I write this with sore legs and on 3 hrs of sleep after getting back to Ohio in the early hours of the morning. I received entry into the One City Marathon for being a BibRave Pro and I have to say, for this being the second year of the race, it was pretty well done

Hotels for the out of towners: 3 host hotels, a group of us stayed at the Marriott City Center. There was also the Hampton and one other. Perks of staying there was shuttle buses to the race start race day morning and post race

The Expo: Definitely a smaller expo, however, the marathon only had 380 ish people running (in addition to the relay, 8K and nautical mile). Local running stores and local races there, doing gait analysis, etc. Fairly easy to get through and get your packet. There was the option to pick up your bib race morning or have someone pick up your bib for you

Pasta Dinner: Was Saturday night (prior to the race) and had a panel of speakers (including this year's eventual winners), that people could ask questions to and plenty of food and desserts. Tickets were sold prior and sold out. Held at the Marriott

Race: Point to point course, which really lets you see the town. It started in Newport Park and the flow of runner drop off was pretty flawless. Not a whole lot of light initially, though there were lights brought in and plenty of porta potties. Started promptly at 7 AM with pace groups to boot. The course itself Took runners through parks and the city streets of Newport News. The course was really well marked and had volunteers and PD throughout. Runners had at least 2 lanes and I never felt unsafe while on course. If you ran the relay, there were 3 interchanges on course to pass off to the next runner. You also ran through parks and older parts of town. There were cheer areas with people, in addition to residents lined up in front of their houses cheering people on. If you're one who likes bigger races, it can get a little lonely (which when you hit a wall like me, a little more crowd would have been nice). Water stops every 2 miles on the even miles, though there were water refill stations if you had your own water packs with you. Some food on course too. The finish has you come around the corner and right to the Victory Arch and a whole lot of people. I missed one of my fellow pros calling out for me.

Post Race Party: You cross the finish and straight ahead is the medal, food and water. You keep walking to the party where there was music, food trucks, beer tents, yoga, massages, etc. Everyone gets 2 beer tickets and a ticket to try something from the food truck. I can't eat right after a race so I passed on that part, but enjoyed listening to the bands. Some of the other pros enjoyed the tacos right after the race.

Overall, I thought the race was well organized. If I could make some minor suggestions, it would be to have signs at the relay interchanges so people know whether to go left or right depending on if they're the relay or not. Sometimes, I get focused in and don't hear what people are saying. It seemed like the expo and the pasta dinner were spread out (at different places), so I would suggest trying to have things more central. I think they could have even more people come out if there was a Half Marathon Option, especially if people were looking for a training run. And a minor thing: chocolate milk at the finish, especially when it's warm out. Definitely a race to look at if you're in the area though!