Before the race, I heard positive and negative reviews. Runners either loved the beauty of the course or hated the hills of the course. Although I agree with both reviews, this has to be one of my favorite courses. (I’m also biased because I PR’d! And it was perfect running weather.. lol)

Expo
The expo was a lot of fun! I loved that it was not too big and overwhelming at the Durham Convention Center. The race included a bib, shirt and digital race bag so the pickup was pretty simple. I easily found my friends at Fleet Feet Carrboro/Durham and grabbed a few tanks from 73threads. If you haven’t heard of 73threads, you need to check them out right now! LOVE THEM!

Parking/Pre-Race
SUPER easy and really close to the starting line near the American Tobacco Campus. There were plenty of port-a-potties – actually, I’ve never seen such efficient bathroom lines at any other race.

Race
Just like every other race.. decently sized and crowded with anxious runners. At the start line, I found myself stuck behind the 9:00 min pacers when I was planning on starting in front of the 8:30 pacers.. oh well, there was plenty of time for catch up later. The course was beautiful and it was hilly. Runners were guided through downtown Durham and through the Duke campus. The downhills were long and the hills got slightly steeper in the last couple of miles.

Post-Race
Beer, music and food trucks! aka: a lot of lines, but all worth it. Definitely try out this race if you’re in the area for next year! I promise the hills are manageable and you can even PR like me!

Great organization, great race! This was my first time running across the Golden Gate Bridge.. a little crazy since I've lived in the Bay my entire life!

First off, the shirt. The shirt was AWESOME. I feel like there was a lot of effort put into providing a shirt that runners would love to wear! The shirt was Under Armour and the design was really cool - I wear mine all the time.

If there was one thing that I wasn't crazy about, it was the buses. I was traveling back from Hawaii and didn't land until 3:30 AM the morning of the race. That being said, I knew it wouldn't be my best race so I didn't care too much about making it in my wave. Needless to say, I didn't make it to my wave and I found myself having to run around people for the first 2-3 miles. Oh well, no biggie since I was half asleep anyway.

The course was beautiful partly because it was just a really clear sunny day in the city! The only slightly challenging part was the hill going up to the bridge.. it felt endless but worth it once you're running across the bridge!

Runners were given a medal and a goody bag at the finish. The goody bag is such a good idea! I'm usually exhausted at the end of a race so I don't think to grab all the essential fuel that is usually placed on tables at the finish. Highly recommend this race as well as the other put on by Represent Running!