The start of the race was well planned, but the route itself was quite brutal on some legs. Van 2 ran several legs on rocky and VERY dusty dirt roads. The race this year was also quite hot and during several of the hardest legs, our runners felt ill due to the heat. There were only a few aid stations along the course at the changeovers between Van 1 and Van 2, so other than that be prepared to rely on caring your own water and communicating with your teammates on where you need them to help you. The medals and shirts were pretty cool, but for the steep price, I wish there was more in the way of SWAG bags. I do like that for the Texas races, that if you run this road race and the trail race in the same year, you earn an additional medal.