Expo – The Expo was held in Del Mar at the Hilton hotel right next to the start line. It was nice that it gave people from out of town an idea of where to go for the start. I dropped by Saturday afternoon and the expo was packed. I picked up my bib, my shirt, and browsed the vendors. The San Diego Craft Classic was there promoting their July race. Run for beer anyone? They even had free beer at their table. LOL. Also, got to try a phenomenal acai bowl from Sambazon. That was probably my favorite vendor of the day. Saw vendors from Nuun, CycleBar (a new cycling gym opening up in Hillcrest), KT tape, and a few other companies.

Pre-race - The organizers sent out an email telling us that we could either park at the start line or at the finish line and shuttle over. I chose to park at the finish line. This also meant that I had to wake up earlier to catch the shuttle. The shuttle supposedly leaves at 5:30 am and they tell you to be in line by that time so I, of course, panic, and make it there by 5 am. I made it onto the first shuttle that left meaning that you can probably arrive by 5:30 and still be on time. Parking wasn't an issue at the finish line and as long as you're willing to walk a little, you'll be fine.

Race time - I was placed in wave 4, with an expected finish time of around 2:10. If you want to follow the 2:00 pacer, make sure to put your finish time at 2:00! LOL. I wanted to follow the 2:00 pacer and didn't see him in my wave. I was so sad. Anyway, the race started on time and each wave is released fairly quickly. You start by looping around Del Mar fairgrounds and then hit your first hill after your first mile. Note that this course is pretty hilly and that if you choose to run this, it will challenge you, but you'll come out of this race feeling like a champion. There are 4 hills to watch out for. The first occurs after mile 1. The second comes at mile 3. After the 2nd hill, you run down a very scenic path and get a view of the biggest hill with an 400 something feet increase in elevation comes at mile 5.5. As you view the hill, make sure to give yourself a pep talk! I did. Your mental and physical game have to be strong when tackling this hill. The hill lasts for a few miles with dips in between before you start to descend again around mile 10. Be wary of mile 12! There is one more hill that you must face and that is probably the most challenging one of all because it's at the end of the race. I knew it was coming and I was still not mentally prepared for it.

Post race - You get your medal, a goodie bag with lots of refueling items, and lots of liquids. There are a ton of vendors, musical entertainment, and there's a beer garden. Oh and if you're trying to complete the Triple Crown Challenge (La Jolla half is #2 of the series), there are photo opps where you can hold signs that say you're Triple Crown Bound! Woo!

The entire race is overall, very scenic. You run through a state reserve, along the beach, and finish right next to the coast. I will admit that the race itself is very challenging, but that's what makes it all the more rewarding when you cross that finish line.