This race was the second race that makes up the Conquer the Capital Challenge. The packet pickup was only available on the Friday or Saturday before, and there wasn't any race day packet pickup option. This was slightly annoying, especially since they didn't offer free parking. But at the packet pickup, they had a few vendors selling running products and clothes, as well as some races advertising their events. They also had a wall listing all the names of people participating in the races, which was a great photo opportunity.

The race was the next morning at 7 a.m. right in front of the Capital building. Luckily on Sundays there is free street parking in Madison, so this helped cut down on cost. The start was a bit more organized than the 10k race the night before. This race had pace groups with signs, so people could assign themselves to the appropriate area. The race led through the same route as the 10k the night before, through the observatory, past science buildings and past Camp Randall. The other half of the race lead me through a beautiful Arboretum and past Lake Wingra. This was the highlight of the race for me. Right when you exit the Arboretum, there's a crazy hill. This was probably the most challenging part of the race, since this incline was right around mile 9-10.

The finish was surrounded by a lot of spectators and they announced your name right when you cross the finish line. When I was finally done, I received my half marathon medal, followed by my Conquer the Capital medal. There were a lot of goodies to eat at the end as well-bananas and a bag from Panera bread with a sandwich, cookie, and chips inside! I also got to enjoy some chocolate milk and another beer. Yum!

Another thing I noticed is the event coordinator must have added a few more water and Gatorade stations then what was originally planned. This definitely helped since the temps were quite a bit above average.

To summarize:
Cons:
-no free parking at packet pickup

Pros:
+free race photos
+great t-shirts and medals
+very scenic course
+easy parking at race
+awesome post-race food and beverages!

I would definitely like to do the half marathon again. It was very challenging, so I wouldn't recommend this for a PR course. But it is a beautiful and scenic race!