I truly enjoyed this race. The half marathon course was nice and flat, nice views, bands/entertainment along the way, and not too crowded. The weather was nice - it did start sprinkling (a risk you take running in the PNW) but this happened right after I finished so I didn't mind. It was just a light drizzle. The race size is nice - not HUGE but a fairly large/major race. I would definitely recommend this race and do it again!

The expo was nice, again not huge but a good size to where you could spend about an hour looking around at all the different booths. Lots of awesome "Portland Marathon" merchandise for sale as well! I had no trouble picking up my bib and goodies with no wait. The expo was at a hotel downtown and easily accessible via public transportation. Lots of friendly volunteers pointed you in the right direction.

I took an Uber down to the race on race day and has no issues. I got there extra early and it was obvious where the Start was and where corrals were. Again LOTS of (friendly!) volunteers were there to help. An awesome running store was open (Foot Traffic) right by the start line which was AMAZING. I hung out in there for warmth, used the restroom before the race, and of course shopped around!

The race itself was great. I enjoyed the course and the friendly people. There were people cheering and interesting bands/entertainment along the way. Aid stations were plentiful - lots of water and Ultima replenisher (electrolytes). There were porta-potties along the way - I did notice a line for them at some points but I didn't personally use any.

The finish line was great - there was an encouraging announcer, then you got your medal and photo taken, then down to the goodies! They had lots of snacks, and you got a commemorative coin, a pendant, a rose, and a cedar tree seedling. I thought all of the "swag" was really sentimental and I love the tradition of it all. They also had a food truck handing out grilled cheese sandwiches! Pretty awesome. I personally also went over to the running shop and got myself a little something I'd been eyeing for snagging a PR.

Overall, this race is really well organized, in a really friendly and unique city, swag is great, and if you don't get too much rain the weather is amazing. I would 100% recommend this race to a friend and hope to run it again!