Rock 'n' Roll NOLA was my third marathon. First let me say that NOLA is one of the best race destination cities. There is so much to see and the food is amazing. The race this year had a 10k, half marathon, and marathon. The marathon participants received finisher jackets.

The Expo
The expo was awesome. Brooks, which is a major sponsor, had a huge section of the expo for clothes and interactive games. I was grateful that they had Moving Comfort Bras since I forgot mine. There were plenty of vendors selling products and discounted race entries. Packet pickup was quick and easy. The only thing I didn't like about the expo was the lack of crosswalks to cross the street to get to the convention center.

Race
The marathon and half ran the same course for the first 12 miles. Those were most scenic and best miles of the course. Once the marathon split it felt like we were running in no man's land. I am a scenic runner so I was disappointed that there wasn't anything to see and no crowd support. Once we got back to the park at mile 24, the scenery got a little better, Marathonfoto was at the finish line and a few spots along the course.

Finish line
The finish line was madness (in a good way) with tons of people and unique medals. There was plenty of snacks and picking up the finisher jacket was quick. As a bonus the race also offered shuttles back to Canal St.

Overall the race was fun and I enjoyed visiting and running in NOLA.

This year marked my third Hot Chocolate Atlanta Race and it was a cold one. This is one of my favorite races because to the expo, swag, and chocolate. 

The Expo
The expo was held at the World Congress Center and had plenty of vendors. What made the expo interesting this year was that it was snowing in Atlanta. Snow in ATL usually means early closings and cancellations. The RAM racing crew wasn't afraid of a few snowflakes and the show went on as scheduled. Packet pick up was fast and easy. I was also able to purchase some nice running products (hello Sweaty Bands!).
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The Swag
The largest trademark for this race series is the swag. Each year the swag, also known as the goodie bag, was a nice warm jacket. Since I registered early, my jacket was embroidered to give it a personalized flair. 

The Race
I ran the 15k so I could get the candy bar medal. This year was so cold that the Nuun on the course turned to a slushie. The course was the same as last year and was classic ATL (hills, thrills, and chills). I didn't PR, but I was grateful to be racing. A few months ago I wasn't sure if I would even be able to run this race. There were great volunteers and post-race party was awesome. I had to eat my chocolate quickly before it solidified due to the cold weather.
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Before this race left Brookhaven, it was called the Atlanta 13.1 back then, it was my favorite half marathon. This year's race was one my least favorite races that I have ever run. It seems like the race company had us running hill repeats for 13.1 miles. Let me break down the experience.

Expo
There was no expo, we picked up our bibs at Roadrunner Sports in Buckhead. It was an opportunity to visit a store than I normally don't shop at due to its distance from my house. Pick up was quick and the store was having many specials.

Parking
The race was held at the Cobb Galleria area and it was hunt to find parking. The areas were not labeled and we lucked out and found a spot in the volunteer lot. We later found out we weren't suppose to park there, however it was difficult to find participant parking since there was no signage.

The course
This course left me speechless and breathless. It was very hilly and we were looping back and forth throughout the race. By mile 3, I had fell out of my pace group because the hills were too steep and frequent for me to keep up. By mile 10, my attitude was I just want to finish and go home. There wasn't much to see on the route (I am a scenic runner). I was so focused climbing hills that I don't remember if there was crowd support.

Swag
I liked the shirts and medal. This race and the Publix races are part of the ATL challenge. Depending on your race combination, you either earn a 26.2 or 39.3 medal in addition to the medals for both races.

Overall, I will not run this race again if the course is the same as this year. While I like hills, this course was too much.

This was my second year running this race. Last year was the first time DIVAS was held in Peachtree City. My review is very similar to my experience last year.

Expo
This is my third DIVAS race and I am not impressed with their expos. For the type of race that is, I wish the expo was huge and grand with many products geared toward women. I think there are many missed opportunities with the expo. The expos are small and held at the local community center. All was not lost this year because I bought a cute pair of tights to run in the race.

Parking/transportation
Just like last year, we parked off site and we took shuttles to the race. This year they had charter buses and they were nice.

Race
The course for this year was the same as last year. Peachtree is nice suburb in southwest ATL. The terrain is relatively flat compared to other areas in the city. We ran on the streets and on the trails in the area. While the course was fine, I do not like running in the tunnels. Most of the tunnels are dark and I was concerned about falling. Overall all the course is a lot easier than other races in ATL, but there is a trade off in the lack of things to see. The race ends on hill, which feel like a cruel joke after running on a relatively flat course.

Crowd Support
The crowed support was so-so. Some places had many people cheering and some had none. The support picked up at the end of the race.

Swag
DIVAS does not disappoint with the medals, boas, and tiaras. The race does a great job with race swag.

Overall: I like the DIVAS races and while I may not run Peachtree City next year, I plan to run in another city.

Yesterday was the Atlanta Track Club Decatur 4 Miler race. It is a free event that is part of the Grand Prix Series. The best part is that was only a mile from my home. After running in the rain for the last race, this one was a breath of fresh air and great weather. The route was classic Atlanta, which means it was heat, hills, and of course the lovely humidity. There wasn't much crowd support, but it was a low key race through a residential neighborhood. Overall it was a great race and I would probably run it next year.