If you read my past reviews I was a big fan of this race for a very long time. This year has left me not so sure of that love.

The new course is relentless and does not give you a chance to get your groove and once you feel like you might of made a groove you got hit with another hill. The climbing starts early and often as you come through downtown. As you get through downtown you hit the trails in Sam Smith Park and this is where the race could be dangerous. The trails had been congested even in the back of the pack and they had been lined with leaves. I actually got pushed and shoved a couple times even though I was at a good clip by a couple runners which was demoralizing and dangerous. I have always loved Lake Washington and this will always be my favorite part of the course. There was a huge switch back coming out of Lake Washington that was a straight up climb.

The infamous hill at mile 8 is gone on this new course but a lot of runners actually want that back if it means this race didnt have so many more hills.

There is a up and back down up hill just as you enter the park and I have heard it called flat out demoralizing.

The last two miles of the course are basically as you remember it.

The end coming through Memorial Stadium is always well thought out and amazing but the traditional soup to warm you up was non existant. I miss that.

This years bling was unremarkable as was the shirt. A white shirt that is see through enough that the only bra that works is a white one is problematic for a lot of runners. The medal was just uninspired, they made it bigger then most years but a lot of runners felt like it was an afterthought.

There felt like a huge lack of volunteers at this race. The water stations had been great but there had been a lot of abandoned road Marshall spots. The medical crew was a highlight. Huge kudos to University of Washington Medical for all their help and constant cheers.

Not certain I am coming back to this race. I think the fact that the trail was so narrow and congested and runners had been pushing and shoving involved is making me think about moving this race off my must do list. I still will always love this race but I think the love has been tested.