I review this race with a disclosure that I am bias towards to since I love the zoo and the cause that the money goes to. There is no expo and I'm ok with that. For the first time since I have run this race, they had a packet pickup the day before, which I have always hoped for. So much better to have everything needed prior to a race instead of rushing to get it all together just before the race starts. I liked this year's long sleeved t-shirt which was a navy blue color with the Samson Stomp emblem and year on it. No medal as usual, other than for the top three overall finishers and the top three age group finishers. I normally would give the scenery column a 5-star mark but this year the zoo is undergoing some renovations therefore the wolf habitat/moose habitat/alaskan brown bear habitat were all closed and dug out, etc. But the penguins were out as were other animals so that was fun to see. Also there is minimal elevation in the course, the most being a downhill section twice but inclines are slight. Plus, your race entry includes a general admission to the zoo so you can check out the buildings, etc after the race if you want. Along with your race entry is ease of a giant parking lot so parking is NOT an issue at all. I've said it before, I will say it again, if you are in the Milwaukee area in mid-January, you should run this race. It's a fun environment with the 5K plus a 2 mile run/walk and a 1 mile kid run as well. The whole family can be a part of the race! And the money goes to the zoo and its conservation efforts plus they collect old cell phones for recycling. The post race gathering offers up water, Gatorade, granola bars, yogurt bites, a local restaurant doling out small samples of tomato soup, a bakery offering mini coffee cakes and coffee as well as the trophy presentation and on-site results being given out.

Hope to see you out there next year!