While the course is decent, the volunteers seemed to have no clue about running and were often just plain rude. The course is mostly flat (by Atlanta standards) with some rolling hills, so I think it's a good race for a first-time half marathoner, but don't expect any niceties. I recommend this race, with reservation, if you need to check off a state or want a PR, but if you've been to other races of any size you'll probably be a bit frustrated by some things.

Expo: very small with volunteers who have no idea about pretty much anything. Every single question I asked at packet pickup on Friday and during race day was met with dumb stares or shrugs. Some people would laugh as if asking for a plastic bag, or a different size shirt were completely outlandish requests. Honestly, it's ok if you don't know the answer to something. In that case please go find someone who does instead of treating me like an idiot; these are not difficult questions.

Swag: Maine Coast operates a bit like an al-a-carte race where you can opt out of race shirt, etc. The race shirt looks pretty nice but I opted out since I already have a ton of shirts and don't need more. I did opt for a challenge (39.3) jacket since it seemed like a good occasion for one. The shirt probably would have been better; the jacket is one of those cheap Leslie Jordan things. Get the shirt instead. The medal has a mermaid, sparkles, and a beer opener; pretty much all you need, so it's cool. You can "upgrade" to VIP registration which I think gets you a sling bag (something that costs less than $1) and a separate section of port-o-potties (I used the regular people port-o-potties at the start several times without waiting). I like the al-a-carte idea that more races are using these days but Maine Coast costs the same as many other races I've done but with none of the included amenities. I'm registered for the half and full challenge (I'm running the full tomorrow) and the challengers should probably be included automatically in the "VIP" registrations in my opinion.

Course: the course runs along the coast for several miles but you're within very close proximity for the whole race. While the course views were more boring than I expected, it was still really nice to hear the waves while running. I'm expecting the full course tomorrow to be somewhat more interesting since we'll be running through Kennebunkport, but extremely bad weather will probably impede any decent photo opportunities (weather is obviously completely out of the hands of the race). The aid stations were every 2 miles and had typical water and sports drink. No gels or any other snacks but that's not too out of the ordinary for a half. It sounds like more food will be available on the full course. The volunteers and few spectators on the course were pretty quiet, kind of like golf cheering. The aid stations were small, but typical as I said, and the volunteers were friendly enough for the most part, they just weren't very enthusiastic. I had one bad experience where I nearly fell trying to grab water from a volunteer and she started laughing at me. Really?? That's just unacceptable.

I really wanted to like this race. I was thinking it was going to be a nice small race with a friendly, homey feel. The course was good but I encountered so many rude people that it's hard to get around that negative feeling.