I will preface this review by saying that I am a native of Nashville who had been living in Colorado for years until a few months before the race. I will say that if you are not native to this area, and are unfamiliar with running in the heat/humidity, this might be a shocker. I had been warned that the weather is unpredictable, and if you read race reviews in past years, it is all over the place- cool and rainy, hot and humid, perfect weather- you get the picture. I happened to return to TN during an unseasonable heat wave, and that is the race weather I got in 2017.

The nitty gritty: Rock n Roll Nashville is READY for runners.

Parking: I splurged on VIP parking, and opted to not worry about it the day of. That was a good $15 to spend for peace of mind.

Port-a-pots: There are plenty of pre-race port-a-pots, but it's no secret that the hotels close to VIP parking don't seem to mind runners coming in and using the facilities. A church very close to the start line offers bathroom access too, although those lines were almost as long as those at the port-a-pots near the beginning, so I am not sure it is worth a detour.

Water/Aid stations: The aid stations are plentiful, and they are staffed with great folks.

Let's talk about the weather: I happen to know some of the paramedics working the finish line tent, and they were ready for treating patients with heat-related issues. Thankfully I avoided that tent, but many did not this year. They called the marathon early because the temperatures were too high (it reached 90 degrees that afternoon, with high humidity). One of my friends treated multiple marathoners with dangerously high fevers. Again, I was impressed with the planning though. For example, there were cooling buses around the route, and I decided around mile 11 after several miles without shade that I would swallow my stubborn pride and board the cooling bus (with a pretzel bucket inside). The A/C helped to cool me, and I didn't linger or I probably would have stayed on that bus. But it did help. Every water stop I grabbed 3 cups. One to drink, one for pouring on my head, one for slapping water onto my body for evaporative cooling. I think this kept me out of the aid tent. At the finish, we received cold wet towels for our necks, and I have never been happier than when that was draped around my neck. I almost forgot the medal I was so elated about the towel.

Hills: Yes. Plan for them.

Spectators: The spectators are incredible, especially in the first half of the race that goes through neighborhoods. If only those tree-lined sidewalks had lasted the entire race! People had hoses out and would spray you if you wished. I remembered that everyone watching was in the same heat, but without a medal at the end. They were loyal to us runners.

Was it easy? No. Would I do it again? Yes...most likely. But probably not the full marathon, and certainly not the full marathon if I were looking to BQ. I did have a great overall experience, and feel like I can do almost anything after surviving the RnR Half of 2017. This was my second race in the Rock n Roll Marathon series, and I was once again not disappointed with the organization, communication, expo, and facilities. Please don't let my review scare you off of this race. I am sure the following year will have wildly different weather, and the year after...