You'd think a race with 50,000+ people hosted in a town of 180,000 would be an absolute cluster, but you'd be wrong. I guess when you're Don Kardong and have been doing it for 39 years you've got the machine pretty well oiled. They've made a number of positive changes over the years to both the course and the logistics, all of which have made it a great experience and what I consider a must-do race for any runner.

The elite race draws some serious international talent and the color coded wave starts provide for a great race experience for those racing sub-hour or out for a 3+ hour stroll in a banana costume.

While Doomsday Hill (3/4 of a mile of 6+% grade at mile 5) gets all the publicity, this course has two other hills that will test your legs, lungs and guts. Just over a mile into the race after a steep drop down Riverside you have a short but steep incline up to Government Way. This is where you can encounter a lot of people that went out too fast and die on the first hill. A mile later after the first aid station you have cemetery hill, which is a nasty little double hill with a false summit. I think it's the toughest hill on the course and a great opportunity to pick some people off and gain some time.

The finish is a fun, fast downhill across the Monroe Street Bridge and provides for some cool finish line photos. The shirts are always pretty terrible and they just added a medal a few years ago, but it's a $12 extra charge. Considering the race only costs $18 it seems like a reasonable add-on.

Best part of Bloomsday is the community support. The entire course is lined with bands (better than Rock N Roll) and tens of thousands of fans cheering the whole time. A must-do race!