This was one of my very first LARGE half marathons. The trick is mostly in the number of people that are there...during the expo, the day of, and during the race itself! It was much more crowded than I anticipated until about mile 8 and then it thinned out a wee bit. This was both a frustrating challenge and a welcomed distraction. If you are trying for a PR on this course, you really have to be diligent to stay as linear on the course as possible because often you are weaving in and out of the group with some difficulty trying not to trip or be tripped. Having said that everyone is super nice, friendly, and encouraging along the course including the runners. The city really embraces it as well and they play music, have signs, high fives, food and drink, and all kinds of good stuff happening along the way. You get to run throughout various neighborhoods in the city and see a lot of different things. In terms of the course itself, some people challenge that Pittsburgh hills are tough, but I found them to be very doable. Granted I live in the hills and train hills, but if you do a fair amount of hill training you can absolutely handle it. All the goodies at the expo are great and the atmosphere is fun and exciting. Overall, I really enjoyed this race and will be doing it again in the future!