Accessibility: We ran this race as a tune-up for our November marathon. As a Massachusetts resident, it was relatively easy to get in and out of Hartford on race day, which was a pleasant surprise.
Gear: The event T-shirt was great and the medal was cool too! However, the merchandise for sale through HMF may be worth passing up--no compelling designs, etc.
Aid Stations: Hartford has a great contingent of volunteers at aid stations, which keeps the stations well staffed and running efficiently.
Scenery: The half marathon course mainly takes place in the 'burbs so if you're looking for city sights, maybe pass this course up. The suburban scenery was pleasant and made it feel more like a jog instead of a race. The drawback was the lack of support, which is to be expected in a course of this type. The direction of the race through a park was a welcomed change of green (and provided a slight downhill moment as well).
Elevation: The elevation gain of the race was around 500 feet. There are several slow climbs on the course, but no quad busters.
Race Management: as with every race, access to portable toilets before the race were scarce and caused HUGE lines and delays. This was STRESSSSFULLLLLL.

Overall: if you're within driving distance of this race, it's definitely worth running a solid race and adding another medal to the collection.