The 7 mile race took place on Saturday, August 18th at 5pm.(The 5k started at the same time, different location) It was sunny, humid and around 80 ish degrees - HOT and miserable!

Registration: Available online starting at $25 and topping off near $50. If you were alert, discount codes were offered across social media / emails. I think you could register at packet pick up times. Included with registration, gender specific tech shirt, pint glass, chip timing, and post race beer.
*It's not a great fitting shirt, but I like the pint glass

Expo/Packet pickup: There was no expo. Packet pickup was multiple times before the race at Backpocket Brewery. Someone else could pick up your packet with a signed wavier. There was parking nearby in a ramp, or on the street for FREE.

Pre-Race: The race is point to point, runners needed to get to the shuttle bus at 4pm. I believe you would check your gear before you got on a shuttle bus (a gear check bag was provided.) Once at the bus drop off there were port-o-potties. There were cups and water. A short walk to the starting line, on the main road over the dam, which is not closed to traffic. I did not hear any race announcements.

Race/Course: The course is a point to point from the Coralville Dam to the Backpocket Brewery.
-Scenery: Race starts on top of the dam, run the road until there is a sidewalk along a busy highway. Run through Water Works Park, the Peninsula Neighborhood, finishing up along the Iowa River at the Brewery. Road and residential.
-Terrain: Due to construction near the end, there was a email warning " short dirt trail section." Otherwise all paved surfaces, except a wood bridge crossing. *The short trail section was waist high with weeds, and more like single track mud trail.
-Elevation: Hills, they are all decent climbs.
-Spectators: Few and far between.
-Aid Stations: There were maybe 4 or so, all had water and no Gatorade this year.. In paper cups
-Course markings: miles marked with signs and cones. Roads were open to traffic.
-Photographers; there were people taking pictures along the course, and they were posted promptly and free
-Volunteers: Most volunteers were at aid stations as the intersections were handled by law enforcement

Finish: Easily marked with a blue timing mat, and the timing company was making sure each participants chips registered. Once you finished someone handed runners a bottle of water. There was a choice to grab a Propel.

Post Race: The actual post race takes part in the beer garden. This is where you could get a free beer. When the results were complete, the awards were handed out. After the awards there was a stein holding contest to win free beer for a year.

My race: I always need training miles, so I decided to run 8 miles to the start from my house. The summer running conditions have been crap, but I made it to the start with time to spare, and time to wait in the shade. Then it came time to run the actual race... I was miserable, my worst race ever. I had my pack, so I had hydration and food, but the problem was my ears were plugged and it made me feel horrible. I tried everything to get them to pop, and they just wouldn't. This is nothing to do with the race or course, but maybe if there were more shade, I would have felt better, or if the race started later when the sun went down.

So, because I was on the struggle bus, the section that was advertised as dirt track pissed me off even more, because it was not even close to that. It was waist high with weeds... a weed wacker would have helped. I even like running trails.

I was one of the last to finish and I did not see any post race food, there was a table that had granola bars, but was not sure if that was the post race food. There was plenty of water and Propel, and I received my FREE beer.

As the title suggests, I don't know why I keep running this race... I think I keep wanting to prove I can run at the most miserable time of the day, and there's beer, and I don't have to travel to get to the start. I just feel every year, the same disappointments happen, when it can be much more. Gosh darn beer gets me every time.