I was a social media ambassador for ZOOMA Napa Valley and chose to run the inaugural race, specifically the half marathon distance. In the months leading up to race weekend, I was impressed by how seamless everything seemed to be, and the same held true for race weekend. They had a Thursday packet pick-up in SF and a Friday one at the host hotel, the Marriott, in Napa, but no race day pick-up--something that would be nice in the future. The race was organized and run just like any other HM I've done that has been around for several years, which I think speaks to the race's strong organization. It started on time, had pace groups, had frequent and well-managed water/Cytomax stops, and the course's out-and-back nature made for some potentially fast running, had it not been as warmish and sunny as it were (but again, Napa in late June... comes with the territory). I thought it peculiar that we ran with traffic on both the out and back portions of the course--not sure if that was due to some city mandate or something--but luckily, there was little vehicular traffic during the race, and law enforcement officials were on the course, blocking intersections and keeping everything in line. The course was beautiful--vineyards on both sides of the road--and was definitely more scenic than many other races I've done. The post-race party at the Marriott was nice, too, and all the swag (Feetures socks, a running hat, and a tech t-shirt, along with a medal with a detachable charm) made this HM stand out from many others I've done. That said, it is pricier than most HMs (no doubt because of the swag and because of the race locations), so if you do decide to ZOOMA, I'd recommend registering early and/or getting hooked up with a discount code from their social media presence or from a race expo. Anyway, total blast! Definitely recommended. (and, if you want a more personal account of my own race experience: http://www.runningruminations.com/?p=1783)