I chose Shiner as my first half-marathon and I am glad I did. I had an outstanding experience. The people of Shiner were very friendly and hospitable. I had to pick up my race packet the morning of since we were traveling in from Austin, but I found the experience to be very easy.

The race starts and ends at the Brewery. You see so much of the little charming town of Shiner and some of the surrounding country. The first half is stead uphill and the second half stead downhill. There are some gravelly parts just after the halfway mark. The post race party is a real blast and you get a tour of the brewery.

The only downside I would say is that unless you're coming from a nearby city, getting a motel or something nearby is hard to do. It can be done with a little research though.