This is one of the most organized races I have ever participated in. Starting from the beginning, the communication between registration to race day has stood out by far compared to some of the other events I have participated in. I greatly appreciated the monthly e-mail blasts with updates and information for the race, as well as e-mail reminders that were blasted out for the event. I can be very disorganized sometimes, so having the out reach was very convenient. Also, there is an app that has all the information for the event, which was also very helpful.

The Expo was very large, had some great vendors, and was held at the Convention Center. It was easy to pick up your bib and browse the vendors, or leave early if you wanted to. This race actually had quite a bit of swag with a shirt, hat, bags, and multiple freebie items being handed out at the Expo.

Race morning was quite a sight. I don't think I have ever seen that many runners in my life, and I can definitely see why this is one of the largest half marathons in the nation. There were even some celebrities that participated in the runs! I had heard that if you are a more serious runner, it is better to be seeded in the front, as there are a lot of other runners you would have to pass, and I did notice that some sections were not very wide for passing (or maybe there were just that many runners, which made it difficult), However, if you're running just to run, it doesn't really matter which wave you are assigned, because it's just a lot of fun to see everything. The course is overall flat, and my favorite part to run was the track. I tend to be klutzy (and have been known to fall from time to time), and the track was 2.5 miles of perfectly paved asphalt. You don't have to worry about potholes or any sort of unevenness on the track. It was like running on a treadmill, outside! The ending of the race finished downtown at Military Park, and had a ton of vendors for some amazing post-race fun. These finisher medals were really neat as they looked just like the Indy 500 cup.

I would highly recommend this race to anyone looking to do a first run, as the course is overall pretty flat, there are a ton of aid stations, lots of course support (just about the whole stretch of the race), and there are so many other runners with great charisma and excitement that it keeps the vibe of the race super exciting!