I have run this race twice, the first year as part of the heartland 30k series and the second time as a pacer.

This race is in the middle of nowhere, so you really are running along a country road along cow fields. It seems like ever year there is a rain issue that impact the parking situation. There are fields behind the school that can be used, unless the grounds are too wet. If they are, then they have you park all over the country roads and use school buses to pick you up. They are really good about communicating what to expect before the race, through emails and social media. It shouldn't be a surprise on race day. If they use the busing system give yourself plenty of time to get there.

You an choose packet pick up before the race, but it seems like a good amount of runners choose race day packet pick up. This is inside the school, along with the bag drop. The process is fairly quick and smooth. Many runners linger around the main entrance of the school waiting for the start.

The race itself is along the country roads and mostly looking at fields. Personally, I was kind of bored. The course has some gentle rolling hills, none that stood out. They did change the course this year. Same basic course but we ran the opposite direction.

Runners receive a finishers medal and a cow bell. Since this is the last race of the heartland series, there is also a place to pick up your heartland finishers medal.

The main event for this race is the food after. It seems like the entire town has cooked for this race. You will get every after race food option imaginable. You will be able to recoup all those burned calories in no time.

This was the inagural year for the independence half marathon. The course had last minute changes along the way, as the race directors and police were working on race management issues.

The race starts in the parking lot by little blue trace trail. The race directors sent out parking information, to help runners not park where they would be trapped in once roads were closed, but some people didn't pay attention and found themselves stuck waiting for runners to complete the course. There is plenty of parking on the opposite side of the street and a few hundred feet away from the start finish area.

Adequate amount of porta-potties, for a small race. The half marathon started before the 5k, so that helped stagger some of the rush.

The race starts in a parking lot, and goes out to Jackson Drive . At 39th street you go up and down an little hill, its very clear this part was added just for the distance. YOu complete this hill twice. Then you turn onto selsa by Boost fitness and its a pretty boring course from here. There are about 3 more of those little out backs that were added to add some distance to the course. If you are looking to PR, this course is about as flat as you will find in KC area. The view is boring and there are practically no spectators along the way. Hopefully as the race goes, this will be improved. Overall the race management company did a fine job with all of the logistics and the last minute scramble to reroute the race. This was out of the organizers control and they did a great job of communicating with runners.

The medals are absolutely HUGE, bigger than my head. I would venture to say borderline obnoxious, but runners really love their bling.

Smaller race, and not quite as competitive this year. Hopefully, this race will continue to grow and be successful.

This is my favorite half marathon in KC, by far. This was my second time running RTP.

Expo- Well organized, packet pick up and t shirts. A good variety of local races offering discount race entries. A handful of local stores set up shops with discount shoes and apparel. I got an amazing deal on shoes from the KC running company booth. There is no race day packet pick up. So you need to plan for that, if coming from out of town.

Start- There are a couple of lots close to the race, but the fill up quickly. I recommend getting there early. There were two long lines of port potties a street away from the start line. Which is pretty much where the back of the starting corrals began. Plenty of porta-potties, of course you can still get caught in the last minute rush if you don't go early. They had a live band playing at the starting line. Added some fun to the atmosphere. The start of the race itself was a pulse start this year. On our bib is your corral position. This is mostly used as a guideline or honors system and people seem to do a pretty good job of following the guidelines or adjusting accordingly.

Course- The first three miles is a net down hill. I started in corral AA so i can't comment on how crowded things were. Lots of shuffling around the first mile. I like the large amount of local competition this race draws. The middle of the race goes through some beautiful neighborhoods and has some rolling hills. Before I ran this race, the first time, I was told how flat it was. While it doesn't have tons of crazy hills, it definitely has some gently rolling hills through the middle. After mile 10, you have a net downhill to the finish which is really great for chasing a PR. If you like to chase negative splits, this is an excellent. There are plenty of water stations along the course, and they are heavily manned. At the aid station around mile 8, the have GU about 100m before the water/Gatorade station.

Prize- Everyone gets a HUGE heavy medal. The medals the last two years have been really pretty. A great representation of KC. Cash prizes for overall winner-5th place, and master awards. The age group prizes are small glass-like plaque.