I was staying on the race course in 2013 and was surprised to see it go past my window early that morning. Birmingham doesn't really come off as a running town so it was a surprise to see all the runners passing by. I then found out that the finisher's medal was a Benz symbol on a ribbon. After I saw this I knew I had to finish it so I could get one. It give a good tour of the city and goes through all of the major highlights of the down town area. This isn't all that exciting as it is Birmingham (the full marathon just does a second lap), but it was good to see the city out and supporting the racers. This was my first and only half, but I had a great time doing it. It does have what seem to me to be some pretty significant climbs, I think the major uphill section started mile 3 or 4 and didn't end until around mile 10. Birmingham is a very hilly city and has some very steep sections, but the race planners did a good job staying away from the steep hills and somehow found a course with a long steady climb on a fairly easy grade (for Birmingham). I would definitely recommend this race to anyone in the area, or for anyone who is already interested in going to Bham and is trying to pick out a weekend.