This is one of the better half marathons I have run, and if it were local to me I would run it yearly. I'll start my review with packet pick-up. Conveniently, bib pickup was right at the race start location, so out-of-towners can get the lay of the land, figure out where they will park on race morning, etc. This takes a lot of the anxiety out of race morning. There isn't much of an "expo"--really just a handful of vendors selling the typical race gear. I paid for the "VIP package" mostly to get more convenient race day parking, but there was a separate section for VIP bib pickup. I was in and out in less than a half hour, even after taking some time to browse the vendors.

Race morning was similarly easy. The organizers were very clear that getting to the starting area and finding parking might be time consuming, so we left some extra time. The VIP parking is convenient to the start/finish line, but that does mean dealing with quite a bit of traffic. Still, it was nice to know I had a reserved parking space and have one less worry. I didn't take advantage of the free locker included in my VIP package because my husband went along as a spectator, but if I had been solo I would have been very glad of a place to stash my bag. One person in my corral was lamenting that bag check would not take her backpack (they only accept gear that can fit in a gallon-size plastic bag) and she was going to have to wear it for the entire race.

There are two starting waves, with different colored bibs, however I did not notice much enforcement of the corrals. It's a small enough race, though, that corral jumpers probably don't cause much of a problem. The race provided pacers for 10 minute intervals up to 2:30. Pacers try to keep an even pace for the entire race, which is a bit problematic with the two sizable hills on the course. I was shooting for sub-2:20, running "even effort with a conservative start", and I lost the 2:20 pacer on the first hill only to surpass her around mile 8.

About those hills--they are a bit scary when you look at the elevation profile for the race, but they really aren't bad at all if you make an effort to run hills occasionally during training. The rest of the race is pretty flat.

Aid stations were well-manned and easy to navigate through. The back half of the race is mostly in full sun, so it can get warm, but there were volunteers handing out cold, wet towels starting around mile 7. Each aid station has both water and Gatorade. I didn't notice any gels/fuel, but I carry my own so I wasn't specifically looking for it.

Crowding on the course wasn't much of an issue. The few miles around the Back Bay are on a dirt path, and that's a bit narrow, but most people tried to keep to the right and allow passing on the left. There were not many walkers or run/walkers in the mid-pack, so that helped keep things moving nicely.

Post-race was one of the better after parties I've experienced. Everyone is handed a medal and bottle of water immediately, with the remaining refreshments a short walk away. This helps get people moving out of the finish line area quickly. Each runner receives 2 beers and a slice of pizza. There were also bananas, cookies, pretzels, and frozen yogurt bars for the taking. The organizers brought in several local food trucks to provide additional refreshments for spectators and runners. I didn't get a chance to try any out, but everything looked delicious.

If I could change one thing about this race weekend, I would opt to pay a little more and stay in one of the hotels in the Old Port. We stayed at a hotel offering a race discount (Fairfield Inn) but it was about a 15-20 minute drive away. It would have been much more convenient to be right downtown, but I suppose those hotels have no trouble filling rooms this time of year and won't offer a discount.