I've always wanted to run the Goldy's 10 miler race and this year I had the chance to do it!

Expo: There wasn't an expo but there was a packet pickup the night before - no race day pickup. I opted to have my packet mailed (for an extra fee) just to avoid driving downtown on a Friday night.

Parking: Parking was pretty easy as there are a lot of parking ramps in the area. The only downer was that you had to pay for parking.

Course: The course starts out on the UMN campus and weaves through the campus, along the Mississippi River and back to the campus with a finish inside the TCF Bank Stadium. The fun part about the course is when you enter the stadium and cross the finish, you see yourself on the second largest scoreboard in college football. I LOVED the course! It was a nice mix of downtown city scenery, followed by the peaceful run along the Mississippi River. There were also pacer groups available to the 10 mile race.

Elevation: The course starts out pretty flat, but then has some decent hills. The course has a total ascent of 162ft. with the most challenging hills during the second half of the race. Some of the hills are very small, but very steep. Others were long with a gradual ascent. The last mile of the race was pretty flat and made running into the stadium more enjoyable!

T-Shirts/SWAG- Both the t-shirt and medal had the Goldy Gopher logo on them. The medal is large and super cute! The t-shirt is also a technical t-shirt and one of the nicer ones that I've received at races.

Race Management: The race started on time (even with the rain) and continued without any issues. Plenty of volunteers throughout the course, cheering you on and making sure you knew where you needed to go (they also had a relay option and 5k). Gear drop was also available (bring your own bag).

Overall: Loved this race! Challenging course, awesome swag and super neat to see yourself finish on the "big screen". Friends and family are encouraged to watch your finish in the stadium as well. The race was a little bit on the expensive side ($60 for 10 miler and $65 if you registered late), but I enjoyed it regardless.

Read my full review here:
http://www.runningthroughit.com/2014/04/12/race-recap-goldys-run/