Since our son was born and admitted to Wolfson for some medical issues, I have been very happy to support this particular event. Every year, we have run in honor of a Wolfson patient, and it's such an amazing feeling to be out there for this cause. My biggest complaint has to be the weather - it's always absolutely freezing out, but that can't be controlled, and we just bundle up and bring blankets.

The tent city was much better organized this year. Loved the addition of the 4Rivers food truck, and was happy to get my free beer at the beer tent. Tin Can Lounge was a nice touch for free, commemorative photo booth pictures, and the kids and adults all loved the characters who came out to mingle (Disney princesses, 501st Legion, etc).

T-SHIRTS/SWAG - I liked the cotton t-shirts although I wish they could vary the design a little. Additionally, medals did change their design after two years - 2017's medal had a spinner feature, which was pretty neat.

AID STATIONS - There is one water stop, and it was plentiful and manned by incredibly sweet volunteers.

COURSE SCENERY - The course was changed for 2017, and it was much better than 2016. Last year, half of the 5K loop seemed to be through the Everbank Field parking lots, but this year, we got to run down near the Landing and had a bit more of an urban route. I did do the loop several times, acting as a pacer, so it did get old after a while, but I think that's normal, and certainly not enough to deter me.

EXPO QUALITY - N/A. I don't believe there is an expo for this particular event.

ELEVATION DIFFICULTY - Jacksonville is fairly flat. There are a few really low-grade inclines but nothing worth mentioning.

PARKING/ACCESS - Free parking at Everbank Field. It's very plentiful, even if arriving later in the day.

RACE MANAGEMENT - The race seemed better laid out and organized this year. Every year, the event seems to grow and evolve, which is great. I love seeing all the teams out there, supporting each other, and the Wolfson 55.

It's the feel-good race of my year.

Absolutely LOVE Best Damn Race! It is my goal to run all of the locations, but for now I have only done Jacksonville and Orlando. I'll get there!

T-SHIRTS/SWAG - BDR outdoes themselves on their medals. This year's license plate was huge, even for the 10K, and came with a nice custom ribbon. Shirts matched the medals, and the were cute as well. I don't love traditional race t's, but I will probably wear this one.

AID STATIONS - Aid stations were well positioned, offering water and Nuun, and there was one gel stop along the way. The weather was cool enough that I didn't need to take advantage of anything on the course.

COURSE SCENERY - The Jacksonville races all have to follow a similar course, but this 10K is nice. I love the stretch along the river, and getting to run in the downtown area. It's good training for other races, and it's somewhere I don't get to see on my regular weekly runs.

EXPO QUALITY - I did not attend the expo this year, but it's nice to have a little set up of vendors and race merchandise at Metropolitan Park. There is plenty of room to expand, too. Race morning packet pickup was easy, and those best damn volunteers live up to their name.

ELEVATION DIFFICULTY - There are a few sneaky little hills and inclines in the 10K course. Early on, runners have to make their way up the Acosta Bridge, and then later, there are some rolling inclines in the road. It's nothing major but it's something to plan for at the 2/3 mark.

PARKING/ACCESS - Plenty of free parking at Everbank Field, which is directly across the street from Metropolitan Park.

AFTER PARTY - Best Damn Race boasts the Best Damn Afterparty. There is great music, beer, cider, a nicely stocked bar for mimosas and bloody mary's, pizza, brownies, Dunkin Donuts, fruit, chips and soda (Diet Coke!!!!). Photo backdrops, a PR bell, and a big-screen to watch the finishers round everything off. Best of all, BDR offers FREE FINISHER PHOTOS!!!

RACE MANAGEMENT - Amazing. The courses are great, well-marked and measured. All the details are on point. Great shirts, great medals, great crew, great volunteers, great amenities. In fact, you could say it's all the best.

This remains one of my favorite race series!

I don't like the outdoors. I've never camped. I'm terrified of things that go bump in the night. Obviously, running the Ragnar Trail Alafia River was right up my alley!

I survived my first campaign experience pretty well. It was freezing on Friday, and heated up very quickly on Saturday, but that was ok. I got through all my runs before the temperatures started to soar, which helped a lot. I loved the trail vibe, we had a great team of women and we really had everything we needed right there. The Ragnar culture is unreal, like nothing I've seen, and I can't wait to try another one.

T-SHIRTS/SWAG - The official t-shirt is one of my favorites. It's soft and fits well and has a great design. The medal? Well. How often do you get a medal that is not compliant with TSA rules and can't be taken on an airplane? That's right. This thing is a multitool! And a weapon! Coolest!

AID STATIONS - As a trail run, Alafia River is pretty much self-supporting. On the red loop, there was an area with water spigots where you could fill your own bottle, but that's about it. Which was fine. None of the legs were long enough (in my opinion) where you couldn't self-support, if you needed water or fuel at all. I did carry some Starburst with me just in case I needed a little sugar boost, but I was fine for the whole race. Once you were done with your leg, you could always grab something in the village or at your campsite.

COURSE SCENERY - Stunning. I only wish I had managed to take some more photos out there. I had no idea such beauty existed in a Florida park.

EXPO QUALITY - There wasn't really an expo, but there was a merchandise set up, plenty of vendors and food trucks for the weekend. We'll call that the expo and it rocked. Also, in the Village, there was complimentary coffee and hot chocolate, a huge bonfire with free s'mores, and movies playing on the side of the Ragnar Truck throughout the night. They also did a Mannequin Challenge, yoga, and all kinds of other games and activities.

ELEVATION DIFFICULTY - For me, this was a big challenge. The yellow and red loops followed a mountain bike track, so we are talking about narrow, steep hills and swoops, with bridges, and climbs and all manner of things for which I wasn't prepared.
- Red Loop - This was my first outing and it was insane! While i never felt particularly unsafe, the wrong step could totally send you sprawling into water or down the side of a cliff. I ended up going a lot faster than I planned, just because you had to get the momentum to climb back up the hills.
- Yellow Loop - I hit this loop at night. I think it would have been gorgeous in the day. I really didn't get to appreciate the actual scenery because i was busy watching my footing. This was, by far, my favorite leg, even though I needed Knuckle Lights and a headlamp to get through safely.
- Green Loop - Ironically, I hated this leg. It was too flat, too dull and there was about a mile of sugar sand that just worked against me.

PARKING/ACCESS - Parking was fine. We had to pay $10 for a pass, and then got to pull up to campsite area, unload our stuff and move the car. We were asked to minimize the number of cars coming into the area, which was fair (we had three for 8 people, just because of logistics). It was tough lugging everything, and cars ended up not moving from the drop off area, simply because it was really inconvenient. Not sure how to improve on that, but it wasn't the end of the world.

RACE MANAGEMENT - No complaints here. The staff and volunteers were lovely. All runners got one ticket for a meal from any of the food trucks for use at their discretion, which was nice. Salomon was on hand, loading out demo trail shoes, which was a race-saver, especially for those of us who don't have a lot of trail experience. Portapotties were plentiful and maintained beautifully, considering. Information and communication was great. Couldn't ask for anything more.

My only complaint was that there weren't more photographers, or at least a finish line photog. It would have been nice to have the photo of our whole team coming in at the end. What photos were available were free, so I guess I can't complain, and it's certainly not any kind of deterrent. I'll make better arrangements for future races.

We did the Rock 'n' Roll Savannah 5K as part of the Remix Challenge on Half Marathon Weekend. If participants completed the marathon or half marathon on Saturday and the 5K on Sunday, they were entitled to an extra "Remix Challenge" medal. So of course, we were in.

T-SHIRTS/SWAG - 5Kers got a nice, gender specific, tech shirt and a really pretty custom medal. Rock 'n' Roll medals are always top-notch: well-designed, heavy and excellent quality.

AID STATIONS - There was one water stop along the course, which was plenty for a 5K.

COURSE SCENERY - Beautiful. The course went through a gorgeous neighborhood with tree-lined streets and stunning architecture. The race ends in the Savannah Bananas baseball field, which is kind of cool.

EXPO QUALITY - Fantastic. Packet pickup was easy and went very quickly. Lots of great Brooks gear and running gear. Basically, anything and everything a runner could want or need.

ELEVATION DIFFICULTY -

PARKING/ACCESS - The 5K and 1 mile races were a little out of downtown, with limited parking in Drayton park. If you arrive early, there is no issue getting a spot inside the park. Other than that, you have to find space on the streets. Not the end of the world, but not convenient.

RACE MANAGEMENT - I love Rock 'n' Roll events. This one was no exception. Even though it was a far smaller event than the full/half the day before, there was plenty of crew on hand, and entertainment at the finish line for the runners. Post-race snacks included water, gatorade, free beer, fruit cups and pretzels, which was a nice change from bananas and bagels. The park was pretty for hanging out prior to and in between races. Real bathrooms and portapotties were both on hand.

This would be a great standalone race, or done as part of the bigger Remix Challenge.

This is a fabulous pre-Thanksgiving event. There are several Thanksgiving morning races in my area, but I will actually bypass the one in my neighborhood to come to this one. While I haven't attempted the half yet, the 6K is a great way to jumpstart my morning, so I can then get home and start cooking.

T-SHIRTS/SWAG - Cute, gender-specific tech shirt, cute finisher's medal. Really can't beat either of those things.

AID STATIONS - There are one or two water stops along the 6K route. Volunteers are always sweet.

COURSE SCENERY - The course winds through some really lovely, shaded residential areas. It's nice to look at the different houses along the way and the trees keep the sun from beating down too hard.

EXPO QUALITY - No expo. Packet pickup is any of the 1st Place Sports running store or on race morning.

ELEVATION DIFFICULTY - This is a pretty fast race. There is one incline in the middle, but I hesitate to even call it a hill.

PARKING/ACCESS - The race start is on a main roadway, and parking is available at the different shopping centers around, leaving runners with a quick walk to the start line. Couldn't be easier.

RACE MANAGEMENT - 1st Place Sports always puts on a great event. This race is inevitably one of my fastest, for reasons completely unknown to me. There are plenty of port-a-potties, water and bananas at the finish, and a few vendors set up with samples for the finishers and spectators.

This has easily become a Turkey Day tradition for me. One day, I'll try to go for that 13.1.