I absolutely love everything about the Phoenix marathon! Last year I ran the 10K and enjoyed it so much that I signed up for the half marathon this year. The swag bag was stuffed full of awesomeness...even got free socks, arm sleeves, and a book!

The expo was inside the Sheraton this year, and felt less impressive than last year. It was hectic and chaotic, and difficult to maneuver as it was very packed. I hope that they will return to the expo of last year, which seemed to have way more vendors, a clear flow of traffic, and was easy to get through.

The race is very organized, and transportation from the parking areas is provided with bus shuttles. The only drawback is that the last shuttle leaves at 5:15am, meaning it is a very, very early morning.

The course is actually flat, and has aid stations at almost every other mile. Each mile is clearly marked with color coded flags for each distance. The bus shuttle drops each distance at a different start, so that the race course is the same but does not collide with the other distances.

There were cold towels at the finish line, which was awesome but would have been more appreciated by the over heating marathon runners, somewhere around mile 19 or 20.

The after party did not seem quite as big as last year, but was still pretty amazing! A massage tent was set up along with a physical therapy tent for stretching. French toast and BBQ with Mac N Cheese were available for free. There were very few options for those runners with diet restrictions, but that is to be expected at most races.

Another thing to note, there is no post-race beer at this race. Many people seemed saddened after walking around in search of a beer tent. I don't like to drink after running long distances, so it didn't really effect me.