My full race report (with photos of the amazing Arctic scenery) can be found here:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2015/08/17/overlander-sports-half-marathon-yellowknife/

RACE REPORT

Overall
A wonderful, small, local race. Nothing more, nothing less. As fun as I expected – definitely worth staying in town for a couple of extra days!

Packet Pickup/Expo
Just the table at Overlander Sports. Name, bib, Buff, done! I didn’t stay to look around the store – had to get home and drink some ginger ale…

T-Shirt/Swag
I was so pleased to get my first ever Buff! It has the race logo on it, and makes such a useful souvenir. No t-shirt for this race. The medal is mirrored glass made by the local Old Town Glassworks.

Course
Double loop – through historic Old Town, some residential neighbourhoods, along the highway past a couple of beautiful lakes, along the main retail strip, and back through the trails of Frame Lake. Start and finish in Somba K’e Plaza beside City Hall. There is a marathon as well – a second time around the double loop! There are no major hills, although the course undulates significantly during the first part of the second loop. None of the roads are closed, so ‘self-preservation’ was one of the themes of the race! The course was well marked.

Aid Stations
There were five aid stations, all with water and energy drink, and friendly volunteers. I heard the guy at the first aid station say: “Maybe we should have put vodka in the Gatorade!” Some of the stations had gummy bears, bananas, oranges – a nice variety.

Post-Race
Cookies, bananas and oranges waiting at the finish. They weren’t yet ready when I finished, but there were also sausages (but I don’t think there were veggie options) and salad. I didn’t stay around to see what the awards ceremony was like, since I had a plane to catch!

Race Management
Things seemed to run pretty smoothly. I noticed that the course ran about 600 metres short – not sure if this was due to measurement, or because we cut a few corners. There were marshals on bikes, but not a lot of people to direct us. My only disappointment is that few of the locals seemed to be aware of the race. I don’t think it got a lot of press. I would love to have seen a bit more local cheering on the course – though I certainly don’t fault the race directors for this. Overall, a well-organized and fun race!