Low-points of the race: You run past a waste disposal area twice and there was a giant field deeply covered in super fresh manure. My nose was less than pleased.

Expo: No expo, you get your bib through post and you get your shirt and medal once you cross the finish line.

Gear check and toilets: Not too far out of the city, easy to walk to and on the way to the start line. Buses are available to drop your bag and there are a decent amount of porta-potties, though I'd definitely get in that line sooner than later. I stood in line twice, once before dropping my bag off and once after and had to aggressively run to the start to make it on time. I absolutely LOVED how attentive the volunteers/run staff were to toilet paper levels. They were constantly walking around with bags full of TP rolls to make sure that none of the porta-potties ran out of it. If you want a spot in a runner's heart, this might just be the way.

Start line: Super informal. There aren't really official corrals, so if you accidentally get a bib that isn't exactly your pace it's easy to move up (or back) depending.
NOTE: The marathon starts first. And it goes the opposite direction. It starts an hour before the half, but just be wary of what time you start so you don't run a race you weren't training for...

Race course: I really enjoyed this course, especially the last 2/3s. It starts off by Stirling Castle and heads into town. There are bits on cobblestone between miles 1 and 2, and many unwelcome twists and turns between 3 and 4. That was probably the worst part of the course. It was around a stadium and school, so not scenic and zero crowd support. However, after mile 4, it's gorgeous. You head toward the mountains and the view is incredible. The course is relatively flat - slight, slight rolling, but hardly noticeable - AND YOU RUN PAST SHEEP! If you're lucky, they'll be baa-ing you on to victory :) You're out in nature (on a road) until mile 10-something, at which point you head back into town. I loved the mid-section of the race. The air, the sheep, the scenery...so much greatness. The end of the race was misleading and I clocked it as at least .25 miles long (so did many other runners I talked to). Could be due to overlapping the course with the marathon, but not sure.

Aid-stations: There were three, each equipped with mini-bottles of water. I think there were gels at mile 7, but I brought my own so I'm not sure on that.

Finish line/area: Good energy, lots of people and dogs out cheering you to the line. They had finish packs ready and waiting, which included t-shirt, medal, water, sports bar thing, and foil blanket. There were letters up to meet with your family, a live band, and plenty of different food truck/booths. The gear check buses weren't very far from the finish area, which was nice. You could also use the buses to do a quick change into a set of dry clothes if you wanted.

Other bits and bobs:
-There's a tracking app
-The website doesn't have the best start line/finish line maps
-Book accommodation in advance because there isn't a ton in Stirling
-There isn't a running shop in town if you need any last-minute stuff. Closest one is Run4It in Bridge of Allan (bus ride away)
-Pasta/Italian dinner the night before: book ahead of time. We ate at Italia Nostra, which was delicious.
-It's a small race, there were only 6,000 runners total between the full and the half
-I was passed by the winning male marathoner

Link to this review