This was a rather unorthodox race to put it nicely. I'll explain why scenery and overall bring down the review to my first "do not recommend".

Overall: This race was rather weird. You start on the riverfront; that's a good sign. But immediately you are turned around and end up running on an on-ramp up to a main bridge. Coming off of this on-ramp is a "nice" homeless community (maybe wait to take a breath?) and if you're breathing hard, be ready for the smell of urine and alcohol to smite you down. Then you run through a business district taking sharp turns and run back on to another bridge (going up a spiral ramp) where you cross the river and start another loop (if you run the 10K distance).

T-shirts/SWAG: As always, the HTC series did with an awesome bib and some cool shirts. The tech fabric is really nice, and the design is pretty cool. If you collect bibs like me, this might be one to add.

Aid stations: Again, HTC series always finds the nicest volunteers. The aid stations were equipped with water or Nuun Hydration drinks to help you through (and it was placed about half way into the 5k). The younger children helping out were more than eager to try to give you something to drink.

Course scenery: The aforementioned booze/urine smell was a real turn off, and slightly uneasy. There is nothing really beautiful about this race. More than the scenery, I looked forward to seeing people who were participating as everyone cheered on other people. That was the really cool part. Participants encouraging others is always a plus.

Expo quality: The after party was kinda cool. It was a small "blues festival" (I believe) and being able to relax there was nice.

Parking was a big deal since it was downtown Portland. Luckily since it was a weekend, I was able to get away with parking on the side of the road, but even that was a slight walk from the start line.

In conclusion, if you want a low-key race and just want to get out there and celebrate the Fourth of July, then this is a good race. The costumes are cool and people enjoy themselves. If you're looking for scenery and something not repetitive and runner-friendly (for Personal Records and fast times), then I would save your money and invest in another race.