The expo: This expo is in the building next to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It had a decent number of vendors and the process was easy. We had discount tickets to the Hall of Fame so we spent some time there and enjoyed it.

The race: It was pretty chilly the morning of the race, in fact I was downright cold! Luckily I had a throwaway sweatshirt to toss once the race began. As always, the race was congested at the beginning but then thinned out. There was plenty of water. I did not enjoy the course at all. We were on a lot of streets, sharing with traffic on the other half. In one neighborhood (not one of the best neighborhoods), a car came down a side street, turned, and was right next to me for a block! I had no idea if he even saw me because he was busy smoking a joint and driving. I was glad when he turned into a driveway. The finish line was in the football stadium, which was nice. I was given my medal and a blanket. There were cases of water on the ground so I grabbed one, but I could not find any food and no one around to ask. Supposedly there were Subway subs for the finishers, but I didn't see any. We left immediately and luckily made it back to the hotel for breakfast.

The best things about this race are the medal, blanket and shirt. Definitely the best race shirt I have ever received, and the medal is right up there too. The blanket was a nice added touch.

I would not do this race again, but I am glad I gave it a try.

This women's race revolves around the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in North Falmouth. My sister (who unfortunately was injured and could not run) and I met at the airport in Boston and bused our way to Falmouth, where we then took a taxi to the hotel. The Sea Crest is situated right on the beach and we had a large room with a fireplace, which I loved. We didn't have a rental car, so we ate most of our meals at the hotel restaurant, which was convenient and quite good.

The races start and finish right at the Sea Crest. I had misplaced my headband, so I ended up staying in our room looking for it until the half marathon began. You can't get any more convenient than that.

I enjoyed the course. It was hilly, which is a challenge for me because where I train is flat as a pancake. There wasn't a lot of crowd support, but the scenery was so nice it kept me distracted. It was cool at the start and as the day became warmer I was happy for the shady sections of the course.

Since the race is in the late September off season, I had no idea what to expect as far as the weather is concerned. It was gorgeous! The race finished back at the hotel and after I received a very nice medal, a glass of wine, and a nice box of snacks, Robin and I grabbed some beach chairs and headed to the beach, where we relaxed and enjoyed bloody marys and mimosas, served by a very friendly beach server. He said the weather was unseasonably warm, so we felt very lucky!

I would do this race again in a second! I am a huge fan of the start and finish lines being at the host hotel, and who doesn't need a beach weekend once in a while?

I always have wanted to see the Oklahoma City Memorial, and since my sister lives there, this was the perfect race for myself and my two sisters (Sole Sisters) to run together. This would be my oldest sister’s first race ever, so we decided to do the relay. Deciding who would run which leg was probably the hardest part, but since we wanted the oldest to experience the feeling of crossing the finish line, and my other sister is the best morning person, we decided she would do 1 and 2, I would do 3 and 4, and the oldest would do 5.

We stayed at the host hotel and had the pasta dinner the night before. I wish we had just gone to one of the local restaurants - Bricktown is right there and fun to walk around.

The expo was well organized and a good size. Easy to pick up our packets, and we did a bit of shopping too.

Oklahoma City has some crazy weather; it was pretty rainy and cool, and the race ended up being delayed for about three hours because of lightning on the race route. We all just sat around in various parking garages, and it was about to be canceled when we finally got the all clear. Due to that situation the starting line was out of control; there were no more corrals, it was a free-for-all and I was glad I was not in that crowd. After the rush of the start, we headed over to the relay buses which could have been marked a little more clearly, but we figured it out by asking some of the other runners.

When I got to relay 3 we were offered all of the food/drinks that would be available for the runners, and there was a great variety. We also were given warming blankets if we wanted them, since it was cold until the sun started shining. By the time my first leg came around, it was sunny and downright hot! The wind was crazy and instead of enjoying the sights, most of the time I had my head down trying not to go backwards! We ended up coming in second in the Master’s Division (maybe because there were only two teams in that division), but we got a really nice trophy!

When my sister crossed the finish line, we received our relay medals which are rated high on my list of favorites. We went through the food line and then went to get our free burger, but they already were gone. I hate when that happens!

I enjoyed this race and really was awestruck and overcome with emotion by the beautiful memorial. Oklahoma City is a nice size and has lots of restaurants and things to do. We had a great time all in all.

I am all about Lucille Ball, so when I found out about this race not too far from my home, I was all in! There is not too much to the City of Jamestown, but we arrived the night before so we could go to the expo and explore a little. When we went to pick up our packets, the expo vendors already had packed up and left! In our packets, however, were tickets to the two museums all about Lucille Ball and I Love Lucy, which I thoroughly enjoyed! Included with the race fee was a pasta dinner the night before, which was very nice and quite tasty! I enjoyed the race itself, it rained a little then the sun came out and there was an incredible rainbow. There were some turns on the course where, if you were alone, it was hard to see which way to go. More course support would help there. The little after party was just enough, and my daughter came in second in her age division (her first half marathon ever) so all in all, it was a nice race. Since it was the first year, it was a bit small; but I’m sure it will continue to grow and improve. The best part: the finisher’s medal!