The race was on Saturday, April 28. It was sunny but also chilly.

The expo was pretty small. Not too many vendors but enough that you would buy any last minute items (gels, handheld, etc). Parking was free which is always nice.

It was easy to get to the start line. Again, free parking. Lots of port-a-potties. There was a line in all of them but they seemed to move fast. There were corrals but no one was looking or verifying.

The course goes through Champaign/Urbana. You run through residential areas and the college area. The course is mostly flat with some minor inclines. You don't even feel them and I am from Chicago which is ALL flat.

Not too many spectators but the ones that were there did a great job of cheering for us. Lots of families out there spectating.

Water and Gatorade at about every 2 miles. Some water was in Gatorade cups but the volunteers made sure to let you know it was water. There was an orange (fruit) stop which was yummy and another one giving out gels.

I was supposed to run the marathon but something didn't click at mile 6. I walked and tried to keep running. At mile 9 I knew i wasn't going to finish and decided to run the half marathon. Overall, pleased that I was able to finish the half.

It is a great race. I've done the marathon relay and would like to do it again. Everyone was friendly and made the race more enjoyable. The best part was finishing inside Memorial Stadium. Also, I loved all of the communication sent by the organizers. Not too many but enough to keep me in the loop.