Fun little runcation on Memorial Day weekend! I had never been to Madison but I know it is home to some pretty lakes, views, craft brews and ...hills. I convinced my boyfriend to run this 13.1 with me, and after the hill in the first mile (and the really steep hill around mile 10 - rude!), I am kinda glad we ran it slowly and I got to relax in the pace we were running in and enjoy some of the scenery.

Pros:
+ free race photos! We had a blast whenever we saw someone with a camera.
+ easy breezy expo - tiny and efficient.
+ name on your race bib and gender specific t-shirt for your swag
+ good scenery for the race. The race started and finished downtown by the Capital and was surrounded by good places to stop in for a bite to eat or a drink afterwards. A bulk of the last few miles are in a nature preserve - which some people weren't a fan of because it was a little hilly, but I appreciated the shade
+ beer at the finish line is ALWAYS a plus. Same goes for chocolate milk. Double points.
+ there was legit lunch, like a brown paper bag with a sandwich, chips and a cookie whhhhhat! I'm a sucker for free food, and I was pretty happy about it

Cons:
- no day-of packet pick up
- pay to park for the expo, but it was only a flat fee of $5, which isn't too bad. As others have mentioned, it was a little hard to navigate as an out-of-towner
- I was hoping for better beer at the finish line because... Wisconsin. Right?

Overall, I definitely recommend this race. It might not be the half you'll PR (in the summer heat and with some hills) but it is a well-run race in a neat city. You can read more about this race in my blog post here: http://asweatlife.com/2016/06/madison-half-marathon-recap-enjoying-race/