This was my very first half marathon, and because of that it holds a special place in my heart!

Expo: This was hands down the best expo I've ever been to! Bib pickup happens in one building and shirt pickup happens in another - and that building is FILLED with vendors! The Disney Princess official merchandise is in a separate section and it sells out fast. I was there on the first of 3 expo days and it was extremely busy, but I was able to buy all of the merchandise options that I wanted (a track jacket, a headband, a mug, and a finisher's shirt) in the correct sizes. New Balance sells special race shoes and Dooney and Burke sells race purses, but you need to get there early for those and I wasn't interested. You can easily spend hours in here.

Race course: This race is FLAT but not very scenic. 90% of the race takes place either on highways or behind-the-scenes areas at Disney. But the other 10% is in Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and those parts are magical! I'm not even a huge Disney fan, but running down Main Street got me teary eyed! There were so many people cheering us on and we got to run through Cinderella's castle! But during the toughest end miles of the race, it was mostly highway views. Disney tried to jazz this up a bit with some character stops along the course, so if you're running for fun and don't care about time you can wait in line to take pictures with some Disney characters. There were very few princess picture opportunities though.

Race logistics: The race starts very early in the morning (5:30) and there are about 25,000 people running it, mostly women. Most of the runners dressed up in costume (I was Ariel!). Runners must park by Epcot and then walk about 20 minutes through a closed off area to the starting line corrals. There were about 10 corrals the year that I ran it, and runners need to submit proof of time (10k or higher) to be in the first 9 corrals - no proof of time, you're in the last corral. There is a strict time cut off that only runners in the last few corrals need to worry about. There are a ton of porta potties right by the start but they are very busy. Each corral was sent off with fireworks and some words from the fairy godmother! During the race, there were so many people on the course that it was hard to run at your own pace. Many groups of people were running 4-5 people across, and it was hard to pass them. Many runners were using a walk/run method, but didn't use proper etiquette for it - they would stop without any warning no matter where they were on the road and it made for some dangerous situations! The race honestly never thinned out and the course was crowded throughout the race. After the race, runners are funneled through a finisher's chute where they get medals, cool towels, water, mesh backpacks to hold everything, and food boxes. There are designated areas where you can meet up with your spectators after the race too.

Swag: The race shirt is pretty awesome, and so is the medal! But that's basically all you get for over $100 in race registration. You also don't get discounted park tickets or anything.

Overall experience: The race was run really smoothly, especially considering that there were so many runners and it was the first half marathon for many of them (including me!). It was a really special experience running with so many girls with such high energy, and I loved running in costume through Cinderella's castle! But most of the race was boring, the weather was very hot and humid, the course was crowded and often frustrating because there were so many people, and the start time was very early. I am glad this was my first half marathon, but I'm not sure if I could ever do it again knowing all of the challenges that come with the race. I would suggest this race to first time half marathon runners, people who want to run with groups of their friends, or people who don't care about time goals and just want to have fun.

To be fair, this is not really a race! It's a fun 5k-ish run that has a really awesome theme! If you love Christmas, you should definitely sign up! Almost everyone at this race was wearing some sort of Christmas outfit - either an ugly sweater or a Christmas themed costume. The race went off in unofficial "waves" and was not timed.

Race course: it was slightly less than 3.1 miles, and weaved around the Please Touch Museum area of Fairmount Park. There were inflatable christmas decorations, fake snow, and hot chocolate aid stations along the course! It was pretty crowded, but not everyone was running - the goal was definitely to have fun.

Race swag: not that great. We got ugly sweater hats, no shirts. Each runner did get a free beer at the end though!

Race logistics: since it was mostly about having fun, runners were taking tons of pictures along the course and the the start/finish area with all of the Christmas decorations! Although there were many people picking up bibs at the race the day of, the system was really smooth and didn't take long at all. Parking wasn't too bad either.

Overall experience: This was my husband's first 5k that he enjoyed because it was so much fun and had literally no pressure to run fast or finish hard. There was so much Christmas spirit and you could tell every runner was having a lot of fun. This is a family and walker friendly event and anyone who loves Christmas should sign up - but runners should be aware that it's not really a true race and make sure to leave their race watches at home!

This is a really fun 10k that takes place in both NJ and PA! You start/end in Camden but get to run over the Ben Franklin Bridge. Parking for the race wasn't too hard to find, but parking in Camden is always an interesting experience and you'll want to make sure you're close to the race start/finish area. The race starts on the bridge, runs over to Philadelphia, and then turns around and runs back into NJ. The course goes through a few areas of Camden before finishing inside the Riversharks stadium. Running up/down a bridge is difficult because of the incline, but the views keep you distracted! It was also really nice to get to run right down the middle of the bridge and past the toll booths because it was closed down for the race. Runners get a long sleeved cotton shirt and then get a medal at the finish as well as the typical post race food. The race was very well organized, but there could have been more communication on where to go inside the stadium for bib pickup and also there could have been more assistance with getting people lined up at the start - there were so many areas closed off and not enough room for all of the runners/an easy way for them to get over the barricades into the start area.

Overall, I highly recommend this race for any NJ/Philly runners who have always wanted to run across the Ben Franklin Bridge! Plus you get to say you raced in 2 different states that day.

I ran the 10K option in 2013, but there was also a 5k, half marathon, Five and Dime (both the 5k and 10k) and the Hat Trick (all 3 races), plus a 1 mile dog run.

Packet Pickup/Expo: I was able to pick up my bib the day of the race which was very convenient. After the race I got my finisher's shirt and checked out the expo, which was small but had some good stuff. The best perks offered to runners was all of the free workshops and lectures hosted by Runner's World all weekend long! I was unable to stay for any but there were many great topics offered by some big names in the running industry.

Race course: it started at the Bethlehem SteelStacks and then follows a very hill course through downtown Bethlehem and through the historical Moravian area before coming back to the start area. Train for the hills!

Race logistics: Parking lots were well marked but there were so many people running that you had to really get there early for the best luck at finding a spot! The 5k is held right before the 10k, so getting to the start area was tough because the course ran right by it! Some big names in running including Bart Yasso and Summer Sanders raced with us and it was really fun knowing that I was running with some pretty fast people! The runners were all awesome and the course was never too crowded. After the race there was beer and some food to purchase, as well as the typical post-race food and some free samples of Luna and Belvita bars.

Swag: runners got a finisher's shirt and a medal, but if you took on more than one race you got additional swag!

Overal experience: If you can go to this race, DO IT! It was amazing getting to run with so many serious runners but still be able to go at my own pace and run a great race. They had so many resources and fun stuff for runners to do all weekend. Next time, I'll try the Hat Trick!