This was was second time running the CFA Half. In 2014, this was my first half marathon. The race benefits Habitat for Humanity in Athens, GA and is helping Habitat build their 86th house. The hopes of the race is to get large enough that each year they can fully fund building a new house.

T-shirts/SWAG: Main reason for 4 stars, yellow shirts! YIKES. Apparently there had been complaints about the continued "UGA" colors of shirts, red/gray, so they switched to yellow. Personally, I'm not a fan of yellow, but especially not NEON yellow. It'll come in handy for when I run at dark:30 and need reflective clothing! Runners were able to catch parachuting cows at mile 6, drink some frosted lemonade at mile 9, eat some nuggets at mile 10, and get a chicken biscuit at the finish as well.

Aid Stations: This is the only thing that I felt did not improve from 2014. There were plenty of aid stations and plenty of liquids, but I wish there had been some type of nutrition outside of GU gels. There were chicken nuggets at mile 10- but most people didn't take these. The frequency of the aid stations was perfect! Just about every mile and half.

Course Scenery: This course takes runners all through the highlights of Athens. In 2015 runners went through Sanford Stadium, in 2014 and 2016 runners ran around it instead, which I thought was better. There was also a "mile" contest where different groups sponsored a mile and encouraged runners. It was amazing. Mile 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 had groups lined up with signs, confetti, costumes, music, cheerleaders, etc. and it was fabulous. At the end of the race, runners got to vote on the best mile. Mile 5 and 6 were not voted on as they were the UGA cheerleaders & the Chick-fil-A race team. This concept made the race FLY by. Honestly, mile 4 was the worst mile of the race for me, just missing out on the extra people and encouragement.

Expo: It's not a large expo, but there are two running stores that bring plenty of sale and clearance items (SHOES!) and that is all I need at an expo.

Elevation: It's Athens. If you haven't run in Athens, it's hilly. There's no way around it. But the race crew did a great job at improving the course to lessen the severity of the hills and make them more manageable. Most of the hills were in the first 7 miles, which made it a lot better for me. But don't go into this race expecting it to be flat, or easy, because it isn't.

Parking: The race starts at the Classic Center where there is a parking deck. Parking is not included, but there is also free parking nearby if you don't mind walking an extra quarter mile.

Race Management: Best improvement from 2014? Keeping stuff going for those 2:30+ finishers. When I finished in 2014, I came in at 2:47 and felt like everyone was gone and nothing was happening. This year I hung around while some friends finished at 3:00+ and it was nice for the party and celebration to still be going, for there still to be food and drinks, etc.

Note: I've also volunteered for Packet Pick Up every year and it is a great volunteering experience! Highly Recommend!