The Craft Classic Atlanta Half and 5k is a new race series put on by Road Runner Sports. It's nice to see more half marathon options popping up in Atlanta. Also, starting in Grant Park allowed for a course a bit different than most other courses in the city. It was certainly a nice change of scenery, if not quite a bit hilly (it's Atlanta so that's pretty much to be expected). This race has the makings of a high quality race but needs some help in the area of race management. This is to be expected for an inaugural race. If the management is improved I will probably run this race again and recommend to others.

Pros:
- Unique course through some of Atlanta's historic neighborhoods
- Swag: pint glass, cool tanks/t-shirts for women and men respectively, sunglasses, road runners sports discounts, nice big medal with bottle opener on back
- Parking: very easy parking right at the start
- Bag check: I didn't use it but it was nice to have a bag check area so people could change if they wanted for after party
- aid stations: located every 1.5-2 miles and offered water and Nuun. Nuun is a really high quality product, much better than Powerade normally found at these events

Cons:
- start area was extremely difficult to find in the dark; you had to walk through unlit paths from parking in order to find it and the area itself was not well lit
- my friend needed medical after falling on a pre-race run.It took forever to find someone who knew where to find medical supplies. Once we found supplies, they were pretty sparse
- All the pre-race information made it clear there is NO race morning packet pickup. THey only offered 2 pickup days during the work week at the Road Runner sports in Buckhead. Buckhead is literally the worst place to drive during the week. It took me over an hour to get there and an hour to get home. When we arrived at the start, they actually had race morning packet pickup! I would have loved to avoid sitting in my car for hours on a Friday. Also, they could have done packet pickup the weekend before the race so people could get there easier.
- Post race party: it was not clear from race documentation that we would have to carry our ID in order to partake in the post race beer. The whole post race party area was actually roped off and you couldn't enter without an ID. I've done several other races, including one that ended at a brewery, where carrying ID was not necessary. We had to show ID at packet pickup; that should have made our bib "verified". The whole point of the race was to "run for beer" and my friends and I didn't get to do that.
- Communication: while there was a lot of social media action from the craft classic account, we received zero pre-race information until Tuesday before the race. Packet pickup started 2 days later. This is unacceptable.
- Race start was a bit hectic. There weren't clear announcements and there was 1 big corral. Everyone piled in, regardless of expected pace, so the first mile or so was quite crowded.

Final Verdict: lots of potential, needs improvement. The improvements are easy to implement and I expect next year will be much better. So, I recommend this race, but with reservation.

As cyclists, my husband and I have heard about BRAG for some time now. It was only a matter of time before we decided to use one of our few summer vacation weeks to cross Georgia by bike. Each year the course is different so waiting for the right route was really key for us. Earlier this year we realized the 2016 route was leaving from Atlanta, a few miles from our house, and heading to Savannah; this seemed like the year to do it!

Even though we're both strong cyclists, we were both worried about being on the bike for 50-70 miles, 7 days in a row, and camping for a whole week. However, our worries were quickly diminished. From day 1, we met amazing people, pedaled through a quiet Atlanta morning to beautiful farm country, and figured out a good routine for setting up and taking down our camp area each day. In fact, we opted to camp inside, usually in school gyms, each day since they provided AC and we didn't have to bother with breaking down a tent each morning. Ear plugs and eye masks are a must if you decide to do indoor camping. Also, I only had a light sleep sack and I wish I had my full sleeping bag since the AC in many places made me freeze each night. Still, I'd rather be cold than hot and sweaty in a humid, cramped tent.

My husband and I really liked having a vacation where we got good exercise but still had relaxing time each afternoon. It was the perfect combination for people who don't just like sitting, eating, and drinking for a whole vacation. Instead, we got to ride our bikes, eat, and drink. :-)

Pros:
-Check in and expo: I had to do this myself since my husband was transporting the car to the finish but this was generally pretty easy. Also, the expo had some cool vendors including a nutrition/gel I had never tried, a bike themed jewelry shop, and my friends at the Atlanta Cycling Festival. They also had several bands that night (and every night of the week) and the camp area that night was right next to a large shopping center with restaurants, grocery store, and any other last minute items needed
-Parking: We chose the option to transport our car to the finish in Savannah where they had free parking for the week at the convention center. It was really nice to have our own car once we made it to Savannah and then we were able to spend an extra night in the city. At the beginning of the week, BRAG had a shuttle from Savannah to ATL for people who opted for this.
-Camping options: indoor and outdoor options at each location, and all the indoor options had AC, which is not typically guaranteed (maybe we just got lucky this year). Each location also had a beer truck, live music, games, shower truck, and sometimes a shuttle into town for food/shopping
-Routes: all routes were well marked and rest stops were between 10-20 miles apart, usually with 3-4 per day. Rest stops were well stocked with fruit, pb&j, packaged snacks, pickles, water, Gatorade

Cons:
-It was HOT and there were no ice anywhere to be found. I wish they had ice at the rest stops and at the finish each day. It would be really cool if they had a few of the plastic kiddie pools filled with ice at the end each day. Easy and cheap for some good ice baths after some really hot/humid mornings of riding.
-Food options: They advertised there would be food trucks at each location but, really, we were lucky if there was one truck at each location. Some of the schools had pasta dinners, which were very good, but it would have been nice to have more options or better access into towns (some places had shuttles but in Dublin you had to take a taxi for $5 each way per person. That's $20 for me and my husband just to get to Walmart.). We brought our own breakfast and lunch so it wasn't terrible for us, but it would have been nice on some evenings to have a better time finding food. If you have specific food requirements (veggie, allergies, etc), this ride might be difficult for you if they don't improve this. I definitely think it's something they can easily change in the years to come.

Overall, this was a GREAT experience and we loved it! We will definitely be doing this ride, and other vacations like it, in the future.

If you're gonna challenge yourself to a half Ironman best to do it in an amazing town for adventures. Chattanooga provides a beautiful backdrop to distract from the pain and suffering, while also providing more amazing volunteers than I've seen at any other race in any other city. The rolling bike course is pretty fast with only one real gear grinder, and while the run course is pretty hilly there's plenty of fun aid stations and pretty sections along the river and over bridges.

Pros:
-Check in: Just follow the arrows through the multi step process and the whole process goes smoothly. No lines and I was in and out in 5 minutes.
-You have to check your bike in the night before the race so no need to worry about it in the morning. One less thing to lug around on early race morning
-Expo has plenty of local vendors but I didn't spend much time walking around - again lots of friendly, helpful people
-Swag: really nice shirt, and sling bag with some extra goodies and coupons. After the race you get a nice medal, of course, and a hat.
-Race morning: lots of volunteers so you don't have to wait for body marking. Head into transition and set up your area. There are volunteers walking around who can help you if you're not sure how to set up. Dozens of school buses waiting at transition to take participants to the swim start so you don't have to wait.
-Swim start: first come, first served. After the pros, everyone else just lines up. No crazy mass starts. The whole process moves very fast.
-Swim: river swim under 3 cool bridges. It's nice seeing downtown from the river and, for the most part, people spread out so you're not getting kicked in the head too much.
-Wetsuit strippers: I didn't wear a wetsuit this year but the strippers are really helpful for getting that thing off.
-Bike course: BEAUTIFUL. I could have stayed on my bike all day I think riding around that countryside. I will say, the pack never really thins out much so people do end up drafting a bit, even though most people are not doing it on purpose. There's not a lot of course marshals regulating this behavior but, honestly, I don't think there's much anyone could do anyway.
-Run: I'm used to running the terrain in Chatt but I know this is a difficult course for many. The bike course gets 3 star difficulty but the run pushes it to 4. It's a 2 loop course so all the hills you see the first time, you'll get to see them again. The aid stations on the run course are the best. There's some school groups and church groups mostly and they all have different fun themes. I particularly liked the aid Hawaiian themed aid station. Each station has water, Gatorade, ice cups, oranges/chips/pretzels/gels, coke, first aid/vasoline, port-o-johns, and they're all within 1 - 1.5 miles each. You can definitely do the run without carrying hydration.

Cons: I wasn't a fan of the finish area this year or last. The food offered is dominoes pizza (yuck) with some chips, pretzels and diverse drink options. I just wish they had something else besides greasy food. After a race my stomach is already pretty messed up so eating crappy pizza isn't really the best plan imho. However, Chattanooga has no shortage of great food and drink options right near the race area in downtown.