Ran this 10 mile race last Saturday, had not run this one in many years. Love the course, especially the East MoPac trail parts (course coincides with the Market to Market 50k I ran which no longer exists so happy memories from that race). Love how the race is set up: Kids race a one-miler 1/2 hour before 10 mile race starts. 5k starts after 10 mile is over. So parents can run the mile race with their kids and still run a longer race after. My biggest complaint about the race this year was the weather (28 degrees at the start, very windy, and some snow flurries throughout). That's an issue with my asthma. Even wearing 4 layers on top and bottom I was still cold for much of the race except for some parts where there was windbreak from trees and hills (like where we enter the MoPac trail part). The parts of the course that I do not like are the pavement portions (first mile and last mile basically). Also the last loop around the State Farm building at the end we were very exposed to northerly wind. But I love the 8 or so miles of limestone running on the East MoPac trail: very scenic, long wooden bridges, trees, and giant grain elevators near Walton, Nebraska. The course is an out and back loop: run south and east to the 5 mile mark, then run west and north to return on 84th Street. Would much prefer to finish at Holmes Lake personally (much more scenic and softer surface) but I understand with a corporate sponsor they want us to finish at State Farm. Parking was a total mess, they had it organized but many, many cars. Be prepared to walk. Come early if you want to park close. I was on track to PR this race until about 10k and then my hamstrings that bothered me last week flared up (this time both of them), feeling tight and sore/overstretched. It's really tough to keep your muscles warm in a race like this if it's cold. There just isn't a lot of windbreak except in a few spots. So I backed off a little. I reached the 9.5 mile mark when my 10 mile PR floated by on my Garmin. By 9.5 miles, you can see the finish line but have to loop around the State Farm building counterclockwise (into the wind Saturday). I was able to pass one more person just before the finish. Then my Garmin died with .07 left to go. My timing chip took over then. Finished in 1:19:15 officially, 8th in my age group and 120th overall (of more than 400 runners). Was hoping for 7:30 pace, finished with 7:56 pace. For those of you that don't know this course, there are runners coming back towards you on the MoPac East trail stretch so stay on the right. There was plenty of water on the course but I chose to carry my OrangeMud hydraquiver vest with a water bottle. I think I only drank water once. Also, there are the typical bagels, bananas, cookies, donuts, and water after the finish. The kids were eating all the donuts and cookies. My advice for running this race: wear trail shoes (I wore Mizuno Kazan, my toughest trail shoes), layer up, and bring gloves because in Nebraska you'll need them in March. I did a double hat to keep my head warm. Great race, love the trail part especially, there is a tiny incline on the way back (very minor) after the turnaround. Try to run a little of the MoPac Trail ahead of time so you are familiar with it, that helps a lot. And enjoy the bridges. And the Walton grain elevator. When you see the Walton tall grain storage facilities for the first time running, you ask: where am I? (It's so large it almost looks out of place but it's not.) Attaching a photo of the ninja runner layering that worked for me during this race. Layer up, have fun, enjoy your run. This was the first race of the Lincoln Track Club season, a good test race before half-marathons and marathons to see where we are with fitness. Make sure you warm up if it's cold or you pay the price with muscle cramps in this race. Enjoyable race, just prepare for weird weather and wear layers. It's easier to run fast on the trail parts (crushed limestone surface) but be aware that this 8 mile stretch is more narrow (especially when the leaders are returning for the finish) than the concrete pavement parts. Also, be aware you can switch race distances if you choose to but ONLY with prior permission or you are automatically qualified. It would have been a good day to maybe switch to the 5k due to cold/wind but I wanted to run 10.