I ran this race as a BibRave Pro.
The expo was easy to find, at the University of New England, which was also the start and finish. They had a large booth that sold race essentials, a medal rack booth, and a few other small booths.
We got our bibs easily, and there were free race specific car stickers with the distances on them which was nice.
Now I don't know how I missed this when I registered but you don't get a shirt with your registration, it was $12 extra. They only had a few extras for purchase, all S or XXL, of which I am neither, so no shirt for me.
Race morning we had no problem parking, and there were tons of potties with almost no wait. They started on time and each wave went off with the sound of a conch which was so cool.

The course was open to traffic and on more than one occasion I was afraid for my life. It was insane. Only small parts were blocked off with cones for us and there was little to no shoulder on the other roads. Cars were speeding by and honking angrily at us.
The course was gorgeous. The first 2 miles were between the college and the ocean, and then we got to run along it for a bit, then into some neighborhoods with Beautiful houses and marshes. Back to the ocean again, with some amazing views. I stopped alot to take pics, I'm not gonna lie. Miles 6 through 11 were pretty much all along the ocean with some twists and turns and plenty of hills, pretty much throughout the whole course, which cracked me up because someone said before the race that it was mostly flat. It's not. The last two miles brought you back to the finish.
Course support was spot on, one station even had a Survivor theme, and they announced your name when you crossed the finish. The medal is gorgeous.
Food choices were mini bagels, slightly stale, watermelon, bananas, oreos, and yogurt. Water was given to us in reusable race bottles and they had tanks to refill them near the food tent. They had beer at the beer garden as well.
If I didn't live so far away I might consider this race again.

Expo.... really more of a packet pick up. it was held at a running store, and they have racers 20% off. We got a tee, bib, rubber bracelet, a bunch of Charlotte Hornet swag, and a sling bag.
Parking was at a nearby high school with busses running to the park. it was super speedy, I didn't wait in either direction, although the line to catch the bus was long when I was dropped off at the end. There was a Spartan Kids thing going on all day and the people waiting were definitely future Spartans.
The race had plenty of potties, no line, sweet smelling. The race started on time, after the anthem and a speech by Jimmie Johnson.
The course started and ended on dirt road but most of it was single track trail paths with roots and rocks and hills. everything a trail race should be.
It was super well marked and the water stations and most turns were manned by awesome and enthusiastic volunteers.
It was one of the most enjoyable races I've been to in awhile. I'll definitely be going back.
AG prizes were Jimmie Johnson caps and cool wraps.

I registered for this race as a team member so I don't know anything about packet pick up, my team captain picked them all up for us.
I switched from the 5k to the 8k the week of the race with no problem, the RD was super helpful and polite.
Parking on race morning was easy and plentiful and they had a lot of businesses with tables set up. Music was playing and they had very organized team areas so you could meet up for a group photo. The bag came with your bib and tee, plus lots of locals coupons and an ice pack, the kind with the little beads inside.
The race started on time after a prayer and the anthem. I love living in the south!
The course was like a maze, but a very organized maze. We started before the 5k, which started about 15 minutes after. We shared the course, but the 8k did an extra loop. Volunteers were very good at keeping everyone going the right way. There was water at mile 2 and 4, and the cups were super full which was nice.
At the finish you were given your bling, then you passed tables full of bagels, granola bars, cheese crackers, and finally water. The water should have been first, but that's my only minor complaint. There was also Gatorade and plenty to be had!
There was a little chaos with the awards, but our team won largest team and fastest team!
It was a fun race, definitely one to do again, especially since I scored a 5 minute PR!

I ran this race as a BibRave Pro, it was my 2nd year running it.
The hubs dropped me off at the expo, and managed to find $5 parking a few blocks away.
The expo was well run. I got my bib and tee quickly, and made my way into the main expo. The Brooks area was a little different this year, no more Run happy Island which made me sad.
Toyota had an amazing setup this year. we got to personalize our race shirt with a little circle that said "I run for", choose colors for a tie dye headband, and they had a foot race game as well.
There were lots of other vendors as well, and it took awhile to see them all. I paid for parking at the start so I picked the pass up for that, again with no line. It had sold out so I was glad I paid in advance!
They also had weather advisory signs everywhere, warning us about the heat.
The next morning we headed to the Nissan Stadium to park and walk to the start. Traffic was a little rough when we got close, but we had time to park and walk over with no hurry.
They were starting the race early due to heat, which was a very smart move. There was plenty of communication prior to the race and at the expo to let people know.
A local church was allowing runners to use their bathrooms and it was nice to stand in the air conditioning while we waited. After we left, I grabbed a water bottle to carry with me. I had one for each hand plus my Nathan bottles and a Dr cool towel to keep me cool.
I walked the two blocks to the start and lined up. Just this little walk had me sweating. uh oh.
The race started on time and the waves were very organized. In addition to well manned water stops, there were sprinklers and people with ice. I have no idea about potties although I'm sure they were there. no matter how much I drank I didn't have to pee until hours after the race.
Medical presence was on point and i saw more than a few people being treated. At one point around mile 8 or so, they gave out sponges, although I had my Dr Cool so I didn't take one.
The finish line was well manned with medical personnel. I got my medal, water, finisher pic, chocolate milk, bagels and pretzels. I think they had bananas too. I just wanted to go to my car! luckily it was close by. Best $15 ever spent.
I know that 30 minutes after I finished they started pulling people from the course who were behind a certain mileage, because it was in the 80s with a real feel in the 90s.
I would run this race again if they changed the date, but I think late April is just too hot for me!