I've only ever done 2 half marathons in Colorado. The Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in Denver, and this half marathon. One of the best things about this race is how it is exactly the opposite of the Rock 'n' Roll series. There are not a lot of people, so you have room to do as you want, the course is clearly marked, and there are great volunteers at each station handing out energy, water, and electrolytes. This company really has a great understanding of all the things that get on runners' nerves, and fixing those issues. The start and finish of the race was at the Apex Center in Arvada, so inside bathrooms prior to the race, lots of easy parking, cold towels at the end, and great food post-race.

Expo: There wasn't really much of an expo, just a packet pick up a few days prior to the event, and packet pick up the morning of the race. Personally, I wish they offered a longer packet pickup time, as the location was a good distance from my house, and trying to make the time to grab my stuff was a little inconvenient with trying to get off work early to battle traffic. I'm not really a big fan of doing packet pick up the morning of (super OCD about getting my bib and timing chip on the night before).

SWAG: This event definitely had some of the best SWAG I have ever seen. With all the different sponsors, there was tons and tons of samples and goodies in my bag, outside of just the typical t-shirt.

Course: The course followed along the Ralston Creek Trail (concrete paved), around a reservoir, and back on the trail. Most of the area on the trail was covered, and there were many beautiful sights along the way. The portion around the reservoir was a little more difficult as there were a few long steep hills, that provided no cover, and had multiple switchbacks.

Overall, I found this half marathon to be a great deal for the price you paid. It was nice to participate in a smaller event, and I would definitely run it again.