There was nothing easy about this half marathon. Lots of hills, slippery rain the whole time. Add to that, I had a pause in my training due to an injury and this was one of my hardest races in a while...

The aid stations were well placed, although I wore my hydration vest. Overall, the race was well organized, including the Expo and t-shirt/bib pick up.

This year, they offered a third medal for the "Baltimorons" who ran both the 5K and the Half Marathon. The 5K was at 730 and the Half started later at 9:30 to allow for that. Late sleepers will enjoy the 9:30am start time.

Overall, I enjoyed this race, and got my best half marathon time thus far -- despite the rain, puddles, occasional mud and hills! It's February, but it wasn't too cold -- the temperature was perfect.

Packet pick up: Pick up was at the Palmetto Running Company, but it wasn't an actual expo. The store was cool, but no typical running booths, etc. The hoodie is good quality. Those with the promo code also received a backpack cooler.

Parking: There was plenty of parking in the school parking lot which was a short 10-minute walk to the start area. It was raining, but there were covered areas to stand under and a long row of port-o-potties.

Pacers: There were pacers for several different times for the half marathon and full marathon. The only suggestion is that the half and marathon could have had different colors instead of all neon yellow. At the start line, it was confusing to see the same time in the same color. The 3-hour pacer did a great job and helped me beat my best time!

Aid Stations: The Aid stations were stocked without long lines and conveniently placed.

Course Scenery: The parks on both side were nice. The view from the bridge was also nice.

Elevation: There were hills heading to the highway as well as on the bridge (that we ran over in both directions).

I would recommend this race!

Nice, beautiful 5k run not too long after sunrise.
Expo at the Miami Convention Center had a nice variety of vendors. The T-shirts are a great color and super comfy. The aid stations flowed well without slowing everyone down.
The start line also had an adequate amount of port-o-potties and you didn't have to go far away from the start line to use them.
The energy was great among the DJ and the runners.
The medal is beautiful.
The end of race party was at the trendy Nikki Beach location with snacks, and very close walk to the beach/ocean. The lines for snacks did get kind of long as more people completed the 5k and walked over.
Overall a nice experience and I would consider running this again!

Expo: Registration was easy. The lines for the Rock N Roll store went really fast, despite appearing long. The merchandise was well-organized. The rest of the expo booths were good, and I found everything I needed in a decent time.

Start line: It was a long, unexpected walk to the start time. The metered start kept the start line from getting too crowded and we were off!

Music/entertainment: It was good and kept us well-entertained, especially later in the race. I do wish there were more acts along the way.

Photo Opps: Definitely some cool ones along the way, but the best ones had waits/lines.

Water Stations: The second and third stations were backed up and there was a long line at both. The cups weren't even out, nor did they have water or Gatorade poured already. The ones further down seemed to flow better.

Finish line: They had water and spritzer at the finish line, as well as the foil blankets. It was a really long walk through the whole barricaded finish line.

Bathrooms: The lines for the port-o-potty moved pretty quickly at the Start Village. I didn't stop along the way at the others, but there didn't seem to be any lines despite the large number of runners.

Surface: It was a flat race, but the road wasn't well paved in some areas and there were reflective studs in the road that you could trip over if you weren't paying attention.

Overall: I enjoyed this race, and I PR'd! The weather was chilly to start, but was bearable once we got going. I enjoyed the entertainment and the energy of Vegas and those cheering from the sidelines. I would recommend this race!