This race organized by the Running Nerds group is advertised as "hilly and challenging" and they weren't kidding. Also, this was the 3rd year so I had friends who also "warned" of the hills. Most races in Atlanta are hilly but I'd say this is the most difficult Atlanta road race I've done. Since I was prepared for it though I think I was still able to enjoy the experience. I only walked the worst hill at mile 8 since I'm pretty sure I hiked that bad boy faster than I could have kept running anyway.

Pros:
-Packet pickup options for 5 days rotating to several different stores around Atlanta, so it was easy to find a convenient time. However, ALL of the pickup locations are in-town ATL so if you're coming from the 'burbs then it won't be very convenient for you. You can have someone else pickup your packet but there is NO RACE MORNING PICKUP. This is clearly stated on the website and in emails so as long as you arrange for help if needed, shouldn't be a problem.
-Parking: plenty of street parking options, and several businesses have opened their lots for parking as well. Also, the start is pretty close to several highways so it's accessible.
-Facilities: there are several businesses in the start area that opened for the participants to get free coffee, snacks, and use real toilets. They did have some porto-potties outside as well. Even though race morning was warm this year, it's nice to have the option to huddle inside and use real bathrooms.
-Course: despite the hills, I enjoyed visiting westside neighborhoods I normally don't see.
-Post race: 2 full pours of awesome beer, a souvenir pint glass, and really yummy shrimp and grits. Also, since the finish was in a different location from the start, they ported gear bags to the finish and you can change into dry clothes at the brewery.
-Shuttle: they provided a nice shuttle from the brewery back to the start area.

Cons:
-HILLS! I like hills but I'll put this here just in case someone else really hates hills.
-Aid stations: IMO there weren't enough. I went more than 3 miles at one point without aid. Maybe I'm being picky but I think a road race should have aid at least every 2 miles. Also, each aid station was pretty sparse: 1 table with some water and Gatorade if you were lucky (I'm a mid packer and they had already run out at several tables by time I made it through). This race may "only" be 10 miles, but it's more difficult than most half marathons I've done. With that in mind I really think the aid stations should have been better stocked.
-Course: Yes, I know I had this in the Pros section. However, there were several stretches of the course on very busy, narrow roads with no shoulder. They used cones to mark off a 2-ft wide section for the runners. Honestly, if you ran too close to the cones you could easily be run over. Also, the road itself was in really bad condition in some sections and bad obstacles, i.e. potholes, were not marked at all. In some of the narrow sections there was no room to run around the obstacle unless you ran into traffic. This section was probably 1/2 mile and it was at the end but I still think they could have closed off that section of road or routed around somewhere else.

At the end of the day, Running Nerds is a small club that puts on a great, popular race. The difficulty of the course should be reason enough for people to give it a shot. Some improvements could be made but I think they'll continue moving in the right direction.

This is the 3rd year I've done this race. It's one of the only 5ks I do each year, and I usually go witha group of people for some holiday fun. It's a really pretty neighborbood, pretty hilly, and this was the first year it was chip timed.

Pros:
-Historic Atlanta neighborhood
-Everyone welcome: walkers, strollers, dogs
-Parking: small parking lots at the start and finish locations, but plenty of street parking. Easiest to park at finish and walk/warm-up to the start, less than 1 mile away
-5 days of packet pickup at local running store
-Santa hats for everyone
-Hot chocolate, coffee at the finish

Cons:
-Walkers, stroller, dogs on leashes are also really difficult obstaces; I ran on sidewalk to bypass crowds
-One little aid station with only water, in the middle of an uphill climb. Don't really need any aid on a 5k but if a race has one it should not be in the last mile of the course.
-A lot of people really like the long sleeve cotton shirt, but it's not really my thing. Will be a lounge around the house shirt until it goes to goodwill.

It's a festive experience each year, best enjoyed with friends (and possibly mimosas at the finish).

Registration and costs: I registered in the Spring with a discount for the Triple Peach (Peachtree Road Race, Atlanta 10 Miler, Atlanta Half) so I'm not really sure how much it would cost as an individual race. However, registering at packet pickup costs $90, which is in line with other race day registrations for Half distance. Plan ahead and save some money. Also, Triple Peach is good savings, and a great way to keep up with running goals for the whole year. You get extra medals and swag for Triple P so it's a really fun experience. It's become so popular that Triple P actually sells out each year.

Packet pickup/expo: Not really a full expo since packet pickup is held at Big Peach Running Co, but the store has some great sales during pickup and they have everything you need so it's basically a mini expo. They had 4 packet pickup days; 2 in the suburbs and 2 in midtown Atlanta. You also had the option to pay $20 to have race morning pickup. Most of the proceeds from this went to local charity so I think it's a great compromise; alleviates race morning logistics for both runners and race coordinators/volunteers.

Race Morning: The start/finish is at Turner Field. All of the Turner Field parking lots are open and free. I always plan to get there before 6am, and the race emails recommend this as well. Most people driving in try to get off the highway at the same exit so the on/off ramps back up creating a traffic jam. Get there before 6 am and it's not a problem. Also, if you plan to get off at the exits just north or south of Turner Field exit (depending on your direction of travel) this also makes it easier. I also recommend parking at the end of a land, facing out, near an exit. This makes it a lot easier to leave at the end of the race.

There are port-o-potties in every parking lot. I never waited in line. The nice thing this year, we finally had great weather after 2 years below freezing temps. Temp at the start was around 45 and went up to 60 with sunny skies. Perfect half marathon weather and everyone seemed happy for it. I wrapped in a heat sheat at the start but would have been ok withou it. Save your Goodwill clothes for race morning and dump that in the start corral or during the first mile. Volunteers pick up all the clothes and donate to local shelters. There is NO gear check, so make use of your home donation pile. I was a pace leader for the 2:30 group. We went to our corral just after 7am for the 7:3 start.

The race: First mile is kind of crowded and then it gets better after the first turn on Decatur street. The first 4-5 miles are pretty fast with easy rolling hills. It seems that many Atlanta races have all the most difficult hills in the second half of the course and the Atlanta Half is no exception. There's some long steady hills in each mile with 2, block long steep hills, one around mile 9ish and 1 in the last mile (Capitol Punishment). The course goes through many Atlanta neighborhoods so you get a varied perspective of the city, which is enjoyable. Basically, if you train in Atlanta then the hills should be fine for you.

There are aid stations every 2 miles like clockwork with water and gatorade, and there's sport beans at mile 8. At the finish you get a goodie box with snacks, water/gatorade, medal, and a nice disposable cool down jacket, in lieu of the typical heat sheet.

Overall it's a well-run Atlanta Track Club machine with great volunteers. It's a fun tradition every year but definitely better when the weather cooperates. I never miss it.