I signed up for this race because I wanted something that was one of a kind and something that most people would never think of doing...run a full marathon at the stroke of midnight in Zürich, Switzerland.

Sign up process: Easy, they have English options which really made it easy for me. This race is a little different than most because you have the option to pay extra for the medal or not get one at all. You also have options to pay extra for a race shirt, and a commemorative bottle of champagne. I just went for it all.

Communication: Race coordinators did a great job providing information to the runners via Facebook updates, race website, or email newsletters. Again they provide an English version which really helped.

Event location/bib pickup/bag drop: I took the train from my hotel downtown which took about 10 mins, but then had to walk about a mile to the actual event location from the station. Bib pickup was easy, and they provide a valuables drop off for things like wallets and keys, not bags. There is no official bad drop, you have to either leave it in the main event hall or in one of the dressing/shower/locker rooms. Bags are not monitored, but I was told Switzerland has a very low crime rate and that I shouldn't worry about leaving my bag unattended. The location opened at 7pm and provided the option to buy food there. They had spaghetti, hot dogs and sandwiches, as well as cakes/desserts.

Race: All runners (5k, 10k, half, and full) line up in the sports hall they do the New Years countdown, and once it hits midnight the race gun goes off and your off!! Headlamp is highly recommended!!! Trail is barely lit so if you don't have a headlamp you'll be running in the dark. It's a series of 4 laps around a river. It was a fun experience the first two laps because there were plenty of runners along the trail...but once the 5k, 10k, and half people were gone...it became super dark and lonely out on the trails. There weren't too many full marathoners so the spacing between runners the last two laps made you feel like you were running completely alone. And it was cold....cold and alone on New Years....so sad hahaha

Aid stations: Located every 5km. This didn't bother me much. I found it a good way to pace myself for hydrating and taking my GU at the end of each lap. They provide warm water and ISO drinks (electrolyte drinks)... so be ready for a very warm drink! Bananas and granola bars were available at each station.

Overall: Finished under the time cutoff of 5 hours. Think if they up that to maybe 6 they could get more casual runners to join. Medal is super small and light. A 5 franc piece (quarter dollar) is bigger than the medal if you need a reference. So if you're a bling chaser this race probably isn't for you. It was fun to do this once but I'll never do it again. The lack of scenery, and people on the course take the fun out of it. One great thing is the race pictures. They do a great job with set up of the stations along the course and they are high quality images if you buy them.

Should you travel all the way to Zürich to do this on New Years? No. But if you're already in the region, go for it!! I'm live in Germany so getting there was cheap, but couldn't imagine shelling out too much money to come just for this event.

Simply put....First Class event from start to finish!

Expo: Decent size, but not as big as others I've been to. After bib pick up you had to walk thru the expo hall to get your race shirt. Good way to make you look at all the vendors.

Swag/Race Shirt: This is the only area I wasn't super impressed with. The swag bag was just a drawstring bag which was decent, but the shirt design was hideous. It said "don't run, fly".....but....I came here to run hahaha.... But the shirt designs in the Asics area were really nice so I bought myself a couple of those (long/Short sleeve).

Pre-Race: Great location for the race start. Plenty of room for people to get warm ups in or just have time/space to themselves before getting into the corrals. Bag drop was easy and smooth. Think there were only 4 or 5 corrals, so you won't have to wait too long to start once it does begin. Corrals were easily marked and easy to access. Looked like there were plenty of portapotties spread out in the start area.

Race/Course: Whoever designed this course was awesome. You really get a feel for all Barcelona has to offer. If you fly in, and only run this race, you will see all the main sights in the city, and have a great time doing it. The first part of the race is uphill, but nothing too dramatic that you should worry about. They post the race elevation profile to the webpage. Crowd support was amazing!! I was alone on this trip, but still felt like the crowd was cheering for me and supporting me. People would be very enthusiastic and call out your name (name on bib) and look you in the eye as if you were family and they were cheering you on. And once you get past the first few miles, you see plenty of portapotty stops if you need them. Like I mentioned, you run by all main sights so don't forget to look up! At one point I turned and noticed I was running in front of the Sagrada Familia, next thing you know you're running by the beach, and then running under the Arc de Triumph was awesome.

Aid stations: BEST AID STATIONS EVER!!!! They would hand out water bottles and powerade bottles. It was warm so this really made all the difference to me. I would grab a water bottle with a top and run with that, then switch out a few aid stations later. Did the same with the Powerade bottles, grab one with a cap. A lot of the aid stations had bananas and oranges, oh and nuts as well if you needed them.

Finish area/Race Medal: Best feeling was turning that corner and seeing the straight away. Plenty of spectators cheering you on and the sight of the stunning Art Museum up on the hill really reminded you that you were in this beautiful city of Barcelona. Race Medal was one sided but the design again captured the essence of what Barcelona is. Colorful and artistic, with all the main sights of the city incorporated in the medal.

Overall: First class event, and a must do race! If you travel to do this race, you will not be disappointed! I just might do this one again next year!

Expectation: Billed as a big party down in New Orleans with great bands throughout the race

Reality: Boring run, with very few bands and on top of that they were playing slow music at the worst times, no real scenery at all, and you can't even really tell you're in New Orleans other than the humidity.

Expo: The convention center is huge!!! So, if you come in the northern most point, expect to walk a mile to get to where they had the packet pickup/expo. Big size expo but that can be expected with a RocknRoll event.

Shirt: Disappointing (bad) design, but it was a brooks shirt so good quality material.

Race: First half of the race had bad roads. Saw a couple of people trip and one poor girl fall down hard because of a pot hole. The only part of the route I liked was when we ran by Jackson Square, because you could tell you were actually in New Orleans!! Crowds were pretty much nonexistent for most of the race.

Highlights: People giving out mimosas, martinis, beer, and King cake hahaha that was a nice touch
Big Shoutout to the aid station at mile 14! best pick me up ever, M&Ms, cookies, oranges, bananas, my god, perfect timing for a stop like that. Without them, the second half of the race would have been horrible!

Cons: Very few bands. Seemed like every time I passed one they weren't playing music or they were playing slow music. At mile 22 and I think 24, both bands were playing the slowest most depressing music. At that point of the race you already feel like death, last thing you want is for the music to want to make you end it all.

Finish: You see maybe 2-3 photographers the whole race. Then you see 10 the last half mile and at the finish! Great post race atmosphere! plenty of food trucks and nice big area to spread out and relax after 26.2.

Main reason I will never do this race again was because I didn't feel like it lived up to what New Orleans is. A fun party city with great live jazz/cajun music, and plenty of energy. This race had none of that feeling. I don't know how big of a logistical nightmare it would be, but if I got to run through the french quarter with people cheering us on as we ran through there....NOW THAT would be worth coming back for. But don't expect that.

Medal was a decent size and weight, but design was underwhelming as well. Just a square boombox in mardi gras colors.

Don't mean to be a debbie downer, but for the price tag, and location. It doesn't live up to what the advertisements show, and what you expect for New Orleans.

Highly recommended! Cute race with heart and personality. Can't beat the value!

Expo/Packet Pickup: Since this is a smaller race (# of people racing), there wasn't an expo but an interesting packet pick up location at Alamo Beer Brewery. Never been there but, was a cute venue to pick up your packet and grab a small bite at the food truck and get a beer with friends/family.

TShirt/Swag: Great Tech Shirt with a nice design. Each race distance had its own color shirt which was cool, and they gave us a sling backpack with the Missions Half Logo on the front of it.

Race Day: Only negative here was it seemed like they might have needed a couple of extra portapotties. But the start was set up in front of one of the missions so it had a nice backdrop. Since it is a smaller race, all 5k/10k and half racers start at the same time. Minus having to pick through all the walkers (no corrals) at the beginning it wasn't a bad start. A mile or two in is when you get one of the coolest experiences I've ever had in a race. You run up to a mission and the mission has its bells ringing, people are throwing rose pedals at you as you run by the famed "rose window", and actual friars are there to high five you as you pass through. Managed to get a selfie with one as well (score!). And the race has plenty of aid stations to keep you hydrated, about every mile to 1.5 miles there is a station with water and gatorade. They water down the gatorade perfectly by the way. All the aid station personnel were friendly/energetic and extremely helpful. Course was great with small rolling hills. Nothing challenging about it, which is good if it's warm out!

Crowds/Scenery: No real crowds along the course but that is not what this race is about. It really is a great run through the missions and along the park trails. Very peaceful and serene while running along the san antonio river.

Finish/Medal: Finish is back at the starting area (in front of a mission). And the medal was fantastic! High quality, nice size, and the art work was almost like a sculpted work of art. It might be my favorite looking medal so far (of 25 half/full marathons). Also, the post race food was amazing!!!! You got a bowl of fruit (oranges, banana, and grapes), and a cup of rice, chicken, and beans are given as well and it was very delicious!

Again, I highly recommend this race. Even the 5k/10k racers get their own version of a "medal" but theirs are made out of word with a different design. I can't put my finger on exactly what makes this race so special, but to me it really has its own personality. Hope I'm back home in San Antonio next time this race is going on.