Expo: It was at a sporting goods store that had a difficult parking situation. After my husband had driven over 3 hours to get me to the expo, he was pretty frustrated. Anyway, the expo was a little confusing because half of it was on one side of the store and the other half was on the opposite end of the store. I suppose it's good planning for the store because you're forced to look at their merchandise, but it's still a little disorienting. There were lots of energy food and drink samples and other products available. Actually picking up my bib was pretty easy, and there were plenty of volunteers around to answer questions. I had purchased a BART bus ticket online to get from Fremont to the race the next morning, and the volunteer manning the bus ticket table was very helpful when I confirmed my ticket and the bus ticket time.
Race Organization: At 5:45 the next morning, there were several of us waiting for the bus at the BART station. The expected pickup time was 5:55, and by 6:15 still no bus. A lady who was at the bus stop called a race organizer and found out that there was no bus dispatched to come pick us up that morning. Now everyone had to figure out how to get their own transportation and where to park, with the race starting at 8AM. I had taken an Uber to get from the hotel to the BART station and was beginning to panic because it would be a 45 min drive to Berkeley. Thankfully another woman who had been waiting for the bus volunteered to take 4 other passengers with her in her own vehicle up to the race. We hopped in the car and made it to the race. She wasn't sure if there would be available parking. I had checked Parking Panda the night before and the closest spots were over a mile from the finish line. We were all surprised to see that there was plenty of parking available at Berkeley High School, which was very close to the start/finish line. I made my way to the bag drop off, and there were a few volunteers taking bags. The section where my bag was supposed to be placed, based on my bib number, had no volunteer supervising the area, but two other bags were already there against the wall. I left mine there and hoped for the best. As for the rest of the race organization, it was mostly good. The pacers were easy to find. There were lots of friendly volunteers. My only other complaint was that I had difficulty seeing the turn on to University Ave immediately after the aid station and before Mile 8. I didn't see where the people in front of me went, and it sort of looked like I was supposed to go straight. Well, I followed the crowd until I saw a sign for Mile 11 and knew I was lost. I turned around and sprinted back to the aid station and added about an extra half mile to my total run distance. Once I got clarification on the direction I was supposed to go, I began sprinting again to try to make up for lost time. Big mistake. I started feeling pain in my knee but continued pushing myself harder than I should have. I never caught back up, and by the time I reached Mile 10, I was half limping.
Aid stations: Plenty of aid stations with lots of volunteers.
Course scenery: We ran through downtown Berkeley, but most of the race was through residential areas. We also ran down and back along Frontage Rd., which would have given us a great view of the water. Unfortunately, there was a torrential downpour during more than half of the race, so we couldn't really see too much. I'm sure it would have been gorgeous with the sun out.
Parking: As I mentioned earlier, it was terrible at the expo. Everything close to the race was sold out online, but there was surprisingly parking at the high school.
Elevation difficulty: Some hills, but nothing too steep.
T shirts/SWAG: The shirt and medal were pretty nice. I earned the SF/Berkeley Challenge Medal too. It's an awesome spinner medal! Talk about some serious bling!
Overall: Despite the parking difficulty at the expo, the missing bus, the pouring rain, missing a turn, and getting a possible knee injury, I had a good time. There were lots of friendly people from town standing in the rain and cheering us on. The other racers all cheered each other on during the out and back stretch along Frontage Rd. Everyone just seemed so nice, supportive, and happy, which is what helped make this race so enjoyable for me. I would definitely recommend this race to someone living around the Bay Area.