This was my first Rock n Roll series race, and first race in Raleigh after relocating from Chicago. I was prepared for Chicago size crowds and rules, and that it was not. There were only 9,000 participants overall (full & half marathon combined), which made the crowd and access manageable. I arrived way too early prepared for mass traffic congestion and parking difficulty, and didn't experience either, but others I spoke with said they came prepared for conjestion as well based on friends past recommendations. Maybe this was an off year. I should also note that I paid for the VIP upgrade, which included a parking pass, and indoor pre/post race bathrooms, private gear check, pre/post food, and trainers to stretch you afterwards. Having not run a race previously in downtown Raleigh, I wanted to eliminate race day anxiety for this first one. It was worth every penny, especially since it was 29 degrees at the start of the race, and only 32 by the end. Being able to stay indoors, and return to the indoors, plus the post race stretching, made this a much more enjoyable experience. Here are my thoughts overall:

[] the start line threw me. Again I'm used to larger races and kept asking when the start corals close so I knew what time to head outside, and was told they don't, but had a hard time believing this statemeant, but it was the truth. You can walk into your coral at any time, and no one was checking assignments at the coral entrances so people basically entered where they wanted. I was in coral 5 of ~40 and waited last minute to jump in to avoid standing outside in the cold for very long.

[] the course is picturesque and hilly; you run through downtown, NC State, residential neighborhoods, and surrounding parks/near a green way. There are rolling hills thought out, with two steep inclines that cover a greater distance around mile 6 (both 1/2 & full), and mile 11.2 through 12.3 (which is 24.2 - 25.3 for the full). Steep inclines and rolling hills also means lots of downhills, which I felt made a hilly course a decent speed course. If that makes any sense. The course is a loop so you never see the same thing, and it's got lots of bends and curves, which means you rarely see the up hills coming. Personally I liked that. I'd rather not know.

[] plenty of aid stations throughout with water and Gatorade. GLUKOS was the on course gels/chews provider. I've never used them so I carried my own.

[] for a small (in my expereince) race, the on course crowd was better than expected. The race goes through many residential neighborhoods so there are residents out, but lots of larger groups at key spots and when you return to downtown. There were also ~6 or more bands provided by the rock n roll series along the course, and a few local marching bands.

[] the expo was well organized and you were able to move through packet pick up quickly, although I went Friday afternoon right when it opened. Lots of vendors on site.

[] nothing to write home about on the swag. Nice standard participants shirt, and the sizing is pretty true to size, versus running small like many race shirts do. Other than that, a few coupons and a sample of nuts and dried cherries.

[] getting out of downtown post race was a bit of a cluster. The RPD directing traffic had many of us driving in circles by directing us in directions that dead ended into the race course that was still closed. Took some time and lots of turning around, but made it out of there.

[] overall I was very pleased with the course, and organization of this race and would do the half marathon again. The full would definitely be a challenging course given all the hills and the one at the end.

This was my first time running this race, although I understand it's newer, they changed the time of year from June to Labor Day weekend, and the course was new. I think the race being scheduled over a holiday weekend kept the number of participants down, but it was still a good size group of women where you were never running alone, but you weren't overcrowded.

Course: It was a lake path course with 2 miles in the city on the Mag Mile. Lake path courses are typically crowded, but this worked for the smaller number of race participants and that the course went several miles south beyond Soldier Field; less people and bikers than going North. Many people don't run south on the path, and it's beautiful and scenic, plus you have magnificent city skyline views on the way back. If the number of participants grows, I believe the path will be too crowded and they'll need to rethink the course.

The ice cold towels at the end of the race, and all the food/goodies were great, there just wasn't a great end of race gathering area/post party; would have been wonderful to celebrate with a beer. I ran with a charity so I was able to hang with the others who ran with the same charity, and they had the beers, etc., but there wasn't a meeting spot for hanging out with other friends who also ran.

SWAG/Expo: It was great to receive a tank instead of the standard t-shirt. The medal was AWESOME, and you can take it to be engraved for free with your name and finish time--nice bonus. Lots of sampling ops at the expo, and many events, which made it feel more like and event than just a race you showed up for on Sunday.

Race Management: Communication could have been much better (I didn't receive my email with my bib#/coral assignment; had to email for it), more timely (meaning earlier), and more clear (it wasn't clearly started when corals would close before the start of the race), plus the start corals were too small for the number of people assigned to each--coral A was overflowing and many women had to wait outside the coral and were then let in after, then more held back so coral B could start. Frankly I was surprised, as I've typically been impressed by how well FleetFeet runs their events. Additionally, which is a general comment for most races going forward, if races are going to have participants check all gear in a clear plastic bag, the bag should be much larger; we need to be able to fit dry shoes, clothes, etc.

I ran this race the first time it came to Chicago in 2007 or '08, and several years following. At the time is was small. Now it's massive like the Shamrock shuffle, and when it first started growing they did a terrible job adjusting the course for the number of participants and it was a crowded wreck; The last time I ran (maybe 2010 or '11) I had to walk at several spots because it was so congested! However, I ran in 2013 after swearing that I'd never run this race again, and was very pleasantly surprised by how they'd heard the feedback and acted on it.

Course: The 2013 course was mostly in the city; to the west and south. They ran it on major city streets that were completely shut down which created space. The markers for where to turn if you were running the 5K or 15K were very clear. The open streets (and cool weather) made for a fast course; very easy to PR the 15K.

SWAG: It's always nice to get a thicker pull over vs a standard t-shirt. The black one they had this year wasn't bad, but in years last they've had some less than desirable colors. Everything else is pretty standard.

Management: You are moved along in a heard from place to place. Very systematic. The finish line, gear check, and post race are all very spread out.

Watch out: I have this feedback on every race now (the marathon the exception because they give you a very large bag), but the clear plastic bags that are now handed out for checking your gear are way too small! Especially for a race like this where you can get rain or early snow. There's no way extra clean dry shoes and clothes fit in the bag; let alone your standard pants and fleece you wear to the race out of necessity given the temps. If runners now need to check gear in a clear bag, the bag needs to be much bigger.