It has been two years since I did a half marathon, so I had to do a lot of training to get back up to a pace that I could keep up with for two hours. I was not sure how long or how many hills were in the course, so I did a lot of up hill training and I am grateful that I did.
The overall course is fairly easy for the first few miles along the coast and residential areas, but then you reach the hill. I attempted to continuing running the entire hill, however after noticing the people walking around me were going about the same pace as my run I decided to walk the remainder of the hill as well. That hill is a real killer! Luckily the breathtaking views and fantastic aid stations along way make the difficult hill not so bad. Then end of the course goes down a slightly steep cobble stone hill that can be a bit tricky before going back along the beach and then to the finish. Similar to the aid stations, there are plenty of drinks and snacks after the race as well as free beer! Fact: I do not drink alcohol, but it was a good incentive for a lot of runners.
The expo had a ton of great brands, Oofos, 2xu, and many more. There wasn't much in the way of swag. You pick up your shirt and get a bag but that's it for the swag.
Shoes:Mizuno Inspire
Headphones: Aftershockz
Shirt: Nike
Shorts: Asics
Socks: Asics
Sleeves: none