This was such a fun, little race through the French Quarter. I loved it because the race route was different than most 5k's in New Orleans. It really highlighted some beautiful areas of the Quarter that you don't regularly get to see during races. Plus, it benefits a wonderful cause - The New Orleans Mission.

Pros:
- Really pretty, scenic course through the French Quarter
- Cute t-shirt design.
- Finishers medals for everyone.
- Small race field so very little weaving around people. We were able to maneuver with a double stroller with almost no issue.
- Great after party at the Hard Rock Cafe in the middle of the French Quarter. Abundant food and drinks.
- Benefits a great cause - the New Orleans Mission.
- They plan it around Jazz Fest so people coming in from all over can enjoy a fun-run start to their day. Buses will take them back to the fair grounds after the race to get their 'fest on!

Cons:
- None!

Neutral but noteworthy:
- Give yourself a little extra time to find parking around downtown.

This is such a great race. Now that they are corralling the start, it's helping a bit to keep the walkers in the back. But since it's a large race, you still have to weave a lot around people at the beginning. it's very flat and fast, and it's a great, scenic route through the New Orleans CBD and French Quarter. The pre-race festival at Champions Square is a lot of fun as is the stellar post-race festival at City Park. Lots of food, drinks (BEER!) and fun. Great race to PR or just hang back and enjoy the party.

Pros:
- GREAT expo. Lots of local vendors. Free food, coffee and beer samples.
- Very flat, fast course.
- Great race support on the course. Good water and aid stations every mile and several beer and shot stations along the way as well. :)
- Scenic course through New Orleans
- Everyone receives a very nice finishers medal. That's not common for a 10k.
- Great post-race festival with a wide array of food and drinks. Live entertainment and a fun kids area for the little ones to play.
- Shuttles were quick to the start line before the race.

Cons:
- It's crowded. There's a lot of weaving and dodging people even in the proper corral. I'll likely move up a corral next year. Recommend getting as far to the front of your corral as you can if you plan to run it.
- The t-shirt is just meh. I wasn't a big fan, but I have plenty of race t-shirts. It wasn't a big deal to me.
- I heard the shuttles back to the start after the race took a very long time. I will continue to park at the finish and catch the shuttle in the morning.

This was to be my first half marathon post-baby. I wasn't a big fan sorry to say. While they did a lot of things right, I won't be back running this one again. Let's start off with the positives.

Pros:
- Very soft, nice race t-shirt. I wear this shirt all the time and it's really comfortable. Great material.
- The medal is pretty cool and doubles as a bottle opener.
- Race support was very enthusiastic. I loved all of the costumes and craziness.
- Aid stations were spaced out well and they offered shot bloks early enough in the race to really help me when I had a bad fuel crash.
- There was BACON on the course. BACON!! :)
- Packet pick-up was in downtown Pensacola which was very, very cute. There are a number of fun bars and eateries.
- They put speakers out at various points along the course playing rock music. Kinda fun if you're not already using your own music.
- Lots of post race food - Pizza, Subway sandwiches, cookies and more!
- Ample parking at the race start/finish.

Cons:
- The roads have a crazy steep pitch. I would say about 75% of the race course is run on these pitched roads. While the course is super flat, the pitch killed my knees and killed the race for me. I won't be back solely because of those roads.
- Not much to look at on the course. The entire course is run on base. Other than a couple of planes, it was pretty barren or industrial.

Neutral but notable:
- It was very, very warm and muggy. This isn't on the race management but should be noted if you plan to run it. Be prepared for the heat and humidity.
- There really was no expo to speak of. It was just a packet/shirt pick up.

This race is also around my birthday, so I'm pretty partial to it. I've done it twice now and will probably be back again. You run through downtown Philly and then along the Schuylkill River for a beautiful, scenic 13.1. The race ends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art...right at the Rocky steps!

Pros:
- Very scenic, flat course through great areas of Philadelphia
- Ends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art...the ROCKY STEPS! Get your photo on the steps and in front of the Rock statue. Can't get much cooler than that.
- So much to do and see in Philly on race weekend. Great city to explore!
- Huge expo...as you would expect of Rock 'n' Roll
- I really like the past medal designs. Very nice, heavy-duty race medal.
- Good race support and aid stations.
- Tech tee race shirt.

Cons:
- VERY crowded race...as you would expect from a Rock 'n' Roll event
- Again....it's a Rock 'n' Roll event so they nickle and dime you to death. Sign up early if you can or take advantage of a coupon code discount.

Neutral but noteworthy:
- It's a bit of a trek from the hotels downtown to the race start and finish. It's not terrible, but just expect to walk back to your hotel a mile or two after the race.
- Not very many bands on the course. Not a biggie for me, but course entertainment is sparse.