I really enjoyed my race day experience - but I wish I could say that same for packet pick up. This was the worst packet pick-up that I've experienced. I couldn't find the location at first, which was Genesis Health Club, because the sign outside the building said 24-Hour Fitness. I didn't realize these two were the same thing, and would have appreciated the heads-up in the email notifying us about the pick-up location. The pick-up was in a teeny tiny room with no space, which made it very difficult to maneuver. They did have free stickers and free shirts from previous year's races, which was nice.

On race day, I had a much better experience. We parked at Kiewitt and were bused to the starting line. Full marathoners were able to park on-site, but I'm not sure that all of them did because were were still spots available. There seemed to be plenty of porta-potties available. The only negative experience was that the race began late, and I was cold, so I wanted to get things going! But they did announce that it was starting late, so everyone was aware.

The reason to run this race is the course itself. It's very scenic, both through Shawnee Mission Park and on the Mill Creek Trail. This race, at the end of November, offers some beautiful views of the lake and the fall colors are gorgeous! The race is entirely on paved trail, with rolling hills and a very tough uphill finish (but you get to start downhill, so that's fun). I thought the aid stations were well stocked with both water and Gatorade. A few of the stations had gel as well, although I didn't take any.

I also really liked the swag for this event. Long sleeved, tech shirts and a very nice (and large) medal! The full marathon medal is massive. The post race food included pumpkin pie.. what's not to love about that?

Aside from packet-pick up, I really enjoyed this race.