This was my second year participating but I ran the 5K last year so this is my review of the half marathon.

Bib pick up: This year, they added a 3rd location for runners to pick up their bibs and tee shirts. We had a choice of bib pick up at Lululemon or Athleta (both at Avalon) or Big Peach Running Company. I chose Big Peach because parking is easier.

However, I picked up my bib at Athleta last year and they gave out their classic white and silver reusable bags to race participants (I think Lululemon also gave out their bags too). So if getting a bag is important, go to Avalon and head to Lululemon or Athleta, you will just have to deal with crowded parking but Avalon does have several metered parking spots right outside of the stores.

Race Day Parking: HUGE IMPROVEMENT! This year, they moved the vendors to the finish line and both races started at the same location. That left plenty of free parking on site and the in their parking garage.

Course: The half marathon course was tough. The race started in Avalon. Mile 1 starts with huge hill. The course took us through the streets of Alpharetta, which isn’t the prettiest but we got scenery during the Big Creek Greenway segment of the race! The Greenway is flat so this was an opportunity to speed up and gain a time cushion. Strong Run Coach, Betsy, wrote motivational messages the entire course in the Greenway so runners got to laugh, smile, and focus on the words instead of our pain. After leaving the Greenway at mile 11, we were hit with another ridiculous, brutal, long hill. This hill caused just about every runner in front of me to walk. There was a final hill around mile 13, shout out to the spectators who stood there knowing this was a vital place to cheer on runners! This particular hill is tough and long but not as bad as mile 11. The race ended in Avalon.

SWAG: The medal looked the same as last year’s and all of their events around the country but I don’t mind that they stick with a specific look; when I see their medals, I know what company put on the race but this was off-putting to others. The tee shirt is an upgrade, last year’s was a short sleeve white tech tee. I will wear this year’s cotton blend short sleeve tee but they should consider long sleeves since the event is in the fall.

Overall, I wish they would reverse the course since it starts/finishes in the same place. This would result in faster finish times which would attract more racers going for Peachtree Road Race QT or Disney runners interested in faster corrals, etc.