First year and teams were limited to about 300 running teams (based on 292 finished) and 60 walking teams (56 finished). 6 runners covered 77 miles in one day (each runner ran 2 legs), so only needed one van and no overnight camping. Walkers had teams of 4 to 6 and they covered 52 miles in 8 legs. The start was at Lake Isabella State Park (about 30 min west of Olympia) and the finish was at Seabrook, WA (near Pacific City).

The event ran in a very rural area of Washington so traffic was not heavy, other than in some of the towns. The roads had a narrow shoulder so sometimes (sharp curves), things could've been dicey. However, the volunteers did a great job of controlling intersections and exchange areas! Race management also posted signs all along the route warning drivers of runners on the road and it looked like the signs were posted 1 - 2 days ahead of the event.

We did not have to provide a volunteer or to pay for one, which was really nice. One volunteer told us that race management had gone to the towns along the route and asked businesses to provide volunteers. THEY WERE GREAT!!

Although the course map had "water stations" noted, there were none. I saw only one table that had some cups and a cooler alongside the road in one spot - no one manning it. Our van would stop along the way to provide water for our runner and other teams were doing the saw. That seemed to work fine and probably prevented back-ups or congestion if there had been water stations. The weather was very comfortable, with clouds or partial sunshine until the later legs when the sun was shining. But my last leg (#12) also had lots of shade.
The shortest leg was just over 4 miles and the longest closer to 8.5. The average was about 6 miles. One leg was rated easy, 5 legs were medium, and there were 3 each of hard and very hard. It seems the longer routes were hard or very hard. There were no mountain ranges to cross as with the original HTC, but the inclines could be challenging, depending on your fitness level.
Registration for the even began on December 7 at 12:01 am, by 9am, the event was full! Teams who participated this year were given first chance (until June 11) at registering for the 2018 event. The next registration will begin sometime in December. My team has registered and we're looking forward to another successful event and fun times!
Not much in the way of swag - a nice T-shirt and finisher's medal, a bottle of water at the finish and a free beer at the after-party. Food was available at several food carts at the finish (but at a price - one teammate paid $14 for a burger). Restaurants in Seabrook were also doing a booming business.
Teams were offered a 20% discount on rental houses in Seabrook, but you had to rent for a minimum of 2 days. Friends on another team rented, but then their start time was at 3:15 so they had to drive to the start (77 miles away) around 12:30 am, so they got no sleep on Friday night (even though they tried to go to bed at 9pm). We stayed at a hotel in Olympia, WA and had a 4:45 start and still were up by 3am. Teams started every 15 minutes beginning at 3:00 am and until 6:30 am. Our team had an estimated finish time of about 12 hours and we finished in 11 hours - hopefully next year we'll have a later start time.

This was the second time I have run this event (the first was 3 years ago). They say it is the country's most scenic race, and they are definitely correct. The half marathon starts in Hood River and after about 2 miles, you are on the Mark Hatfield bike/hike trail, which means NO TRAFFIC! The course is out and back and climbs about 600 feet on the way out, but then you get to descend those 600' on the return. It is very challenging, but the views of the Columbia River and the fall foliage are definitely worth it!
Rather than a T-shirt, you get an embroidered stocking cap. But T-shirts and half-zip shirts are available for sale at very reasonable prices ($10 for the T). The finishers' medals are very nice (fall maple leaf) and place winners in each age group win a pint glass with the race logo.
There is also a great taco feed at the finish with beer (of course), water, apple cider, and soup available, and bowls of fruit at each table. With plenty of seating for everyone. Overall, Breakaway Promotions puts on an excellent event!

They claim this is "Colorado's premier half marathon," but I wonder what other ones are like if this is "premier." The course is extremely scenic - at the peak or nearly so of the fall colors in Colorado! The first half (or more) is on gravel roads and it is mostly downhill (~1500' drop); the last half is on paved roads (minimal traffic) and relatively flat. Finish altitude is around 8000' so if you are coming from out-of-state, it is better to arrive a week early to adapt!
I only recommend this for someone looking for a scenic event in Colorado. It is very low-key. T-shirts are nice as is the reusable swag bag. Bag also had some samples of hemp seed and almond butter - interesting change from Luna bars. The finishers' medals are average (looks like a sticker on a standard circular medal). There are only awards for top 3 men and women - no age group awards.
They bus you to the start (school busses) and there are only 3 porta potties at the finish (park restrooms are locked) and another 3-4 at the start - not enough! The "starter" honks his car horn 5 times when there are 5 minutes before the start; then 4 times, then 3, then 2, etc. We never heard the horn as we waited in the porta potty lines (many went to the local trees/bushes, rather than wait) and we were maybe 100 yards away. Due to many people in line, the start was delayed by about 15 minutes (thankfully).
For the bag check, we were told just to put anything we wanted checked in our swag bag and tie the handles together and put the bag on the last bus. But there were no tags/names to put on the bags. If they all looked the same, how could you find yours? And they were just in a pile at the finish. Several people (my niece & I included) used a different bag, so it was easier to find.
There was a nice salad bar and home baked goodies and a bottle of water at the finish.
This event also had a 5K, 10K, and a kids' fun run. The kids had a good time!