I arrived the the day before the race to check out the Expo at the McCormick Center. The packet pickup process went smoothly. There were a ton of vendor booths set up as well with lots of free goodies to try out. In my packet I received a bunch of coupons, free trial products, t-shirt, and bib.
The morning of the race, I made sure to get an early start since I stayed at a hotel a mile north of the race. Good thing I was early, since the people who showed up last minute barely made it into the start corral. The announcer and the music at the start were great and lively. There were also photographers out in the corrals to get the pre-race pics.
The course was starts by going north, then shoots out west a bit, before a long run south. The entire route is flat, so no real hill until the end, if you want to consider that a hill. The aid stations were set up every 1-2 miles, which was perfect with the heat. We had the option of water or Gatorade. They also had SIS gels available at some of the aid stations. Even though I didn't need them, there were a ton of port-o-potties along the route. Because of the heat warnings all weekend, the race also added a couple extra spray water and sponge stations. I also saw ice at the medical tents if needed and cooling buses along the route.
The bands were sprinkled in throughout the race. They really got the runners excited and it was a fun atmosphere to hear the vibe from each band. The volunteers were great and very helpful.
The finish area was well organized and they kept everyone flowing. They gave us a ton of goodies at the end. My only suggestion is they should hand out a bag to put it all in. I didn't know what to do with half the stuff they handed me. The finisher medal was super sweet! It was a hot dog theme and had some extra bling to it. I checked out some of the vendors at the finish and snagged some chocolate milk. Some of my friends tried out the massage leg chairs. At the finisher party there was another band and beer! This is such a fun event and very well organized. I'm never disappointed when running a Rock n Roll race.