Social Media: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle website is thorough and detailed. This is your number one source of information, so all of the other social media channels are general Rock ‘n’ Roll info.

Package Pickup: I was concerned about driving and parking in Seattle, but we found the location pretty easily. It’s not cheap! We only parked for about an hour and it cost $10. Otherwise, the package pickup was quick, and the Expo was large and energetic. Make sure you study the Expo map so you can pinpoint your favourite vendors!

T-Shirt/Swag: Honestly, I was hoping for something a bit snazzier for the t-shirt – black is a bit bland. But the medal is blingy and I really love it! For those doing remix challenges, they got some other awesome medals, too.

Course: Apparently, this year’s course was flatter than in other years – and as we drove the course, my (local) friend observed that in hilly Seattle, they chose a pretty runner-friendly route. The scenery for the first 13 kilometres – Arboretum and Lake Washington – is stunning. The latter third of the route is mostly a straight line through the city, so it’s not especially scenic. But it’s also pretty flat. And then you finish between two stadiums, to the cheering of the crowds – and that’s truly inspiring!

Post-Race: Immediately after the race, I was loaded up with water, Gatorade, a banana, chocolate milk…I ran out of hands! But I didn’t stay for the post-race celebration, free beer, or headliner band. So I’ll reserve judgement. But, I have no doubt it was heaps of fun!

Would I Run It Again? The more races I run, the more I’ve come to prefer smaller, local races. The crush of huge crowds sometimes overwhelms me (or, more accurately, tires me out). The Rock ‘n’ Roll races are massive…but I still had a really good time. Everything was very well organized. For the chance to run this route again? Yes, I would definitely do it!

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