This was such a fun race! I lived about 6 hours north of Riverside, but didn't want to spend the money on a hotel, so that meant leaving my house at MIDNIGHT in order to get to the race on time! I got there super early (there was no traffic since I drove through the middle of the night), found parking, ate the breakfast and energy drink I packed, and loaded the shuttle to the start line. It was SO DANG COLD at the start. If you aren't used to SoCal winters, it gets super cold during the night and early morning, but warms up to the mid 60s during most days. They had mylar blankets to use at the start, but I just opted to keep my jacket on. Since I lived so far away, I had to pick up my packet on race morning. That was a breeze. As we got closer to the start time, I warmed up, dropped my gear off (which was also super easy), used the restroom, and made my way to the starting corral. Everyone was so happy! I couldn't believe it! Being in early December, everyone was int he holiday spirit, dressed in Christmas costumes and colors. Made for such a fun experience! The race was kind of crowded at the beginning, but spread out pretty quickly. There was an uphill right out of the gates, and then pretty flat until about mile 5. Right at the start of mile 5 there was a very steep, tough hill. But if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other, it is over quickly. The road then flattens out as it takes you through a neighborhood, and then you get to go right back down that big hill. So nice! The course goes around a gold course, where there are two more steep but short hills, and then the turn around at mile 8 takes you right back the way you came. The aid stations were frequent and plentiful, there was crowd support in certain sections of the course, and there were even carolers singing Christmas songs! As I made my way to the finish, I realized I was in for a pretty big PR (ended up being a 14 minute PR!), so crossing the finish line was so very sweet. The post race party was amazing! The best I have ever experienced in my 6 half marathons! Food trucks everywhere, yoga, beer, and more carolers made for such a great time! The medal was a huge reindeer face, I loved it! I wish I still lived in California so that I could run every single Lexus Laceup race, i loved it THAT much. Highly recommend!!