This is the first race I have run in Asheville and it will not be my last! The hills were intimidating but shouldn’t stop anyone from running this race.

The race offered two distances, 10k or half marathon. It was a very small race, but well organized. There were a few minor issues but I still had a great time.

First, the expo was just okay, it was very small but well organized. There weren’t any vendors there which was disappointing. However, packet pickup was quick and easy. Also, I expected there to be somewhere to buy gels at the expo or them to be handed out at the race.

I like the t-shirt design a lot, and they were gender specific and sized correctly. Since it was a half marathon I wish the medals were a little bigger, but I like the design.

When I arrived at the start line area I had no trouble finding parking downtown. However, there was a long line for the bathrooms and I had to wait almost 20 minutes. Unfortunately some of the Elite athletes were cutting in line even though everyone started the race at the same time.

I really enjoyed the first 7 miles of the race which started in downtown Asheville. The interesting scenery made the miles fly by. The next 5 miles were by the French Broad River and were extremely boring. Mile 10 was all uphill and was extremely difficult, I have never ran a hill that steep. Mile 12-11 were pretty boring, took us on a main road back towards downtown Asheville, not very scenic. Mile 12 was more interesting, it was downtown, but there weren’t any directional signs to the finish line, I felt like I was in a scavenger hunt. We were told to run on the sidewalks downtown and there wasn't anyone cheering us on. At the finish, I received my finisher medal but couldn’t find any water. The post race party was nice, received a free beer and snacks.