Rock and Roll Raleigh and myself have a love/dislike relationship. Raleigh is my home city so I know what to expect, but that doesn't neccessarily make this race any easier. I have been doing the race since it inception 4 years ago, so i will continue to run it. They made some slight alterations to the course this year but let's face it, Raleigh is very hilly. The course makes you on a nice tour around downtown Raleigh, passing museums, government buildings and through the campus of NC State. The first 5-6 miles, you get a taste of some medium sized hills, with the granddaddy of hills hitting you between mile 11-12. The final half mile is a downhill, which is a big change from previous years. I don't think anyone will complain about a downhill finish. I was able to keep my pace consistent, before I opened it up a little on the last mile. All around me i saw runner after runner being knocked down by the hills. Weather was low 60s, but you really never can tell what you will get in Raleigh for this race. The first year it was almost 80 degrees and last year it was in the low 30s at the start. I would recommend this race to anyone looking a a challenging half or full marathon. Sign up and hopefully i will see you in 2018.