Swag and PreRace
Rain! The entire morning was pouring rain, which was not something i was expecting for my final race of the year. The pickup and registration was very well organized. The pickup consisted of pens, hat, ornament, cup, coupon for Waffle House, and a short sleeve shirt (which was actually soft!). They also offered rain ponchos to everyone, but i passed on it...not my best idea. The only issues I saw were that they had a late change to the course, due to flooding, and no working microphones which lead to some difficulties at the start of the race and during the awards ceremony.

Course
If you did the Harbin Turkey Trot two weeks before this race (or read my review of it), this is the exact same course! They pushed the finish line up a little due to the flooding so you do a small turn after mile run to make up for the 30feet or so. The rain definitely made an impact to the course as 85% of the course had some sort of water hazard that cause you to go into the grass or drown your foot in the freezing puddles.

Verdict
Since it was raining, I didn't know what to expect from the race. I assumed it would be slower than my sub 25min at the race two weeks prior on the same course due to all the rain and course flooding. I set out to beat the time I did the year before, 25'59" and I prevailed but only by a dozen or so seconds, never the less I am proud of this time since it was faster and in worse conditions than the same race years prior. If you plan to run with music AND in pouring rain, Aftershokz are the best way to go. No troubles at all with sound even with the rain and they didnt slide or move at all. Normally I'd say this is a great race for runners of all levels, and i still believe that, but the rain is an obstacle many would prefer not to have to deal with especially in December temperatures.

Race Day Gear:
Headphones: Aftershokz
https://aftershokz.com/collections/wireless/products/trekz-titanium

Race Shirt: RADrabbit ez tee rabbitKNIT
https://www.runinrabbit.com/collections/mens/products/ez-tee-rabbitknit-irongate

Shorts: rabbit Daisy Dukes
https://www.runinrabbit.com/collections/mens/products/daisy-dukes-2-irongate
Socks: rabbit/Swiftwick
https://www.runinrabbit.com/collections/goodies/products/rabbit-x-swiftwick-ankle-socks-ink-puffins
Shoes: Brooks Ghost 10
https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/brooks-ghost-10-mens-running-shoes/110257.html
Arm Sleeves: rabbit mister miller’s
https://www.runinrabbit.com/collections/mens/products/mister-millers-arm-sleeves-black
Calf Sleeves: 2XU
Post Race Gear:
Shirt: RADrabbit ez tee ringer
https://www.runinrabbit.com/products/ez-tee-ringer-eclipse
Hat: NYC rabbit
https://www.runinrabbit.com/collections/hats/products/nyc-reversible-performance-beanie