Expo: Held at the Miami Convention Center. Easy to find parking and a short walk to the expo. I had the VIP add on to my registration so it was super easy to get my bib and my swag. And talking about swag, I loved it. As a VIP we received a cool insulated cross body bag, sunscreen, snacks and an awesome bucket hat.
During the expo we visited different booths, and explore new and fun gear, and got several samples of drinks and snacks. This Miami Expo is one of the best I have been too, you can easily spend several hours there.

Race Day: We stayed at a hotel that was about a mile to starting line. Race was scheduled to start at 6am, with 73° weather and the humidity making it feel warmer, I’m glad it was still dark and the breeze was nice. You definitely want to make it to the start line with plenty of time. With a VIP pass I had, I got assigned to corral B which was at the very front; we had to maneuver and ran through a large crowd to be able to make it on time.

Race started, super fun and the energy was amazing. The course started easy, I quickly found myself running through an incline, I’m glad it was pretty early on. Then it was super fun to run next to the cruises at the bay. But quickly after that huge crowds of very fast runners started dodging me. Starting the race in corral B had its advantages and disadvantages. Yes we started early, it was dark for a good 45 minutes, cooler. But when the other corrals started with faster runners, it got crowded and I felt overwhelmed, I was worry someone was going to run into me and I would fall, so I was trying to be really careful with my surroundings. Still I think I prefer that over running the whole race under the sun as it got pretty warm. But now I know for next time so it doesn’t take me by surprise.

At the 10k mark they had a fun challenge to race funds for a foundation. For every burpee they would donate $1. I stopped and completed 10 burpees, which made me feel good about being part of a cause but as soon I started running again I realized that was not a smart decision. My hamstrings quickly stared cramping and my legs left so heavy.

I continued the run but I did struggle. Still the views of the ocean and the sun coming out made every thing better, just beautiful.
At mile 9 my left knee started to hurt (IT band issue) so at every mile after that I stopped to stretch, made things better and I was able to cross the finish line. I did not get a PR but I finished which was my goal.

Finish line: Got my amazing medal, gorgeous and with a beautiful ribbon designed by a local artist.

There is a walk you have to go through to be able to get to snacks and that can be a little overwhelming because it is crowded.
Tables with bananas, granola and portion meals were available. They got catering from a local vendor and they had 4 options for meals, including a vegan option.
At the VIP area, they included a full breakfast and meals plus Cuban coffee and more. Legs massages were available. Having our own private restrooms is big plus.

The after party: Well super fun, music and dancing with thousands of people. With the ocean as a background, it was just perfect!
Can’t wait for next year.