I typically do not enjoy races managed or done by Ultramax, but when I saw the medal for this race at the expo for another local race, I decided I needed to do it anyway. Ultramax has had a bad reputation in my opinion with poor race support, cheap or non-existent swag/bling, lack of appreciation or support for runners slower than 12 minutes per mile, not enough bathrooms for events, and the list goes on.

This race started out feeling MUCH different than my previous experiences with Ultramax events, with the multiple emails leading up to the event. The one email from one of the Ultramax owners (Amy) was particularly moving, touching, and very encouraging. I won't go into great detail about that email, except to say that it appeared to be a complete change in attitudes within their organization as a whole.

Parking in general was very easy to navigate at the event, considering how horrible it was during packet pickup on Saturday (because there were also hundreds of cyclists at the location for the end of Tour de BBQ - another event Ultramax was handling on the same day). There seemed to be a significant lack of port-o-potties, with just ONE in the parking garage, and the door was facing a wall, making it nearly impossible to get in. Apparently there were other potties, a tenth of a mile away, in a construction lot. Strike one - no one knew where those potties were.

Pre-race entertainment/music/atmosphere was quite nice. There was a fitness warm-up, which was also a nice touch. National Anthem was recorded, which is ok, but I think they could have gotten a local woman (since this was a women's race) to perform - minor detail.

The route was based quite heavily on busy major roadways, which wasn't a problem for the most part being on a Sunday. There was a 4+ mile stretch of the route that was on a wooded public paved trail system, which again was not a problem for the time of the day, very little non-race traffic. There was not a lot of on-trail marking, which could have been a problem (use those sticky route markers ON THE TRAIL next year folks) - there are numerous places where the trail branches off, and we nearly took the wrong branch at one point. Very strange turn-around just past mile 5, but I gather that was the only option given the current course. Back up off of the trail and onto paved city streets, not terribly scenic, but not horrible. Staring directly into the sun for several miles made for a hot, annoying stretch.

Oveall the hills on the course were annoying at worst, but hard to find a truly FLAT route in this city. Not my favorite route for scenery, but I LOVED the course support. There were aid stations at nearly every mile, which made for a very good atmosphere given the unseasonably warm day.

I will say the post-race support, food, atmosphere was PHOENOMINAL for a race this size. Super super job done by Ultramax on this race. The lower star ratings are minor for this race, and I was genuinely impressed with the management of this event.