I missed out on this race in 2015, mostly because I heard about it too late and didn't want to pay up the higher entry fee. So, i made it a point to mark my calendar this year, and, boy am I glad I did. This was one of the best half's I've run due to a course that I felt was fun and beautiful to run through. Running through downtown, the East Side, Marquette University and along the lakefront was awesome. Just beautiful views and great support from the locals in the neighborhoods that we ran through. The only blemish was the areas of the actual course that were a bit narrow, as in you could maybe run next to one person but that would be it. The elevations made the course a little bit of a challenge though. Only one extreme hill and that was at the beginning. I found more trouble the 7-8 mile range where it was a gradual incline going through the MU area, but overall it was reasonable. Plenty of aid stations along the way, although I didn't utilize them thanks to my SPIbelt I had just acquired prior to this race. I felt the parking was not a problem. Bummed it cost me $8 but going into the O'Donnell parking structure gave me plenty of time to get over to the course and the gear check tent. I loved the expo the day before. Running Q&A's and having the course shown on a big screen was cool. Lots of vendors to peruse through and the volunteer staff was incredibly nice and supportive as well. Great to see the many other races there selling their courses and with deals to be had (I ended up signing up for two races next year already...) and I loved the atmosphere in general around the Harley Davidson Museum. I felt that the race management kept me dutifully informed for the last several months with pep talks, basic info, more detailed info, etc. I couldn't ask them to do more with emails and Facebook. Now, I know there were some issues concerning distances of the races and that is a problem that hopefully will be fixed or taken care of next year. It effected the marathon runners more than myself but at the end of the race I did notice my final distance was at 13.38, so there is something to be said there.
I liked my T-shirt that I received and the post race party was fun with free beer and a nice selection of food trucks in the area to provide sustenance. The results tent was in full operation, which is good, and the gear check people were right on top of getting back my stuff. The band that was playing was decent and provided plenty of entertainment as well. And if you needed a selfie, well, what better spot than the lakefront with all its splendor in the background. I was a little disappointed in the lack of a virtual goodie bag and hoped for some other coupons in the bag I did receive (i.e Performance Running Outfitters....) but it still contained some nice deals.

I am planning to run this race again and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to run a long race in Milwaukee.