This was year 2 for the Game of Stones challenge. This was the Sapphire year. The packet pickup is quick and easy at The Running Zone in Viera/Melbourne. The only downside is that you can pickup and shop race items the week before and since we are not local everything was pretty picked through. I wish they would have a way to pre-order things for those that don't live local. I LOVED this year’s shirt. A really nice royal blue and even though the women’s sizes suck as usual at least this year’s shirt fits.

This course is VERY full! I did 10.6 miles which means I was weaving a good bit and I felt it! The first 2 miles are out on the road. Beware that this course has little to no shade in Florida. Miles 3 & 4 are on this sandy back road. Please note this isn’t like a slightly sand covered paved road. This is straight up sand and dirt. Everyone was trying to find the areas that was more packed. Then at mile 5 you made the turn into the sun! Miles 5, 6, 7 are just sidewalk and sunshine. They are doing quite a bit of construction so there is really nothing scenic about any of it.
Mile 8 we get down to 1 lane, maybe 2 people wide with minimal traffic. When these folks walked they were not walking on the grass and weaving was much harder. This was SUPER annoying. It is a mile out and back with the small lane crap. I actually feel bad for the people slightly faster than me who probably had WAY more people to deal with.
Is this the best race ever? No. Is it well organized? Yes. Is it the theme that makes it? ABSOLUTELY! They do put an attention to medieval detail into it that is very much appreciated. I just wish they could find a way to widen the course in a few areas!