This race was FANTASTIC!! Since I PR'd, I may be a little biased.
Since I don't live in St. Louis, I flew in on Saturday. Because of the time I arrived and commitments with friends I was meeting, I only had time to pick up my packet at the Expo. The Expo looked to be as good as you would expect a Rock 'n Roll Expo to be. Packet pickup was organized and easy, however I arrived late, however, so there were few people there picking up packets.
The t-shirt is short-sleeved dri-fit with the St. Louis skyline in the background and I love it! The medal was actually much better than I anticipated from looking at the pictures online. Plus, PR medals are beautiful no matter what!
Since I flew into town, didn't rent a car and stayed just a few blocks from the starting line, I can't speak to parking. The corrals were well laid out and easily accessed and facing the Arch, which made for some beautiful starting-line pics.
The aid stations were well managed, except for at mile 6. That aid station was still well-managed, but the Gatorade and water were flipped at this one, which made it a bit of a hassle for runners. The volunteers at this aid station were good about communicating what they were serving, so that helped. I just feel that all the aid stations should be laid out in the same order to avoid confusion.
The course was absolutely beautiful. Running by Busch Stadium was a highlight at the beginning of the race. The remainder of the race took runners through downtown and some neighborhoods with gorgeous old homes.
I felt there was a lack of bands and music on the course. This is a "Rock 'n Roll" race and one would expect music to be a focal point. In the first miles, there seemed to be bands around every mile or 1.5 miles. After the 10k runners split from the course around mile 3, the music was fewer and farther between. At times, I forgot there was supposed to be music on the course.
As far as elevation, I felt this course was not hilly. There were constant inclines and slopes, but I did not feel they were "hills". Other runners would probably beg to differ, as I heard some complaining about the "hills" along the course. As I neared the finish, the inclines got more difficult, but I think that was more leg fatigue for me rather than difficulty of the course.
The race seemed very well organized, overall, with the only drawback being lack of music on the course.
Overall, this race was a win!