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. Or, if you plan on doing multiple races in their series check out the Tour Pass for the best pricing.

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:
Take DART. Take DART. Take DART! Did I mention you should take DART!? There wasn’t any “official” parking this year, so the downtown and uptown areas were splattered with runners trying to find parking. DART is so much more hassle-free than getting road rage before the crack of dawn and before you race! But in keep in mind that several thousand other runners will be on DART, so pick a preferred train time and a backup time in case your first train is too full to get on.

As usual, Rock ‘n’ Roll races draw very large crowds. It’s best to give your support squad the course map prior to the event and plan when you will see them along the course, as well as when you can meet up with them afterwards. You can sign up for the free run tracker, which will help your supports even more!

I skipped gear check this year, but it seemed to be operating smoothly and I had friends that used it with ease.

Course:
The course started in downtown and wound through Deep Ellum, over the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge, through Oak Lawn and back down Cedar Springs. I drive around these places regularly, but didn’t realize that put together they made up a 13.1 mile course!

These races draw very large crowds, so be prepared for some bobbing and weaving no matter what corral you start in. The bands along the course are always entertaining, and don’t forget to thank the men and women in uniform as you pass by!

There were 3 sizeable “hills” – the incline over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, up Oaklawn by Scottish Rite Hospital, and up Cedar Springs around mile 12. I heard others complaining about the hills this year. I had been hill practicing a lot for this season, so I was proud that I was able to tackle them. There were water stations about every 3 miles, and Gatorade and Gu stations along the course.

Post-Race:
The course ended at a different location than the start line. I find the finish lines of Rock ‘n’ Roll races to be a bit harried. You’re excited and exhausted, and there are a lot of volunteers and people crammed in a small space. I get my medal and nutrition, take the quick finisher photo, and move out of there as quickly as possible. This is also a good time to reunite with your cheer squad.

Rock ‘n’ Roll also uses this as another opportunity to sell you merchandise. They have finishers clothing that wasn’t available at the Expo, plus some of the apparel that was at the Expo. If you think you might want to make a purchase, make sure you’ve packed a credit card in your checked bag, have it on you, or convince one of your cheer squad members to purchase it for you.

Then it’s time to grab your beer and enjoy the post-race headliner. I found it a bit odd that finishers had to circle around finishing at American Airlines Center to Victory Park in order to enjoy the concert. In my tired post-race state, it was a bit difficult to wrap my head around walking the extra yardage to enjoy the concert. But once I got there, I realized it was the perfect place to hold the concert. There were more beer tents if you wanted to indulge further while enjoying the concert. Rock on!

Overall:
As long as I’m in decent enough shape, I’ll continue to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas! Since I’m a local and it’s one of the most fun racing series, I’ll continue to enjoy rocking Dallas!

And not-so-humble-brag, I PRed my half marathon time at Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas this year. BOOM! I’ll be back next year to try to do even better!

Read even more about my experience here: http://racesandrescues.com/race-report-rock-n-roll-dallas-half-marathon-and-a-pr/