I came from Nebraska to run this race because my sister lives in the area. This was my first visit to CA. The expo was a great location for adding on some sight seeing. The half marathon was a great event. The start was well organized and a great atmosphere. The course was challenging, especially for a girl from a very flat state. The hills were difficult but they didn't take anything away from the race. I didn't have a goal time so I didn't care how long it took me. There were plenty of bathrooms along the way, and the aid stations were stocked well (FYI- I was mid pack). Loved the finish, it was a great location. The secure zone was very crowded, as was the walk down to the finish line festival but there's not really much they can do about this. The medals were gorgeous. I was disappointed the free post race beer was in a beer garden and we couldn't walk around the finish festival with it. I did not stay for the headliner concert.

My one major complaint: I pre-paid (2 weeks prior to the event) for a parking spot in a garage near the finish line and shuttle bracelets for 3 people. Of course traffic was horrible trying to get into the garage so my brother-in-law and I got dropped off and my sister went to park the car because they were both doing the relay and he was the first runner. She never got to her garage to park because they were turning people away due to a full garage. This angers me. I PAID for a spot in the garage. They either over sold or let people park there who did not have pre-paid passes. My advice: if you do this race, stay in a nearby hotel if at all possible so you are close enough to walk. My sister lives an hour north of San Diego so I was staying with her. I basically ended up wasting $30 because we weren't able to use any of them.

Overall, a great experience!! I loved the race. While I won't be doing it again soon (simply for financial and scheduling reasons), I would love to do it again some day! I also did the 5k the day before to earn the Remix medal and it made for a fun filled weekend!