I've run this race four times and will likely run it again in 2016. You get to run through the campus of MSU, Mankato then along the Red Jacket Trail through the beautiful Minnesota River Valley, through Sibley Park (one of the most beautiful parks in town!) and finally finish in downtown Mankato. There are plenty of water stops along the way, but the best part is the cheer stations! The local Mankato community really comes out to support this race and various organizations will host a cheer station. Even better they are located in spots where you often need cheers the most (right at the bottom of a hill, out in the country where there are less spectators, etc). They have around 10-12 throughout the course (full marathon) and you can tell they are having just as much fun, and probably more fun, than the runners. The expo was down a bit this year. It's smaller than some I have been to, but there is plenty of space in the MSU, Mankato field house so it is not too crowded. The only thing I didn't like last year was that we stuffed our own bags rather than being able to pick them up already stuffed like in years past. Not the end of the world, but it just made for much longer lines. I would definitely recommend this race to others and I know I will be running it for many more times in the future.