Registration:
Registration for Rock ‘n’ Roll series races is very easier through their Competitor brand site. If you a continuous participants of these races, your registration information will be saved which makes it easy to register for additional races. The pricing for Rock ‘n’ Roll races can get very steep and may sell out (this one did a few weeks before the race), so make sure you register early to get a good price and a registration spot.

Expo:
The expo was located at the Convention Center downtown, also known as the longer name of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Parking near the convention center is a whopping $15. You can’t blame Rock ‘n’ Roll for this steep price; it’s the pricing set by the convention center. Trying to find metered parking in the area can be difficult. I found a parking lot off Young St. that was only $8 and I walked two blocks to the convention center.

Packet pickup was easy. The volunteers were prepared and moved people through the lines at a good pace. If you were participating in the Remix Challenge by completing the 5k on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday, you received two bibs, timers and shirts. For the women’s shirts, they run small so make sure you size up or get the men’s/unisex shirt.

As usual, The Rock ‘n’ Roll expo was awesome. There are vendors of every shape and size. Rock ‘n’ Roll does a great job of immediately dumping you into their branded merchandise area. They had some really cute apparel this year, and I got a long sleeved shirt and a drinking glass. A lot of the brands you would expect to be there are (CEP, Gu, Garmin, Sweatybans, Zippfizz, Powerbar and lots, lots more). I enjoyed learning about some new products and brands, such as LemonHead Apparel.

Race Day:
I was concerned about traffic and parking for the race. Fair Park is notorious for having difficult parking and really bad traffic for large races. If possible, take the DART. If you drive to Fair Park, absolutely do not try to enter from I-30! Wind your way through downtown and enter from Haskell. I find the traffic is a million time more manageable than trying to take the interstate.

Knowing this was a Rock ‘n’ Roll event, I was expecting thousands upon thousands of participants. The 5k had sold out a few weeks before the race day, so we left extra early to avoid any potential traffic and/or parking issues. I was very surprised about the ease to get in and out of the race. I was also underwhelmed by the number of participants. It seemed more like small, local race than a big Rock ‘n’ Roll series event. I don’t necessarily like the large crowds, but this was much smaller than I was expecting. The positive side of the small crowd though was the ease of parking, not being crowded in the corrals or on the course, and the ease of finding my family after the race.

Course:
The course was very flat and not scenic. It took you through the back streets and parking lots of Fair Park. Overall, it’s pretty unforgettable. If you are pushing for time, it would be a great course to get a face time on.

Post-Race:
Unlike other Rock ‘n’ Roll races I’ve competed it, there was a lack of the after party atmosphere they usually have. There was a DJ and only a handful of vendors. I didn’t stay around after the race for very long because there wasn’t much to do.

Overall:
I would participate in this race again if it remains part of the Remix Challenge (will run for bling!). If it becomes a stand along race, I probably would not participate in it.