First off, my understanding is 2016 was a completely different course from years past, so be aware if you're thinking of registering and looked at old reviews. This is for the 2016 event that just took place.

My opinion is it was a good race. The RD put out A LOT of good information well in advance of the event, which is always helpful, especially for us out of towners. It was my 32nd marathon and 27th state so I appreciate all of the intel in advance!

The expo was a nice size. If you enjoy shopping for gear or talking to vendors, it's big enough for that. If you just want to grab your bib and shirt, you can do that too. I didn't have any waiting around, there was ample parking at the convention center (part of the Embassy Suites in Olathe), and the volunteers were very helpful. I double checked my info at the first table, walked 10 steps and got my bib, then meandered to the back of the hall to get my shirt. There was plenty of information to be gathered here too - parking, race course, shuttles, etc. They also had a cute "yellow brick road" path on the floor leading you to where you needed to be. Appropriate, given it's the Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz. Lots of photo ops too if you're so inclined.

My impression is that the previous course was fairly flat and fast, and surprisingly, they still billed this course as mostly flat and fast too. Not the case. It was pretty continuously rolling, with some bigger hills late in the course. I'm not anti-hill, I actually kind of like the variation, but there was very little in the way of flat stretches and when you're expecting flat, it's not always a nice surprise. That said, just be prepared!

The great thing about the morning is that the race starts early (6:45am for the full). I love an early race because it means you're done early! Also, the start (and finish) is right outside the convention center and hotel. If you stay at the Embassy Suites, you're golden (I did not but I got there early). Even if you don't, you can stay warm (or dry, as the weather dictates) inside the convention center. Pretty nice perk depending on the weather. We lucked out with comfortable, cool temps and overcast skies, though it was windy. Not bad at all! The RD had advertised a Marathon Maniac Corner (like Route 66 offers) which would have been nice, but I don't think it ever materialized, even though they gave out wristbands to us MM/50 Staters. Maybe next year they will figure that part out. Regardless, it wasn't a big deal to not have that.

A quick word on parking. I had about a 15 minute drive from my hotel in Overland Park. I was concerned that parking would fill up fast so I arrived very early (about 5am). I had no problem parking in the many lots across from the starting and finishing area. There were also two shuttle spots that would drop you off at the start. I'm sure this will change before next year's event, but I heard that people got screwed trying to leave the parking lot after the race. As in, they had to sit and wait for 60-90 minutes in a traffic jam trying to cross the course which ran on the only road out of the commercial park. Not great planning for that aspect. Now, that said, as a full marathoner, I think the vast majority of those stuck were 10k and half runners, so when I left I had zero problem exiting. Like I said, I bet they change that for next year.

The start went off smoothly, and then we were off into the hills. The full and half ran the first 12-point-something miles together before we broke off for the second half. The first half was pretty residential, nothing glorious or scenic but not bad either. The second half was on a paved path by the river which offered peaceful solitude (seriously, there were like triple the half runners, so we were pretty spread out on the back half). The path is out and back to the last 1.2 miles when you run back to the convention center. It was hilly too. Aid stations were plentiful, about every 2 miles, and the course seemed to be marked very well. I ran 26.3, which is about right considering I don't always run tangents very well!

I didn't check out the finish line food, just got a granola bar and water, but I think there were hot sandwiches and maybe some other things. They did have massage therapists inside and outside, which was awesome. I usually find the wait to be too long for this little perk, but it wasn't more than a couple of minutes in Oz. I got stretched out first, then a nice massage, all inside the wind-free convention center! I also got my printed finisher's certificate and results quickly.

The bling for this race was first rate. Very cool dark blue tech shirt with NEVER SURRENDER on the front and the outline of the wicked witch in green, probably one of my favorite race shirts. The medal is quite large and also features the wicked witch. If you like the bling, it's a good race to collect a nice heavy finisher's medal.

Bottom line: it was far from a PR for me and it wasn't an easy course. But, it was well supported, the course wasn't bad, the bling was awesome, and we had good weather, so I consider it a good race worth doing and I would recommend it for a Kansas finish for any other 50 staters.