I registered for this one a while back because I figured it'd be a fun race and a good one for my first half in Colorado. Little did I know it was going to be so cold in May! There's really not a lot to say about this race. At least not this year. The race has multiple distances starting at different times. The half started at 6:45, about an hour after the full. From everything I was able to gather prior to the race, the parking is all street parking surrounding the area of the park where the race starts. I arrived really early because I was nervous about getting a somewhat convenient spot. I ended up parking maybe a mile from the start, so that was fun [/sarcasm].

The races start in a park in Denver that is near the Science Museum and Zoo. The race start was just like most big races. Well-organized and managed corrals, start-line banter from the announcer and a previous winner. They got the waves going in a timely manner and we were off. The highlight of the half is running a mile through the zoo as we make our way out of the park. There were plenty of volunteers making certain we didn't get off course as we ran through the zoo as well as directing runners who wanted to detour for photo ops. I had a goal, so I skipped the photos but did enjoy running past all of the animal exhibits.

Once you make your way out of the zoo and park, then it's pretty much an out and back route, with a jog over a block or two so runners are taking up both sides of the road. Although it's a nice area, the route is pretty ho hum. Just a bunch of runners going down a neighborhood street. There were a good number of people out cheering, despite the cold. It was colder than I think most of us thought even though I monitored the weather. At one point I went to wipe my face and I could not tell if my hand was touching it because they were numb from the cold. At any rate, I understand that in better weather the firemen usually are out on the course without shirts on (I'm guessing the women keep their shits on, but that discussion is for another day) but they (wisely) opted for full gear on race day. We also ran through a fire station. That's listed as kind of a course highlight, but it's just an empty garage really. The course itself is fairly flat. There's basically no elevation gain, but yet there's a long stretch that just seems to be an ever so slight incline. Seriously, it does a lot to play tricks with your mind at that point of the race. It's not hard, it's just like, "Hey. Wait a minute. I'm not on flat ground anymore!"

The finish winds runners back through the park where spectators line the way to cheer the runners for a great finish line. Runners are then ushered through a line of food and drinks. There were lots of options for fresh food as well as some pre-packaged protein bars and recovery drinks. It was disappointing that there were no mylar blankets at the finish because IT WAS COLD! I know it's a May race but Coloradans agree weather in mid-May can still be unpredictable (we had snow a week before!) so you'd think they would have been prepared for that possibility. Because it was so cold, I didn't spend a lot of time hanging around post-race. I waited a bit for a friend to finish so I was able to see that it was a nice post-race set up. There were lots of tents (I think a combo of vendors and charities??) and live entertainment. Because the park was so large, there was plenty of space for people to spread out and relax. Had the weather been nicer, I would have loved to have stayed and enjoy the atmosphere. Maybe next year.

Overall, it's a good race with some good highlights. The course is nothing to write home about, but it's not bad either. A great course for a PR (Missed it by *that* much!) too. This will definitely be one I do multiple times.