This was by far my favorite half marathon I have ever participated in! Rather than it just being a race, the whole weekend was an experience.

SWAG: every year, lululemon designs a pair of shorts for this race. You'll never see this design in stores and it changes every year for the race so it's pretty cool to have a custom, once in a lifetime piece

Expo: picking up my packet was extremely easy. They knew the crowds would be out of control but they handled it very well and other than waiting in line for the store for a bit, the lines were pretty controlled. There were a ton of tables, yoga, meditation, shopping, and food at the expo. The main experience though was definitely the store. Every year they have an exclusive SeaWheeze shop of designs you can only get there. People line up for HOURS and stuff goes pretty fast. However, I went abotu midday and was still able to find some stuff in my size! It is a bit expensive because it's lululemon but the quality is worth it. And as long as you go into it knowing you'll spend more than what you're used to spending at an expo, you'll be okay

Course: the course was mainly along the Seawall (their running path along the water) so it provided beautiful views of the city. There were a few difficult parts though, going over the bridge and up a tiny hill plus a very steep but short hill around mile 11. Otherwise it was pretty flat and fast

Aid stations: there weren't many of these which on the day was okay because it was cooler and overcast but if it had been hot, that would've been an issue for sure

Post-race: I was a bit disappointed that there were no photographers out on the course - I would've loved to have a picture crossing the finish line because I was so excited about my PR but oh well. After the race, the yoga and meditation spots were set up, there was a boxed breakfast and then later that night, there was a yoga festival and concert that was so much fun.

I highly, highly recommend this race to anyone that is able to swing it. TBH, it's a little expensive but something you will look back on all the time and be very happy you went. Also, go for a few extra days so you can explore Vancouver - great city!