Inaugural races always have their hiccups, this one was no exception. That being said, it was a fun and festive event that I would recommend to others.

I did not hear much about this race - minimal advertising - until my running club was given a discount. I decided it would be fun costume race, and it was a great deal for a half marathon.

I was disappointed that there was only packet pickup the day prior and not day of. I got there to the very small pickup outside the Sports Chalet store. I was expecting a long sleeved tech shirt. I looked up my bib number and was handed that, then a shirt in a bag. The shirt ended up being short sleeve and non tech. Then they basically assembled the rest of my bag in front of me. They threw in safety pins, tattoos, and zip tie for the gear check bag.

This was a point to point race, so we had to take a shuttle bus from the finish area. We boarded in the dark. I was in the front row and I saw the transportation coordinator give a sticky note with directions to the driver. He seemed to be having trouble reading them in the dark. I asked if he needed help and he was grateful. They only had written down "south on Gilbert, West on Riggs" instead of right or left. He had no clue where to go. They need to give their drivers better directions.

Once we got there it was quite chilly. The great thing was that we were handed heat sheets as soon as we got off the bus to stay warm.

As I was talking to my friends, I learned that some people did receive long sleeve tech shirts and some people did receive gloves. They looked nice, I'm disappointed that I didn't get a pair.

The course was all downhill for the most part which was great. All city streets but the first few miles by the mountains were nice to look at. There were plenty of aid stations handing out water, gatorade and gu.

At the finish there was a random assortment of fruit, chocolate milk, apple cider, donuts and pizza.

The medal was the best part. The half marathoners got a medal that has a vampire with a cape that opens. Super cool. Plenty of photo opps on hand at the finish, plus bouncy houses and other kiddie attractions. Definitely a family-friendly event. It was nice to finish right by our cars, that was convenient.

All in all, despite the transportation hiccups and apparently running out of supplies, it was a good first-time event. If they do more fun things along the course next time and iron out their kinds, it does have potential to draw a lot more people. The costumes were a lot of fun and the weather was fantastic.