I ran the Mill Race half marathon. This race is in my husband's hometown, thus it's hard for me to say I'll never do it again; however, I'm not racing (ha!) to sign up for the 2015 race due to less than ideal situations occurring in 2013 and 2014. Read on to better understand!

PROS
• I loved the design of the shirt and the softness of the LS tech shirt (but they are unisex sizing -- boo!)
• All finishers (or registered runners, I can’t remember which) are entered into a drawing for a brand new Dodge Ram truck. You must be present at the drawing to claim the prize -- this makes perfect sense but of course I'd be disappointed if my name was drawn but I wasn't present.
• The course was well staffed with volunteers to direct you where to go.
• There’s a parking garage right next to the start line.
• It was small enough of a race you don’t need to arrive super early to maneuver to your starting corral or wait for the porta-potty.
• The post-race party lasts all day long with a live band, several food options from local vendors, and games and activities.
• There’s prize money!

CONS
• THERE WAS AN ACTIVE FREIGHT TRAIN DURING MILE 2. This was a dangerous inconvenience to everyone. I won’t waste time explaining the situation here. If you’re intrigued, read about it here http://www.runnersworld.com/races/watch-marathoners-stopped-by-passing-train or here http://www.therepublic.com/view/local_story/Runners-derailed_1411820763. This lovely train obviously slowed me down and interrupted my rhythm. After the 2013 controversial finish of the marathon, this was not the best thing that could happen for this race! (In 2013 the lead male marathon runner, a Kenyan, took a wrong turn during the race, and ultimately lost the race, as he was mislead by the pace car. Some argue it was intentional because this then allowed a local elite runner to win the race. Others say it was a pure accident.)
• The cups used for water and sports drink on the course were misleading. A cup I took during the race was what I thought was a water cup (standard blue and white Hinckley Springs cup), but instead it was a sports drink.

Columbus, Indiana is a great town to visit, especially if you're into architecture and such. If you remove the one-off event (ahem, freight train), this is definitely a well done race and I would definitely do it again.