This is my 3rd year running this race (missed last year due to an injury).

The Milwaukee Brewers are the big sponsor for this race and a portion of the proceeds and any fundraising efforts go towards the MACC Fund.

T-Shirts/SWAG: This year's shirt was red with blue on the sides. They have men's and women's sizes available. Participants also got a Brewers bobblehead, a KIND bar, and a ticket voucher for a 2016 Brewers game.
After the race, runners received a large variety of drinks and food - banana, water, chocolate milk, protein drink, cookies, chips, and Bonk Bars.

Aid Stations: Very well-spaced out and very frequent, offered both water and gatorade (different flavor at each station). Volunteers are awesome and super energetic! Port-a-potties at most of the aid stations as well. Paramedics/EMTs also available frequently along the course.

Course Scenery: The course goes past some cool stuff in Milwaukee, like the Harley Museum (they have a very poignant military tribute outside the museum at the moment), across the 6th St. Viaduct, past Marquette University, and through Miller Valley and the surrounding neighborhoods. I heard that a small portion of the course had to be reworked because of all the construction, but it isn't the most scenic race course in the area.

Expo: The expo is very lackluster. This year Performance Running Outfitters had a booth (new from last year) but besides 2-3 other races having tables, there really isn't much going on. What I find slightly annoying is that they have you enter on one side of the stadium and then exit on the other side to get in and out of the expo, so it's quite the walk and there's not a good place to park.

Elevation: I felt that there were more hills/elevation changes from 2 years ago when I ran it. Again, I heard that there were a few changes due to construction but there were definitely more ups and downs. Friends of mine felt the same way!

Parking/Access: There is a parking map included with the race packets that perfectly shows which parking lots are available on race day. Lots are clearly marked and there are volunteers to guide you to a parking spot. Entering and exiting is very easy.

Race Management: Pre-race communication is great. Moderate amount of e-mails relaying information regarding packet pick-up, parking, and emergency system. They also ran quite a few promotions for discounts off registration. I really think they could be more present on social media.

Overall, I think it's a fun race. It has really grown into a fun experience for runners and they really seem to take the feedback from the runner's survey post-race and make changes the following year.

This was my third year in a row running this race and the second time completing the M2 challenge (completing both the Rock 'n Sole Half Marathon and the Madison Mini Half Marathon).

This is one of my absolute favorite races out of all the ones I've completed.

Overall, awesomely organized, well-supported, and the spectators are amazing!

SWAG/EXPO: I've mentioned this before in previous reviews of this race - women's race shirt is too big and sized oddly. This year, a headband/head wrap with BMO Harris branding was given in our swag bags as well as an $11 coupon for a nutrition store in the Madison area. The expo ran from 11-8 the day before the race at the Memorial Union. Great communication with parking for both the expo and race day, as there's lots of construction going on. I did not pick up my own packet, but anyone can pick up packets for friends as long as they have a copy of their ID. Will-call packet pick-up was available for an additional $25.

Aid Stations were well-spaced and offered both water and yellow gatorade. Volunteers were cheering for us and very peppy! Most of the aid stations also had port-a-potties at them as well. The aid stations were all clearly marked. Medical support was also available all along the course.

In my opinion, this course has BEAUTIFUL views. Running through the Arboretum and around the lake offers some amazing views to enjoy while you're running. The beginning of the course takes runners through downtown Madison and through the UW-Madison campus.

The course was changed from last year and while there wasn't the drastic, practically vertical Cemetery Hill, but there was a lot of small up and down hills particularly towards the end. Those small hills really took the wind out of my sails around mile 11-12, and I heard many runners around me voicing the same thoughts.

There are many parking structures close to the start/finish that are marked on a map that is given out with the race bibs. Parking is around $4, generally. Access to these parking ramps is relatively easy.

When runners finish, they have the medal put around their neck and then funneled through the finisher's chute. Volunteers offered water, chocolate milk, a banana, Wisconsin Popcorn, and granola bars. There are also logo'd backdrops with professional photographers taking pictures.

Of note, with the course changes (due to the construction) the finish line doesn't funnel everyone into the post-race party like in years past. This makes for a more pleasant 14th Mile Party as it is not wall-to-wall people. There was a results table, a table for M2 Challenge runners to pick up their additional medal, and a tent with Madison Mini shirts and other products for sale as well. Finishers also got a free Wisconsin Brewing Co. beer (if over the age of 21).

I would definitely recommend this race to anyone!

This is my third year running this race and my second time running the half marathon. Rock 'n Sole also includes a Quarter Marathon and a 5K.

T-Shirts/Swag: Every participant gets a tech shirt - light blue with white for women, darker blue with white for men. Included in your swag bag is a ticket to summeriest (general admission) and a ticket to Polish fest, which happens on the Summeriest grounds that same weekend. Attached to the race bib was a ticket for a free Redd's Apple Ale at the Post-Race Party, although I wish they would give you the option of either that OR a regular beer, because that apple ale is not everyone's cup of tea.

Aid Stations: Spaced out very well and offered both water and gatorade. Energy at the aid stations was awesome and the volunteers were so nice and cheering us on! Most of the aid stations also had a decent amount of port-a-potties and medic tents.

Course Scenery: The race starts near the Italian Community Center and shoots the runners south, then curves north to cross the Hoan Bridge. While running across the bridge, there are views of downtown and the lakefront/Lake Michigan. This year's race happened to be very overcast, foggy, and rainy, but the views were still cool! Once runners get off the bridge, the course goes north up Lincoln Memorial Drive and into Shorewood, where runners go through a neighborhood full of beautiful old homes before running through Lake Park and turning south to go back down Lincoln Memorial Drive, past Discovery World and the Milwaukee Art Museum and finishing at the Summerfest Grounds.

Expo: Decently sized, easy parking at the Italian Community Center. Very upbeat and helpful volunteers! Performance Running Outfitters had a huge booth, Rock 'n Sole had a booth selling RNS swag (including in training shirts, tank tops, cups, etc) and a few vendors selling lots of running-related clothing, bumper stickers, magnets, etc.

Elevation: Lots of gradual inclines and one sharp incline (at Lafayette Hill off Lincoln Memorial Drive).

Parking/Access: Lots of areas to park that charged less for parking that morning (only $5 from 5-9 am) very close to both the finish and start lines.

Race Management: I really think the management does a great job of running this race. Staff, security, and volunteers are all awesome.

Since this was the 5th year for this race, if you had run previous years you got a second bib to wear! Participants for all 5 years got a Hall of Fame bib and then it went down to 4, 3, and 2 years. Since I ran it three years in a row, I had a platinum club bib.

This is my second year running the Madison Mini and my first year completing the M2 Challenge (run both the Rock 'n Sole Half Marathon and the Madison Mini Marathon, get a third medal!).

Overall, I love this race. Easily one of my favorite races and one that I will continue to run every year.

T-shirts/SWAG: I really wish that the race management would offer the women an XS shirt option. I ordered the small two years in a row and it is easily 2 sizes too big on me. So now I have two shirts from this race (last year and this year) that I can't wear. What doesn't make sense to me at all is that the "in training" shirt for this race fits me just fine. Besides the tech shirt, there is a "virtual race bag" that gets e-mailed to all participants with coupons, etc. I can't say I've ever used any of the coupons because they're all for Madison-area businesses and I don't live in Madison.

Aid Stations: I have to say that out of all the 1/2 marathons I've done, this one is hands down the best in terms of aid stations. They are very evenly spaced and I feel like there are more of them towards the end, which is really nice since the weather tends to get warmer towards the end and I always end up wanting to drink more (I don't like to carry a bottle with me when I run). The cheer stations were awesome as well.

Course Scenery: This course runs through downtown Madison, through some beautiful neighborhoods and through the Arborateum, which not only keeps you shaded but provides a very serene backdrop for the race. Towards the end, the course runs through the UW campus and back to the Union, where the after-party is.

Expo: The expo for this race is quite disappointing, I feel. Packet pick-up is only one day (all the other 1/2's I've run have the expo for two days) and there are very minimal vendors, 5-8 at the most. The space for the expo is very small and parking for the expo is nonexistent. My husband dropped me off and circled some blocks waiting for me to come back out, as there is quite literally nowhere to park.

Elevation/Difficulty: This year the course was changed to include Camp Randall and more hills were added. I didn't anticipate how challenging those hills would be, especially the Cemetery Hill. It did provide quite the challenge in endurance for the race.

Parking/Access: Parking is a nightmare and quite expensive. We parked in the structure on Langdon and paid $12 for 3 1/2-ish hours, which I think is ridiculous. Most of the structures were full well before the start time, which makes it harder for spectators that come a little bit late to find someplace to park. Then, you always have to walk a few blocks to get to the start/finish lines.

Race Management: I feel that the race management for this race does an awesome job of communicating with participants, sending out e-mails, updating the website and Facebook and Twitter, and ensuring that participants have a great time. I think the post-race party location should be changed because it's simply too small to be enjoyable for the amount of runners and spectators that are there.