of a race (did they really need to make us run back up to the top level of the viaduct at mile 24.5 just to run down the off ramp to the stadiums a half mile later?)

Aid Stations were plentiful throughout the course, I'm pretty quick (3:22) so there was plenty of liquid there when I ran through but I have not heard of friends telling me they ran out at any time. They also handed out Gu packs twice on the course.

Race Management: I love how the R&R series does starts and uses Corrals, they do a decent job of policing things and then they give a little gap between letting each group start which means that you are running almost entirely with people with the same goal pace as you (you can also change your corral at the expo if your expected time changes). Also this meant that it took only 2-3 minutes before I had room to run and stride out since they close the entire street that the race is on. The bands on the course are a really nice break every mile or two even though you only get to listen for a few minutes. Also something that I thought was really cheesy when I heard about it was how they ask the cheerleaders from local schools to come out and cheer for the runners (elementry through high school). For the first 20 miles or so I ignored them and ran by them, but towards the end of the race especially when crowd support was sparse I really really appreciated the encouragment and now always give a wave and say thank you when I run by similar groups in races.

I highly reccomend R&R race series events due to their high level of management. The Seattle event continues to be one of their best and most attended.