Lola's Half Marathon was not just a half marathon, but a relay, a 10-miler, a 5K and a kids fun run all rolled into one fun filled morning! Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for the after party, so I can only fill you in on the race that I ran which was the half marathon.

We arrived at around 7 am for an 8 am start. Parking was relatively easy an hour before the race start. We were about 2 blocks west and 1 block north of the start in a residential neighborhood, so it was roughly a 10 minute walk. I don't believe parking was an issue for an runner. And it was free, which is always a welcome bonus.

I promptly headed for the potties, seeing a line of them right as we entered the park. There were also some indoor facilities at the park center, but the line for those was already stretching across the park. Unfortunately, the ones for the porta potties weren't much better. I'll admit, the lines were well organized, with little confusion, but they just didn't move quickly. I'm pretty certain that the ratios of potties to registrants wasn't quite up to par.

It took me nearly 40 minutes to wait on line to use the potty. By the time I emerged, it was apparent that the officials were ready to line up the runners. The 10-mile started 10 minutes before the half marathoners, and there was confusion by the announcer as to where they would begin and where the half-marathoners would begin. After 3 misguided announcements, it was finally made clear, but mainly by the crowd of people headed through the park and to the actual start line. This was minutes before the gun sounded.

The national anthem was sung. This is always a wonderful bonus and should happen at ALL race events, in my humble opinion.

There were pacers at this event, too. I don't use them anymore, but I'm sure they were helpful for those that do. From what I could tell at the start, there weren't as many runners in the smaller events as there were for the half marathon! Clearly it was the race to be run.

There were warnings on the website that the course had changed slightly from last year, but since this was my first Lola's Half Marathon, it didn't phase me at all.

I didn't have time to peruse the "expo" or race day vendors, as there was just enough time to pee and run. I did walk around for a little bit afterwards, and mainly, there were the sponsors of the event set up with their respective tables. Twin Cities Orthopedics, and Running Room were the main ones. There was also a place to pick up and/or exchange your race shirts. I'm glad I stuck with the Men's small because the women's sizes were teeny tiny! They were technical tee shirts (short sleeved) but I was disappointed in the gray color. Running shirts should REALLY be neon...so you can be seen when you are running in them.

The course wound through downtown Waconia, and then down to the lake where much of the beautiful scenery was to be found. There was also a bit of a trail run mixed in as nearly 3/4 of a mile of the run occurred on a deer path that took you from the park to the lake road.

This was a challenging course. Hilly is an understatement. I've only one one course more challenging than this, and that is the Belle Plaine Half Marathon. This is a step below that race, if just a step. The hills were short and steep, and you had to run them smart. Making up time on the downhills is crucial if it is a PR that you are after. It would be an easy course to get burnt out on by mile 7 if you aren't careful.

I passed up many runners, although I believe a lot of them were the 10 milers, who basically ran the same course minus the 3.1 miles that we had tacked on at the start. We all finished together at the same finish line and at the same time.

I counted 5 water/aid stations, although I did not utilize them. I brought my own hydration. They seemed well placed as far as I could tell.

The route was well situated with volunteers, course officials, and city officials, although there was very little in the way of onlookers. Most of the spectators were likely family and friends of the runners scattered about on the course. And, many spectators were lined up around the park perimeter for the finish of the races. This was pretty cool. To get to the finish, you had to make a few 90° turns, and that was a bit odd, but it allowed for more of the crowd to get a great view of the finish.

Medals were handed out promptly at the finish line. 10 milers were corralled to the left, and half marathoners to the right. The volunteer was nice enough to allow me to get a second medal for Delaney! THANK YOU!!

Afterwards, I was able to find my husband with little effort. Somehow, we bypassed the food and went right to a photo staging area where he was able to get my photo with the medals. Then we found the race shirt table and picked that up before circling back to the food area. I don't eat any of the food, but I give mine to my husband. There was an assortment of granola bars, Pearson Nut Rolls, and bananas. Oh, and cups of water, as well.

As I mentioned earlier, we couldn't stay for the lunch and the free drinks. I was sorely disappointed about that. But I plan to run this again, and hopefully next year our schedule won't be as tight on a Saturday morning.

All in all, it was an excellent experience and I highly recommend it to Minnesota runners who like a challenging run. I hope that next year they add another line of porta-potties, though. That would be the only improvement I'd recommend.

Find my complete race recap here! http://www.neonismycolor.com/lolas-half-marathon-race-recap/