I was so excited for RnRPDX! I flew from Dallas, TX to Portland, OR for this race plus a post-race runcation.

Registration:
Registration for Rock ‘n’ Roll series races is easy 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 some sell out, so make sure you register early to get a good price and a registration spot. Follow the race on social media for reminders about price increases. Or if you plan on doing multiple races in their series, check out the Tour Pass – it lessens the cost per race.

Expo:
I flew in Saturday morning and headed straight to the expo for packet pickup. Rock ‘n’ Roll emails you a confirmation sheet a week or so prior to the race- make sure you print it, fill it out, and bring it with you. Having the confirmation sheet and your license makes packet pickup a breeze. If you forget your confirmation sheet, you can look up your bib number at the expo and still move to packet pickup; it’s just a few minutes slower than bringing your confirmation sheet with you.

As usual, The Rock ‘n’ Roll expo was awesome. They really know how to target runners and get your money! Rock ‘n’ Roll does a great job of immediately dumping you into their branded merchandise area. Since it was the novelty of an out of state race, I went a bit nuts on buying apparel with the RnRPDX branding. But it was too cute to resist! I also found several other goodies I needed, and walked away with a lighter wallet than I came with (#sorrynotsorry!)

Race Day:
Since I was coming from out of state, I chose to stay at a race hotel. The best part was that it was less than half a mile from the start and finish line, so we very easily walked to the race. It saved us both time and the hassle of parking. The start line and post-race area were at the Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which was beautiful! Since we were so close to the start line, I opted not to do gear check for this race.

There were several porta potties near the start area so lines weren’t too unmanageable. The corrals were released about every 3 minutes, and it felt like they moved along pretty quickly. The announcers did a great job of keeping corrals pumped while waiting to be released.

Course:
The course rocked! You got to see so much of Portland! We started downtown near the waterfront, crossed the Broadway Bridge, ran through east Portland and beautiful neighborhoods (Irvington, Kerns and Buckman), through stunning Laurelhurst Park, down Hawthorne and across the Hawthorne Bridge to finish downtown near the waterfront. My favorite parts of the course were running through the different neighborhoods and gorgeous Laurelhurst Park. There were more spectators along this course than other half marathons I’ve done. I loved that there were the specific cheer sections with local groups, but also a lot of residents chose to be outside their homes and businesses during the race to cheer. It felt like there was great community support for this race.

While the course was beautiful, it was very hilly. My Garmin recorded 700 feet of elevation climb over the length of the course, but it felt like much more than that! I wish RnR would put the elevation map on their website before the races so runners could physically and mentally prepare for the climbs. I felt there was an adequate amount of aid stations, but some of them got a little weak on the amount of beverages in their cups. I had to start grabbing 2-3 cups to get enough water.

Prior to the race, RnR emailed participants about the need for implementing a bus box to accommodate local bus transit. I had never heard of this system, and really appreciated that they emailed us prior to the event to educate and forewarn racers. If I was diverted as part of a bus box, I didn’t even notice. I’m hoping that’s a nod to their implementation of this system.

Unfortunately this course lacked a lot of good entertainment along course. I only recall enjoying 2-3 of the performers, with my favorite being the Unit Souzou Japanese drumming band near mile 5. I still regret not stopping to get a video of them – they were awesome! Overall, I wish there had been more course entertainment to live up to the Rock ‘n’ Roll series name.

You crossed the finish line on the infamous PDX airport carpet, which has its own thing going for it. I had no clue a carpet could be so appealing, but check it for yourself and let me know if you can explain its mystique.

Post-Race:
I was pretty exhausted after this race from the previously mentioned hills. I was given my medal by a nice volunteer, but I then felt pretty rushed through the finisher’s chute. RnR always has a lot of photographers taking your photos (to try to sell them to you post-race). By the time you’re handed your medal, tried to eek out a sweaty smile for the photographers, grabbed your water, Gatorade and other assorted snacks they shove in your hands, you end up carrying an arm load of stuff and feel pushed out of the finisher’s zone so they can keep the flow moving. I understand the logistical need of this for such a large race, but this race in particular felt more rushed to me than others. There also weren’t any bananas. I had been craving a banana and really looking forward to it, and I was very surprised to see this staple post-race fuel not available!

The entertainment stage was set up next to the waterfront and was done very nicely. Portugal the Man was the headliner for this race. I wasn’t previously familiar with this artist before discovering he was the headliner, but his show was pretty good. Then the Hit Machine came on afterwards – and dare I say – they were more rocking than the headliner! Several racers even got up on stage to dance their hearts out with the band. I wondered how they had the energy to shake it after just completing a half marathon – but more power to them! I had so much fun and stayed at this post-race until the very end.

Overall:
I really enjoyed my first Rock ‘n’ Roll Portland! We stayed the rest of the week to enjoy a post-race vacation and got to enjoy even more of this fun city. I will definitely be back for RnRPDX!

Even more about this race and experience: http://racesandrescues.com/race-report-portland-rock-n-roll-half-marathon/