Disclosure: I'm a member of the 2017 Rock 'n' Blog team, which means I got to run this race for free. All opinions and words are my own--I don't do ghost writing or sponsored reviews.

This is the third or fourth time I have run Rock 'n' Roll Los Angeles. Unfortunately, each year the course is different because the city of Los Angeles is in control of issuing permits for the race (as they control which roads are closed, etc.). This year was my least favorite course because (1) I really missed the part of the race that ran through the campus itself, and (2) most of it was an out-and-back, and (3) too much of it was hilly Wilshire Blvd. I don't mind SOME out and back, because it gives me a chance to see my faster friends and to cheer for others, but it was too much of the course. (I know some people who hate out-and-back and find it miserable and demoralizing.) The course didn't show off the city very well. Also, there was no full marathon this year (and I can't remember if there was one last year, to be fair, but there used to be one). There was a 5k, but it started the same time as the half marathon, so it wasn't possible to earn a Remix medal. (In some cities, there is a Rock 'n' Roll 5k on Saturday and a half and/or full and/or 10k on Sunday. If you run one race each day, you get a bonus medal. This is called the Remix Challenge.)

I expected some bumps since the group that owns IronMan just bought Competitor, but I'm not sure whether any of my complaints are because of the acquisition. (The course design is largely due to the city, so that's not one of them.) For example, the Expo was tiny compared to past years. The first time I ran this race, the Expo was gigantic and had 3-4 times more vendors and booths than there were this year. This year there were much wider aisles to walk through, because there were many fewer booths. Also, this year there were several booths trying to get me to enter to win a "free" (hotel room/concert tickets/whatever) that wasn't really free because if you "won" you just got a discount on a package deal. They weren't organized around races either. (These types of booths make me feel slimed.) When I go to a race expo, I want to see things relevant to runners--no time shares or package hotel deals--like fuel, clothing, hotel/travel relevant to other races, runner training, etc. There was no expo stage with presentations (like they have at many other races). While most of the series sponsors were there, the number of booths focused on sport-specific nutrition and such was pretty small. Rock 'n' Roll LA used to be a big fundraising race for the ASPCA running team, but it isn't anymore. I'm not sure why that is--this kind of thing changes all the time--but I do wonder if it is because Garmin is a series sponsor. (Garmin sells electric dog shock collars that you operate with a phone app to the general public, which most animal professionals think is a terrible idea.)

On the bright side, the registration and bib pickup was quick. I had a registration oops and needed help, and there was pretty much no line, plus the people who helped me were super nice. Also a plus, I did get to meet Meb and have a picture taken! United Airlines sponsored a meet-and-greet, as well as a "visualization tent" that was a mini-theater with an AV presentation. I happened to go to the expo right before Meb arrived, and ran into a huge group of my friends, too. We did group shots (both pictures and the United-sponsored illy espresso)! I also entered to win plane tickets (because, hello, no airline has sponsored me yet) and got a free multi-function headwrap. It was fun to see Nature's Path Organics because I love their products, but their focus on the non-GMO label (it featured prominently into their "spin to win" game) is stupid--anything USDA certified organic can't have a GMO ingredient in it. Ugh. I was happy to see Maui Jim on site, and got my sunglasses cleaned for race day. I was hoping to pick up an LA-themed nuun bottle, but nuun wasn't at the expo.

This year's race shirts at least have an LA-themed element to them, setting them apart from the generic images used for many cities this year. There were white wings and city buildings in the logo, for the city of angels. Also, the medal had similar design elements, which was great. I'm still not sure what I think of the bonus "super hero" medal you received if you both ran the race and went to LA Comicon. On the one hand, it's cool to have events cross-promoting, but on the other hand, should I really get a medal for going to Comicon?? It was a cool design though. (I didn't go to Comicon, so I didn't get one.) I walked away with the half marathon medal, the "Six String" for running my sixth Rock 'n' Roll race this year, and the Cali Combo for finishing 3 of the 4 California races.

There are a bunch of hotels within walking distance of the starting line and I stayed at one, so I walked over early on race day. It was about 20 minutes of an easy, flat walk. The #werunsocial crew had a photo session with hugs all around, which I loved. It's a fairly big race--I think there were 17 corrals--but there seemed to be considerably fewer runners than past years. (I blame the course design, but that's just guessing.) The race started on time, and the best race announcer ever (Ann!) was there to send us off and cheer us back home. I wasn't feeling great because of the humidity, but I managed to slog it out. Around mile 6-7 I tried to stop to use the bathroom and get coffee at Starbucks, but their restroom was broken. (Really?!) Then I went to use the porta potties outside, but two or three of them were still zip-tied shut! That seemed like poor planning (I get they had them shut to prevent them from being used/slept-in/whatever before the race, but...) though runners are clever and we did get them open.

The race finished at LA Live, which made it easy for friends and family to take you out to eat/drink right after the races. (The area has a lot of restaurants.) I thought the finisher chute was well-done, as usual. The finish line food was an odd mix of the familiar (bottle water, Gatorade, chocolate milk) and stuff I don't think about eating after a race (these Pocki-like pretzel sticks that were tom yum flavored--and made with fish sauce, sour candy straws, peanut butter cheese crackers), though I enjoyed the departure from the usual.

While I found it really obnoxious to have to walk up stairs to get to the finisher party, which was on the top level of the parking deck, it did provide lots of room to spread out (and if it had been sunny, we would have all craved shade, so that would have been good). There was a downed runner sitting on the stairs (with medical personnel and such, but still blocking half the stairs) when I walked up. All of the post-race stuff--heavy medal pickup, vending, sponsor booths--was up the stairs. One thing I loved was that Columbia Winery had a wine garden! (I dislike beer, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like the sponsor beer even if I liked beer in general.) Free tasting, $5 cups of wine, a fake lawn to lounge on, and a great view of the stage. Everyone working there was nice, and I made some new friends sitting on the carpeting and stretching after the race in the wine area. Maybe we can get sparkling wine at the next race? I hope they are back at more races--that part was great!

On-course support from the race organization was good: water stops at appropriate intervals, and Glukos gels for fuel; people to give directions where the 5k turnaround broke away from the half; lots of people to make sure no one drove on the course. The bands were all quite good, the cheerleader squads are always amusing, and the zombies were back to chase you into the finisher chute.

Overall, I really enjoyed the weekend even though my personal race was not the best. (Any time I am looking for a porta potty on the course, that's a bad sign for me--this is not my normal.) I attribute a lot of that to the fact that I knew a ton of people running this race, so there was a lot of good food and laughing all weekend. If you have a tour pass, like bling, or want a race-cation weekend, I think this is a good option. If you're only running a few races and want something spectacular, this probably isn't your best option. I'm hopeful that IronMan will be able to convince Los Angeles to give us a better course this year--and take us back through the campus.