Expo: Bib pickup was easy and pretty quick. I did wait for a few minutes due to "dynamic bib assignment", but it all worked out fine. The rest of the expo was pretty miniscule. There was a race merchandise area with a decent selection of branded items, however, all that I saw said "marathon and half marathon". I was hoping for some solely marathon items. Aside from that, there wasn't much that was tempting aside from the KT tape booth. I was in and out within 15 minutes.

Pre-race and parking: As was recommended, I arrived 90 minutes early, so parking was a breeze and just a short walk from the start line. There were plenty of bathrooms and gear check was easy. There were 7 corrals, and I appreciate that bibs were being checked as people entered corrals. There's no use having corrals if people don't get into their assigned area! There wasn't much in terms of pre-race entertainment or music, but the race started promptly, which is the most important part.

The race itself: The course starts by winding through residential neighborhoods for the first 10 miles or so. There were a fair amount of families who were out cheering us on, which was well appreciated. This didn't continue much past mile 10. There were aid stations every 1.5 miles, which were well staffed (especially for the first half). If I remember correctly, most had porta johns as well. The course is FLAT. There were 2-3 "inclines" over bridges, but nothing that could truly be considered a "hill." If you like the water, there is plenty of it, as well as nice houses near the water! The only part of the course I didn't enjoy was Asbury Park. There were people crossing in front of runners at will on the Boardwalk, and to be honest, didn't smell great. The last mile or so was on the boardwalk on Long Branch, which was a beautiful place to end a run. Water/gatorade stations were every 1.5 miles, there was a lot of medical support, and porta johns were available at most water stops.

Post race: I finished late enough that the chute was very easy to maneuver through. Runners received boxed water, gatorade, and a pre-packaged box of snacks. My only complaint is that no bags were allowed in the finish area. I understand that it was for safety purposes, but I'd rather have my gear check bag inspected and be able to bring it in. I didn't enter the finish area because once I had my bag, the last thing I wanted to do was re-check it, then get it again when I wanted to leave. Shuttles back to the parking area were quick and easy, however I didn't like that they dropped runners off about a 10ish minute walk from the main parking area.

Swag: Marathon participants received a long-sleeved tech tee, which is of great quality. It matched the medal, which was double sided and rotated. I loved the details in the medal, especially all of the towns the course ran through being on the back side.

Overall, I would do this race again for either the half or full. The If you want a race catered towards marathoners, this race isn't for you. Course support dropped off (but was still present) after the half marathoners turned towards the finish, and by the time I was done (5:00:00), the finish festival was pretty much over. While I never ran "alone", there were significantly less people on the course. Despite the amount of runners, us full marathoners worked just as hard to reach that finish line!