Expo: Unfortunately, there wasn't really an expo for this race. The race itself is pretty small compared to others, so there weren't really any vendors. But there WERE local ice cream and chocolate milk vendors, which was appreciated and delicious.

Swag: All runners received a tech shirt with the Willimantic Classic logo on it, which was nice. It's short sleeved and will be great for running in the summer. All half marathon finishers got a great medal too. Otherwise, the "swag bag" was basically coupons and flyers for local businesses.

Start Line: The start was...confusing. The 5k runners started "30 seconds before the half runners" but they actually started behind the gate. The half marathoners started on the corner of Main Street. Which was odd to me. How did they know my start time if I wasn't running through a gate? But either way, it was kind of confusing for me.

Course: The course was quite interesting, especially given this was my first half marathon. The first 3 miles or so was over trails through a forest, which made for a picturesque run, but it was also nerve-wracking. I was quite afraid of twisting an ankle. There were also A LOT of hills during the first 5-6 miles. The course leveled out at the halfway point, but there were still some hills toward the end. The last 3 miles was through neighborhoods, so not so scenic but it brought out some spectators! My only other problem was that some of the turns/route didn't have anyone stationed at them, so I was a little nervous about if I took the correct turn or not.

Aid Stations: There was approximately 6 aid stations that were well staffed which friendly people that had both water and Gatorade. 2 of the stations also had Gu.

Other: Though the Willimantic Classic was a smaller race without a ton of spectators, there were still quite a lot of people along the course. And they all had cowbells! I really appreciated the friendly atmosphere and the positivity throughout the day. Thanks Willimantic!

Read my race recap at Sara Runs the Cape: http://sararunsthecape.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-willimantic-classic-131-miles-of.html

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