This was my first Miami Marathon and it will not be my last. I signed up at the last minute for the half and I still found the email communication before the race very helpful. Since a cold front moved through the day at the expo I decided to switch to the full. The expo was at the Marlins Park which yielded long lines and a lot of congestion. The lines to pick up your t-shirt were lengthy and everyone had to wait in a line to walk single file up the non-moving escalator. If you had a stroller or wheelchair with you, this would have been very difficult. There were so many vendors at the expo but the crush of people going around the baseball stadium made it difficult to navigate and to shop. The people at the solutions counter were helpful in switching my entry from the half to the full. The expo took a long time to for packet pick up having to pass security checks and lengthy lines. I know this was the first year at the Marlins Park which was neat in theory just not conducive to a large crowd of people trying to browse at vendor stations. The Miami Marathon merchandise was great! There was a wide selection of quality items to pick from.

Race morning you had options of taking shuttles to the start line. This was well organized however I was dropped off near the starting area. The route and street closures were well advertised in the athlete guide so the person driving me did not have any issues with drop off and pick up. The corrals were organized and I greatly appreciated the security that checked each participant's bib and corral placement. They did a great job of trying to enforce the safety of the corral seeding for everyone. However, I was dismayed at the behavior of fellow runners that were jumping the fences directly in front of security personnel that was yelling at them to use the proper entrance. Of course the runners hopping the fence were not in the proper corral. Kudos to the lady working corral C who tracked down corral crashers from H, I, J and K! This poses a safety risk when walkers or slower paced runners jump into a faster paced corral. It was frustrating to see runners act in such a manner that defied race security and personnel.

As far as the course goes, it was well marked and aide stations were plentiful and well staffed. I am sure the course was beautiful, it was just raining so hard I kept my head down and focused. After the full/half marathon split it got pretty lonely on the full course. I always greeted the officers and said thank you as they course so well staffed with police. Impressive job by the organizers on having the intersections safe and secure for the runners! The finish line party was large and looked very entertaining! It started pouring so I headed to gear check (again, well organized) and back to the hotel. Athlinks tracking was down for most of the race and times, especially for corrals H, I, J and so forth did not indicate their proper start times. However, the race management worked quickly to resolve the timing issues. My time was accurate as I started in wave C. Some corrals started close to 7 am. There were snacks and more at the after party and the staff was very helpful at directing you to gear check and so forth.

The medals, race shirt and sling bag were great! Thanks to a sponsor, ProAir, you were able to receive FREE race photos. The volunteers were great and they stood out in the cold rain for a long time. Race organization was good and the only thing that needed improvement was the flow of people through the race expo and the efficiency of packet pick up.

Despite the cold rain I was able to BQ! Thanks to the crowd support for cheering-- I needed it! If you are looking for a flat, scenic course that is well supported, Miami Famous is your race! This makes for a great winter destination race! See you in 2018, Miami!