Expo: 6/10
The expo was pretty standard with nothing too great or terrible about it. It did seem like there were maybe fewer vendors than usual due to some open spaces in the convention hall. Lines weren’t too long to pick up bibs or at any of the vendors, so that was nice. I didn’t notice a lot of crowding like most expos, even at what would probably be considered the busiest time to be there.

Course: 9/10
The crowd support at this race was better than at any race I’ve ever been to. I don’t think there was ever more than a half mile span where there wasn’t a group of people cheering on the runners. I really appreciated the aid stations almost every mile versus being more spread out like at other races. The course was hilly, I won’t lie, but it was so beautiful and scenic. If you’re looking for a likely PR, I would maybe choose a less challenging course, but I definitely felt like the scenery was worth the difficulty.

Production/organization of race weekend: 7/10
The expo and race were both very well organized aside from one thing: the start corrals. There’s basically a chute with a security guard checking bibs at the front to get into the start area. Once your corral was allowed to enter and you pass through the chute, it was like a half mile walk to the start line. I guess if you missed your warmup earlier in the morning, it’s your lucky day😂. There was also a cluster of people in later corrals huddling around the chute entrance, making actually getting to it extremely difficult. The corral situation was probably my biggest gripe about the race, aside from maybe the merch.

Swag and medal: 5/10
The medals were fantastic, but the swag and race merch left much to be desired. I LOVED that the race gave out a short sleeve race weekend shirt at the expo and then a finisher’s shirt at the end (the more shirts the better, right?🤪), but they were both unbranded. The race really needs to pick up a major brand sponsor for its swag and merch. I get that having unbranded merchandise makes it cheaper, but the quality isn’t there at all. I’d gladly pay more for both the race entry and merch if the apparel was from a quality brand😊.

Overall: 6.75/10
Overall, a decent race that’s definitely worth doing. I enjoyed my time in Dallas for race weekend, and I’ll likely return for next year’s race!