Overall, I would do this race again and enjoyed it. It was not easy, though! The elevation difficulty is very apparent and the time of the year is right when it starts getting warm (hot and humid) in Texas. Don't let this deter you, but do be prepared. After training in the cool/cold weather, this may be your first hot run of the year... throw in lots of hills, and it makes for a great challenge. Especially if you do the 5K the day before (Remix Challenge), which I totally recommend!

The swag is awesome, especially if you do the 5K AND Half Marathon (Remix Challenge). You will receive 3 amazing medals. The T-shirts are nice, technical shirts.

The expo was great - not TOO big but a good size. Lots of vendors, samples, freebies, and lots of runners. It was located at the Convention Center, which is huge. Parking was a little packed but that's to be expected. Be sure to have your signed form and ID to pick up your bib in order for everything to run smoothly and you should be golden.

Race day went smoothly, parked in a parking garage near the start line Downtown. The start line was really easy to find - you could hear the announcer and see runners gathered. There were plenty of porta-potties, very organized gear check (with UPS trucks that followed you to the finish line), and well-labeled corrals. I had plenty of time to park, use a porta-potty and check my bag before heading my corral.

Course scenery is GREAT. Especially going over the bridge. Yes, the elevation was tough, but worth it in my opinion. Again, it's a FUN race but not be the ideal race for a PR for all, though, because of the hills and Texas weather. There was also entertainment, stages set up with bands playing, men on stilts, a guy juggling, etc...

The aid stations were mostly fine, one table only had Gatorade though and on the end a girl frantically scooping water out of a bucket and handing them out one by one (nobody wants Gatorade!!!). I heard that people towards the back of the pack had issues with aid stations/access to water, which is unacceptable for such a huge event... but in my OWN personal experience, I had plenty of water available to me. There was also a station with Glukos gels and gummies, which was nice.

The finish line experience was really great. Awesome medals, not any special food really (bananas, chocolate milk, granola bars), photographers there to take your pic with a back-drop, an area to get a beer, lots of grass to plop down and hang out with run buddies, a little pop-up shop with gear for sale... and food trucks! There were at least two food trucks parked nearby for rungry runners. It was really nice.

Overall, I thought this was a REALLY FUN race, very well-organized and I would recommend it and do it again!