Our 100 Half Marathons Club members had voted this race one of the best in the nation. The half marathon sells out in one day. Friends swear by this race. So, I registered and participated in 2015, and had a great time.

The race is in Cocoa Beach, FL. The best airport is Orlando. The host hotel offers clean, affordable rooms. The expo was mid-sized and had a lot of great booths. Packet pickup was fast and easy. The race provides great information before the race about lodging, transportation, participant information, etc.

The race shirt is amazing, and the medal is wonderful. Definitely among my all-time favorites. The medals change every year to honor a different shuttle.

Race participants get a discount to visit the Kennedy Space Center. If you've never been (or haven't been in years) and you are interested in NASA, it is a great side-trip. It was amazing to see all the Apollo rockets, to go on the tour of NASA property, see the Space X work area, see the actual Atlantis space shuttle, and see the memories they set up for the astronauts who died.

The race course: the course is an out and back, flat and fast. Marathoners start at a different time and spot than the half marathoners, but the leaders will catch half marathon race walkers on the course. The course is very narrow and crowded at the start and will thin out around mile 6. The out and back gives you a great opportunity to see friends on the course. The volunteers were great- many dressed up in space outfits. The post-race food area has tons to offer- eggs and pancakes, pizza, soda, water, seating areas (room to sit on the grassy area), the chance to watch your friends run in to finish, and photo ops with statues of astronauts and the space shuttle. The finisher's towel is great too- perfect for sitting on the grass area to relax after your race.

The course is a hard cement surface that many people (especially from the north) may not be used to. You may feel this on your joints/feet.

Weather- you may need a throwaway layer to keep warm before the sun comes up. Also, when the sun comes up, it's going to get WARM. Keep hydrated.

Shuttles from the hotel: this was the only iffy part. The shuttles have a few times leaving from the hotels. I went with the earlier shuttles to be safe. The post-race lines for the shuttles were quite long and confusing (no signage to tell you which line was what). Not the race's fault: the shuttles were delayed from an accident on a nearby road, so I am sure that contributed to the long lines/delays.

Overall a great experience and an enjoyable race, with beautiful views of the ocean front, palm trees, and gorgeous Florida houses.

If you are planning on this race in the next few years, you need to be on your computer (or have someone do it for you) when registration opens. Since there is a special mulit-year medal challenge going on, people in the challenge have pre-registration, so general public registration fills immediately.