This was the hottest and most humid race I have ever participated in. I've run on my own in similar conditions but never with purpose other than to get in a good workout. Temps in the 70s to start that turned into mid-80s by the end wouldn't have been so bad but the humidity was brutal above 70%. The race organizers did everything they could to make this an enjoyable yet safe race. As for myself, I did not perform as well as I would have liked and the heat effected me more in the last three miles than in the first 10 but I still hate to use it as an excuse for not meeting expectations of my own. Overall, the swag was sweet, plenty of aid stations, the course scenery beautiful (for the most part) and the expo rocked it.

T-shirts/Swag: the customary free tech shirt in a color (blueish green) that I was skeptical initially but it has warmed up to me, a medal at the finish, and one Summerfest ticket

Aid Stations: Plenty throughout the course and all fully stocked and ready for everyone. Water at all of them; Gatorade at most of them. And a couple of spots where wet towels were handed out to the runners. Exceptional.

Course Scenery: How can you not like where you're running? Some on the streets of Bayview, over the Hoan Bridge which gives you a great view of Lake Michigan, and then through several parks around the lakefront. View of the lake and views of the surrounding neighborhood; simply great. Only the smell going over the bridge was not so pleasant (thanks to the sewage handling facility nearby).

Expo Quality: Awesome as always. Plenty of vendors offering up a number of clothes, shoes, fitness monitors, headbands, etc. Also, free food samples (organic yogurt, granola), free socks from BMO Harris Bank, a PLINKO like game where you can win stuff (I managed to score a free water bottle which had two Summerfest tickets in it along with two tickets to the Summerfest Happy Hour party and a $20 Uber card). Also, you have chances to sign up for other multiple races if you like.

Elevation Difficulty: I always find the bridge to be a hell of a challenge; such a gradual incline but tough at the same time. And then there is the hill leading up from the lakefront to the East Side neighborhood which after mile 6 is begging to kick your ass. After those, there are just small inclines/declines throughout the rest of the course which make is a healthy task to complete.

Parking: Easy. You can take your chances and drive close to the start point and pay to park or pray you can find a side street. Or you can park a small distance away for free on the street and get a good warmup heading over to the start line.

Race Management: They provided PLENTY of updates for everything, including the ever important weather ones. And they provided notice that the race would start in a yellow flag mode and told all runners that the risk was there for red flag conditions (which did end up happening at the 2:18:00 mark). Also, their e-mails and Facebook page provided all the necessary parking instructions, bag check info and post race party info that would be needed.

All in all, aside from having a time I wasn't happy with, this is a great race that I will be returning to next year.