This was probably the funnest race I have done so far. I couldn't recommend it more! It is fairly low key; I believe the Half Marathon had about 200 runners. The 5K had more but I never saw them as they started 15 minutes later.

Preparation:
The expo isn't really much of an expo; it really is more of just a packet pickup. The Half Marathons get a cotton shirt and a light zip-up hoodie, which is nice. The whole pickup experience is very well organized and took like 5 minutes.

The staging area is great with views of the bay and damn. Very calming experience before a race.

Route/Scenery:
The route starts in downtown Green Lake, makes its way down the lake and then you run around the Conference Area for the majority of the race. This is great as the scenery there is ever-changing and pretty. It is a somewhat hilly route; there is one section of about a half mile of constant uphill.This is beautiful route though for the majority.

Run Experience:
There really isn't much support along the route, but that is to be expected considering this isn't the Chicago Marathon, but the volunteers that were along the route (probably 20+ volunteer stations) were great and very encouraging. The aid stations were setup well with water on the left and gatorade on the right; the volunteers would yell this out so you can attack prepared. One of the aid stations had gels, as well. If I had to mention a con (it's very minor but if any organizer is reading this, take note), the garbage after the gel aid station was placed too close to the aid station; I carried the gel wrapper for a mile until the next aid station.

I also loved the end. First of all, you have a ton of people cheering you on at the end. Secondly, the announcer names each finisher as they come through the finish line. Finally, the lakefront park is a great place for an after party.

The only thing is that they said the local high school would have showers available after the race, and we saw one sign pointing in the direction of the high school, but I never did find the showers. There was someone in the bathroom giving themselves a "febreeze" type shower because they couldn't find the showers either.