It was a nice windy day to start my 5th half marathon, but my first Southshore half. Wind gusts were topping 20-30mph and with this race held along the lake, you can imagine the resistance felt. The combination of wind and snow/sleet led to an interesting first half of the race, but the weather did improve somewhat throughout. The race start is busy for the first mile or so due to the narrow trails, but then it opens and there is lots of space to get into a great rhythm. There were adequate water and aid stations, and despite the cold, we did still seem some friendly faces along the course. The post race swag was fairly disappointing as the gloves were very cheaply made, and were just not what I was picturing. However, the cheap cost of the race, and the large building to warm up in post event was a good balance. Post race there is beer available and then random pretzels/cookies which are put on tables. The results were posted incredibly fast though, which was wonderful! You will not find a lot in which to park, but street parking was fairly easy and I was about a 5 minute walk away from the start. Overall pros and cons:
Pros:
-cost of the race ($18 for non badgerland members)
-location: ease of parking, pavilion in which to stay warm and dry, beautiful lakefront course
-quickness of post race results

Cons:
-lack of spectators
-lack of swag/post race festivities
-weather...but what do you expect in the Midwest