Running at night was appealing to me since that meant no super early wake up time. Running along the water and across the lit up bridges attracted me to this race. I did enjoy the scenery of the bridges and water. The course was well marked and I appreciated that since it was night time and I was worried about not seeing where I was supposed to go. Loved the Owl medal. Super cute! The shirts were great as well. Since the bridges is what was an attraction for me, I loved that they were on the shirts. The course was narrow at points and since both 5k and 8k started together it made for some congestion. That made it hard to keep your pace at times. I think starting in waves or having the 5k starting at a different time may have helped. Also, I heard some participants did not receive medals at the end because they ran out. So maybe a better estimation of last minute/race day entries to prevent that again. Also, after we crossed the finish line it was really dark and hard to see the volunteers who were passing out the medals and water. So some spot lights in that area might be helpful. Since this was the first year on this particular course, they probably just have some kinks to work out. Overall, it was a fun race and I would do it again.

Running the airport runway in Scottsdale sounded like a fun concept to me. It was really cool seeing all the planes before the race. I love the swag. The aviator sunglasses were wicked cool! The course was flat being that it was an airport runway and so there really wasn't a lot to look at while running. That part I found hard not having landmarks to mentally help you if you were having a hard time. Seemed like it was going on and on until you came to the next turning point. An earlier start might have been better since it is already getting warm in April here in Phoenix. I did receive a medal because I placed 3rd in my age group. But if I hadn't placed, a medal for everyone would be a nice change. The parking was great since you could park right at the airport. Also, LOVED that you could use the restrooms at the airport instead of port-a-pottys. It was a fun race and the flat course helped me to a great time.

I was going for a sub 2 hour half when I signed up for this race. The course was flat the whole way except the last half mile when you turned on to Maryland and had to go up this short but very steep hill going over the 101 freeway. It was the perfect course for trying to set a PR. There wasn't a whole lot to look at but that was ok since I was concentrating on time. The one coll part was we did get to run through a portion of Luke Airforce base. It was very cool having the soldiers cheer us on and I appreciated that they were out there for us considering how much they already do for us with their service to our country. There were plenty of aid stations although I didn't use any since I brought my own water bottle. My goal was to not stop at all! I actually was able to achieve that and not walk for even a second. That was part of what help me reach my goal. The race finished at the water fountain at Westgate mall which was beautiful way to finish the race. As I made the turn that went to the finish line, I was crazy excited because I could still see a 1 on the big time clock. I crossed the finish in 1:53:29!!! Sub 2 achieved! There was plenty of fluid and snacks at the finish. They had the official times posted in a fairly quick amount of time on a wall near the finish. There was even some small swag things at the finish like a cool pin with the race logo. The medal was really nice too. It had the Arizona flag and a picture of a fighter jet on it. The parking was great. We could park at the mall and they bussed us to the start. One of my favorite things is that we waited at a community center. We were able to use the restrooms in there even though there were porta-a-pottys outside too. We could sit in the warm community center until the start which was right out the front door of the center. I really loved this race and will definitely do it again.