What can I say about the 2016 Brewers Mini Marathon that I didn't say last year? Great managed race; so many updates and communication from race organizers all these past few months as race day became closer, nothing was missed. This is only my second time running this race but I love the course, going through close to downtown and then through Miller Valley right between the brewery's buildings. The weather this year was perfect: not too warm or hot, there was a little drizzle here and there during the run and I managed to accomplish a PR for a half marathon. Here are a few more of my thoughts:

T-shirt/Swag: Great; one of the best. A tech shirt, a koozie, a bobblehead, a ticket for a game next year plus a chance to order additional seats early on, two free post race beers

Aid Stations: Plenty of them for the course offering both water and Gatorade at every one. And a bonus shout out goes to the volunteers that only fill the cups half way or less with water; I hate taking a bath when there is too much water in the cup. And the spread at the end of the race is incredible. By far, the best one at any race I have run. Water, chocolate or vanilla milk, Kind bars or granola bars, bananas, yogurt, chips, popcorn, it seemed like there was person after person offering something to get my energy and hydration back.

Course Scenery: As I said above, running through Miller Valley is fun as is passing through the Harley-Davidson museum. City streets and bridges add to the fun (if not the inclines....)

Expo Quality: Good stuff although I was disappointed that the Rock n Sole people must be behind in planning this year since they weren't there. But other races were represented as was a small station selling various runner's products and food/supplements. And it was held in the spacious SKYY Lounge at Miller Park.

Elevation Difficulty: This course has its moments. There is never a "leg-busting" hill with this course but definitely some tough inclines and declines throughout the course. Also, they kept the final small incline at the end of the race just after you leave the Miller Park stadium insides and just before the finish line. Wish they'd get rid of that ending.

Parking/Access: Plenty of parking. Ton of space in the Miller Park lots. And access to park was a breeze once I got off the freeway and took side streets to get to the lots. Freeway was a little backed up so I can see how some might have been frustrated by that.

Race Management: As noted above, they are great at communicating before and after the race. All the pre-race notifications were extremely helpful and they keep helping even after the race is over. I didn't notice (because I didn't open the bag it was in until a day after the race--totally my fault) that my tech shirt was a W-XL and not a M-XL. So after another day or two, I sent an e-mail to their account explaining what happened and asking if anything could be done. I received a message within 24 hours apologizing for the mixup and telling me they were sending out the right size shirt immediately. I was really thankful and surprised by that. I figured at the very least, they'd want the other shirt back or tell me that it was my tough luck on that. How cool is that?!?!

Bottom line, this is a great race and one, that if you are capable of doing, is worth signing up for. I mean, who doesn't want to slap hands with a racing sausage after crossing the finish line.

What is there to say? This is a fun run, at least that's how I treated it. I ran the race with my two young sons, therefore was not really "racing" it. It was the first time I had run the race and it lived up to its hype. We had a blast. And I must put a high focus on the management team and event staff. I screwed up the time to be there by and we were late to the start. The event staff arranged for a worker to grab a utility vehicle and drive us to where the final wave of people were on the course. We missed one "color" station due to them already cleaning it up but we made it for the last three and then, of course, the after party color splash. I can't say enough about the staff. They could have easily said tough luck and sign up again next time. They made what could have been a bad experience into a great one, not so much for me, but for my boys. They also gave them free hats and sunglasses which made their day....and we hadn't even done the fun part yet! I would definitely suggest running this fun run because it really was a cool experience and a lot fun with a lot of community spirit, even at the very end when people helped clean up all the empty color packets.

Overall: Look above :)

T-Shirt/Swag: Fun t-shirt, head buffs, Greek Ranch dressing, head band, some deals on local merchandise, balloons and at the end of the race, color packets if you didn't get to throw all of yours around.

Aid Stations: Plenty of water

Course Scenery: It was held at Miller Park so nothing overly exciting but I enjoy the minor ups and downs around the stadium.

Parking Access: Great. It was free and there was plenty of it.

Race Management: Again, look above. Exceptional people!

I will be doing this run again. And I will make sure to show up at the right time!! ;)

This was the hottest and most humid race I have ever participated in. I've run on my own in similar conditions but never with purpose other than to get in a good workout. Temps in the 70s to start that turned into mid-80s by the end wouldn't have been so bad but the humidity was brutal above 70%. The race organizers did everything they could to make this an enjoyable yet safe race. As for myself, I did not perform as well as I would have liked and the heat effected me more in the last three miles than in the first 10 but I still hate to use it as an excuse for not meeting expectations of my own. Overall, the swag was sweet, plenty of aid stations, the course scenery beautiful (for the most part) and the expo rocked it.

T-shirts/Swag: the customary free tech shirt in a color (blueish green) that I was skeptical initially but it has warmed up to me, a medal at the finish, and one Summerfest ticket

Aid Stations: Plenty throughout the course and all fully stocked and ready for everyone. Water at all of them; Gatorade at most of them. And a couple of spots where wet towels were handed out to the runners. Exceptional.

Course Scenery: How can you not like where you're running? Some on the streets of Bayview, over the Hoan Bridge which gives you a great view of Lake Michigan, and then through several parks around the lakefront. View of the lake and views of the surrounding neighborhood; simply great. Only the smell going over the bridge was not so pleasant (thanks to the sewage handling facility nearby).

Expo Quality: Awesome as always. Plenty of vendors offering up a number of clothes, shoes, fitness monitors, headbands, etc. Also, free food samples (organic yogurt, granola), free socks from BMO Harris Bank, a PLINKO like game where you can win stuff (I managed to score a free water bottle which had two Summerfest tickets in it along with two tickets to the Summerfest Happy Hour party and a $20 Uber card). Also, you have chances to sign up for other multiple races if you like.

Elevation Difficulty: I always find the bridge to be a hell of a challenge; such a gradual incline but tough at the same time. And then there is the hill leading up from the lakefront to the East Side neighborhood which after mile 6 is begging to kick your ass. After those, there are just small inclines/declines throughout the rest of the course which make is a healthy task to complete.

Parking: Easy. You can take your chances and drive close to the start point and pay to park or pray you can find a side street. Or you can park a small distance away for free on the street and get a good warmup heading over to the start line.

Race Management: They provided PLENTY of updates for everything, including the ever important weather ones. And they provided notice that the race would start in a yellow flag mode and told all runners that the risk was there for red flag conditions (which did end up happening at the 2:18:00 mark). Also, their e-mails and Facebook page provided all the necessary parking instructions, bag check info and post race party info that would be needed.

All in all, aside from having a time I wasn't happy with, this is a great race that I will be returning to next year.

I signed up for this race simply because I was looking for a 5K for this particular weekend and it had been a while since I had run in anything competitive. The bonus of this race was twofold: free beer at the end and it supported Water.org which I am a fan of. I was a late registrant so the cost was a little more than I like to pay for a 5K but I understood why; my fault. Here are some more thoughts:

T-shirts/Swag: No t-shirt and that disappointed me, considering the cost but a good portion goes to Water.org so OK. There were a few shirts and hats among other accessory items to purchase if you liked. I DID receive a drawstring bag, a BeerFit coozie and the finisher medal doubles as a bottle opener. Also coupons in the bad plus a KIND bar.

Aid Stations: One, served water. Just fine.

Course Scenery: Not really much to look at except for concrete. Race takes place on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park. The small bonus to that is we ran on the historic Milwaukee Mile racetrack.

Expo Quality: None. Other than the packet pickup immediately prior to the race.

Elevation Difficulty: Again, none. Or minor I guess due to the slants on part of the racetrack.

Parking: There was ample parking which was cool but I wasn't happy about having to pay $6 to park. Annoyed by that. And the surrounding road construction in the area made it pretty difficult to try and street park for free and walk into the fair grounds for the race.

Race Management: They did a good job. No expo, OK. But they were everywhere on race day and everyone seemed to know what was going on and where you were supposed to go and what you needed. They had the World of Beer as a sponsor and they were offering up deal later in the day (and the next day as well) if you had your bib with you. They also provided three beer choices instead of just the customary one. Plenty of water at the end of the race but no food. They had music pumping to get the crowd revved up and they kept it enjoyable, even though the weather was a little chilly and windy.

Would I run this race again? I think so. But I think it would be more fun to do with a group of people.

This was a really fun race with a great atmosphere around it and the cost was minimal. At the starting gate were a DJ, Irish dancers and leprechaun mascots bouncing around getting the crowd energized. Tons of runners were in Irish costume or their race shirts (a vibrant green), even some dogs were decked out in green gear. Also, Leff's Lucky Town (the restaurant/bar that is the main sponsor) invites everyone back afterwards for a great party AND the part I love the most: multiple surrounding businesses get in the act by offering some fare that connects to the race/holiday. Example: Hector's, a Mexican restaurant, offered up corned beef and cabbage burritos. Great community participation! The race course itself is enjoyable, not too strenuous and has enough curves and inclines to keep it interesting. Also, there was a bagpiper on the course! A lot of fun.

T-shirt/SWAG: Free t-shirt, discounts at Fleet Feet in Brookfield and on future races, two free green beers or two free Valentine's Roasters coffee (or you could split your choice); there was an option to pay a couple extra bucks and get a souvenir pint glass but I passed on that

Aid Stations: Just one on the course serving water

Course Scenery: Starts in a park, weaves through a local neighborhood and then finishes back in the park. Pleasant enough.

Expo Quality: Pickup was at Fleet Feet, so you could check out various gear, etc and there was the post race party but not a true expo per se.

Elevation Difficulty: A couple of incline moments but nothing extremely tough. Mostly flat running.

Parking/Access: Plenty of parking, whether it be in the available parking lots or the side streets near the starting line.

Race Management: I felt they did a good job, Plenty of e-mail updates and plenty of info on their Facebook page.

This was a fun race, truly an all-around enjoyable experience. Two regrets: 1) I wasn't able to stay later into the post race party, and 2) I wish I had been running this race the past multiple years.