This inaugural Wonder Woman Race was full of fun experiences.

However, packet pickup had a few bumps in the execution, as to be expected with a first-time event. Location for packet pickup was pretty congested in downtown Tempe at Tempe Beach Park. Packet pickup was only between 2-6pm the day prior, it was 80 degrees, lines were long and a little disorganized. The race has great swag, though, with tech tanks with the wonder woman logo. There was also a merchandise tent with a ton of branded goodies for sale.

Race day really made up for it. It was a sea of red,tutus and sparkle skirts. So much girl power! The 5k and 10k started together, with Lynda Carter counting us down virtually on the screen. The course itself was very well marked with fun WW flags at every mile marker and arches to run through. It was a 9am start and a very warm day. In the future, I hope they move the start time a bit earlier. Finish area was quite congested with the convergence of the two distances. The medal is a nice spinner, but has no date or location on it. I'd love to see them do a bit more customization in the future. There were plenty of snacks at the finish, plus live music. They offer free race photos which is always a plus!

This is definitely a fun race to try!

I chose this race to check off Oklahoma from my 50 state quest, and to see what this popular race was all about.

There is a 5k on Saturday and half and full on Sunday. Expo was held for 2 days. I was surprised that the expo was relatively quiet both days, even though it had all the vendors you need (and Bart Yasso!) I was excited to do my first Half Fanatic event, even though I had been a member for years. The Half Fanatics, Marathon Maniacs and 50 states club have a HUGE presence at this race.

The 5k participants got a really nice lightweight hoodie and a smaller version of the goddess medal. The half participants get a jacket and a bigger medal and the full people get a vest and even bigger medal.

Even the 5k has a really big party afterwards. There was a band and 2 free local craft beers included. I did both the 5k and half. I earned a "doubler" coin for doing both. If you are a member of any of the special clubs I mentioned earlier, you can earn a custom club medal for this.

The half and full start together and run about 12.5 miles together. There is a fun confetti cannon for each corral. The first half of the half marathon is very hilly through downtown Tulsa. Then it went along the Arkansas river and was flat and exposed to the elements. This year's race was bitter cold, with windchils in the 20s. It was unfortunately too cold to stay and enjoy the post race fun.

The race is incredibly well organized, and there were so many people there celebrating milestone races - their 50th state or 50th half, etc. This race has a ton of support, whether it is your 1st race or 50th. You really feel like you are part of something big.

This was my first time running this race, and I knew I was in for a good time!

Pre-race communication is fantastic, I was fully in the know. Packet pickup is held on Friday at Cardinals Stadium. Note, if you don't have a car and are staying downtown, it's a bit tricky to get to. In addition to picking up your bib and shirt,you also get the Bourbon Bash wristband, your ticket to post race fun! There were free flowing bourbon samples on hand, plus an area where you could pick up last minute items like gels, water bottles, etc. They also offer VIP packet pickup, conveniently located at 4th street live, near all the hotels. It's an intimate experience and well worth the extra price.

The start line is located right by 4th street live, where it finishes. They have a bugler on hand to kick things off. It's a smaller race, just 3,500 people, so there are no corrals, it is a mass start.

The course is overall flat and fast. It goes through the downtown Louisville area, along the waterfront, and then through Cherokee Park which is where the only hilly section is. It's a nice change of scenery with all the foliage to look at. There were plenty of water stations along the way.

As soon as you cross the finish line and collect the cool spinner medal, you enter the Bourbon Bash. More bourbon samples, the incredible Louisville Crashers were putting on an energetic and captivating performance. You could also pick up a cup of warm Kentucky Burgoo (stew), pizza and local beer.

Overall, the race is a ton of fun, and the race management is fantastic. I highly recommend this race as a fun weekend getaway!

I ran this race last year and loved it, so I was looking forward to running it again.

The race is pretty small, around 1000 runners total between the 5k and 10k. Lots of my local running friends were there, so that was fun. I went to packet pickup the day before and it was super fast. It is not a problem to pick it up day of, either, it's just a longer walk back to your car.

This race is run in 35 cities in 23 countries all on the same day! It was fun to see posts from friends around the country who did the race in other cities. It's for a good cause, all about fighting hunger.

Parking was a piece of cake at phoenix municipal stadium. There were a handful of vendors Timing was provided by Startline racing, which always does a fantastic job.

The course runs along the Phoenix Zoo/Papago Park area with some rolling hills and pretty views. The last mile was out on the canal, then it was an out and back course, so we turned around and headed back to the start the same way. Tons of water stations. It was a hot day, although it felt nice right at the start, that changed quickly.

At the finish, we were treated to a hot grilled cheese sandwich from a food truck, for free! Plus the race was sponsored by Bimbo bakery, so we had tons of bread samples - I came away with a full 6 pack of bagels, Takis, and other snacks. Holy cow!

We also got a tech shirt, arm sleeve (only one though), a hat, and a medal!

I would love it if the organizers moved the start back to 6:30 just due to the heat.

I am delighted by this last minute race find, and will DEFINITELY be back next year!