I ran this race as part of the Harvest Half Series. It is the first race in the series. There is no expo for this race as it is a small race (about 1200 runners). Packet pick-up was easy, with plenty of chances to pick-up your packet at the local running store. I live in Kansas City, about 45 minutes from the race location, so I appreciated that one of the packet pick-up days was done at the running store location in Kansas City so that I didn't have to drive up to Lawrence to get my packet. They also had race day packet-pickup. The race bag was a nice Adidas cinch bag, and the shirt is a tech-shirt, which I also enjoy. The race bag had coupons to local restaurants, always a plus!

On race day, there was no trouble finding parking. There was a lot of it available near the starting line and it was free. At about an hour before the race, there was no line at all for that bathroom (this changed later). The race did start several minutes late.

The race takes you briefly through downtown Lawrence, then onto country roads, a trail, and then residential neighborhoods. At one point, you run into a little tunnel by what I think was a school, which was a little odd. In my opinion, the aid stations were not well organized. There was both water and sports drink available, but I didn't like whatever sports drink was provided (it wasn't Gatorade), and I had to ask for it at more than one stop because the volunteers weren't letting us know which had water and which had sports drink. I also would have like to see one or two more aid stations, but since I carry my own water, it wasn't too big of a deal. The trail portion was an out and back, on a fairly narrow path, which made it difficult to navigate if you wanted to pass or if you wanted to slow down as there wasn't much room with runners going both directions.

There was a good amount of food post race - water, chocolate milk, and even whole bottles of Gatorade (finally, some Gatorade!), as well as some bagels and different snack bars. The medal was a cute sunflower designer, although it is a little on the smaller side compared to the medals of other local races.

Overall, this was a small town race with good scenery, but was disorganized. I would still likely do this race in the future, because it is a part of the Harvest series.

I really enjoyed this race experience. Packet pickup was very easy. I picked up the day before the race at Scheel's, although race-day pickup was also an option. The shirt giveaway was a lightweight hoodie, which is very soft and comfortable. There were pacers available for both the half and full marathon. The race did start about 5 minutes late, but they announced this at the start, so we weren't just wondering what was taking so long and when the race would begin (which happened at my race last weekend). The course begins through an office park before going onto the Indian Creek Trail, which is a nice paved trail. There were aid stations every 2 miles, so there was plenty of aid on the course. Because most of the race is on trail, there weren't many spectators, but there were a few spots where spectators had gathered. There are a few hills, and one hill that seemed to go on forever in my mind, but the trail portion is mostly flat. The finish line festival had great post-race food, including bagels and ramen noodles, as well as a food truck that served a full breakfast for $5. The medal is a little on the smaller side compared to bigger races, but very colorful and fun! Overall, this was a great race that I would definitely run again.

Warning: this race is hilly! But this race is known for its hills. If people have paid attention, they're well aware of the course elevation prior to race day. Train on hills, and you'll be fine. We parked in the River Market and rode the streetcar to the startling line, which made parking incredibly easy. We had zero issues getting parked and to the starting line, or in leaving after the race. Since we didn't park in the lots near the start/finish line, I'm not sure how parking was in that area. This race has a corral start, which is necessary to keep things organized at such a large race. Despite the hills, this course gives you some great views of Kansas City and you get to run through some iconic areas like the Liberty Memorial, Plaza, and Jazz District. There were a lot of spectators and the aid stations were well placed. They offered different flavors of Gatorade at each station, and the variety was appreciated. As usual, the medal for this race was top-notch and the finish line festival is one of the larger festivals I've experienced with live bands, free beer and sandwiches, and entertainment for kids. Everything was well organized. We even had fireworks at the start (it's the little things)!

The Expo was medium sized, which meant that there were still a lot of vendors but it was still really easy to navigate and walk the entire expo in a short amount of time. Packet pick-up was smooth, and the shirt for this race is a hoodie, and I really liked this year's design.

I can't really think of anything negative to say about this race, other than the hills. Unfortunately, I don't think it's possible for them to change the topography of Kansas City.

I traveled from Kansas City to run this race for my first marathon, because the course is much easier (in terms of elevation) than the KC Marathon. I made a very good decision.

The expo was very small, but because this was a small town race, this wasn't unexpected and the vendors that were at the expo had a wide variety of offerings. On race day, it was very easy to find parking and locate the start line. On the course, the aid stations were well placed and there were more medical staff than I would have expected, which was very comforting. I don't think I went over a mile without seeing at least one medical person along the course. The course was very scenic - the New Town portion looks like a post card come to life! The few hills were not terribly steep and not too long (at least not for someone used to running in Kansas City). I was also very impressed with the crowd support. Even on the Katy Trail portion, which I expected to be more isolated, we still encountered a fair amount of crowd support. The crowd didn't dwindle as the race went on either, and as a slower runner (5 hour pace), it was awesome to still have that support along the way. The aid stations were all well-stocked and had plenty of water and Gatorade to go around. A few of them also had Gu, but I didn't take any along the course. One thing I would have like to see is some sort of solid food at a couple of aid stations toward the end of the marathon course.

I know that some runners were upset because there were not enough half marathon medals for all the runners. Since I ran the full marathon, this did not affect me, but I know that I would have been a little upset too if I had gotten to the end and not received a medal. Based on post-race communications, the race organizers are correcting the issue.

Overall, this was a great experience for my first marathon and I would definitely come back and run this race again.

This is small race in order to raise money for student scholarships at Johnson County Community College. The course is around the college's campus, which does have some scenic views. The dance team, mascot, and volunteers are all enthusiastic spectators. The course has a few small hills, but it is mostly flat. The small field makes the course really easy to navigate. The aid station serves water only, but there is plenty of coffee snacks after the race.

Parking is also really easy to navigate, and the campus is shut down from any other traffic during the race. The campus and city police are there to block traffic for the parts of the course that are on the roads adjacent to the campus.

This is a good small, community race that I have ran for the last couple of years.