I work in downtown Cincinnati along the last mile of the HM/M course and have run the HM three times and the 10k twice, so I had an idea of what to expect. I registered for the marathon while picking up my 2017 HM and Little King's Mile race packets knowing that it was the 20th running, but not knowing about the jacket.

Packet Pickup and the expo is held in the convention center. It seems to be busiest when I went (lunchtime on Friday), and the crowds were thick. I cannot comment on parking because I walked across downtown from my office. Packet pickup is a two-step process where you get your number and clear bag (used for the bag drop) when you enter and your shirt/premium gift/poster at the end before exiting the expo. This arrangement works nicely, since you're not carrying around the big stuff through the entire crowded expo. As an added bonus, the envelope includes a checklist on the back of the items to pickup at the expo. First time marathon runners were able to get an extra shirt from Buckeye Running Co, which was not the nicest-looking shirt (it's just white with a pink Buckeye Running Logo), but I've worn it several times since then because it does it's primary function well. The other finisher's items included a black shirt (it looks nice, but I'm a morning runner and it's short sleeve, I'm not sure I'll ever wear it running :-( ), a picnic blanket (points for originality, although I've never used mine... but I wish I had it in my checked bag for use after the race), and a poster... The lone missing item for first-time marathon runners was a 26.2 magnet.

On race day, the course start and end changed from prior years, but it is no big deal. During the lineup, corrals A and B are monitored for entry, which is NICE! It seems like several of us were staying at the back of corral B to try and finish around 3:45... and we were less than 10 feet behind where the 3:40 pacer was standing. After some short remarks and singing of the National Anthem, we were off with much fanfare (the towering flamethrower over the starting line is really cool!).

The race begins no the Cincinnati side of the Ohio River and proceeds east then south into Kentucky for a loop before returning to the Cincinnati side and heading across the Cincinnati CBD. After crossing the CBD, the race heads up a very long (2+ mile) hill, and then the half and full splits. The full marathon continues east for quite some time until it loops back west to finish along the Ohio River. Aid stations are located every mile throughout the race and all are stocked with water and Gatorade Endurance. Throughout the entire portion where the half and full share the course, the crowd support is nothing short of amazing. Beyond the split in the full, crowd support dwindles down in some areas (mostly in the residential areas), until you get back into downtown, although notable exceptions exist in Hyde Park, Mariemont, Fairfax, and Columbia-Tusculum. Later in the full marathon, some of the aid stations are stocked with other items (2-3 places with Gu and 2-3 places with bananas, cold towels, and some with ice). The entire course is monitored by cyclists, police, and ham radio operators and the entire course is closed to traffic.

The finish line area is fenced off and unfortunately in the sun. Finishers are provided with a medal, water, a bag of snacks, a slice of pizza, a beer, a jacket (full marathon finisher's only) and a wine cooler (first time marathon finishers only?). The afterparty area is in the full sun and is low on seating, although there's plenty of space to spread out and shade can be found (I went and laid on grass in the shade). Baggage busses are convenient to the finish line.

It does seem like something happened with the photographers. I was photographed once, in the finish line area, where I was about to fall into the person handing me the medal... this is despite being visible for the prior 26.2 miles. However, past experience is that the pics are only okay and are very expensive, so this isn't an issue to me (although a great pic of my first full marathon would have been nice).

Overall, this race is run like a well-oiled machine. I would run it again.

This race is a 5k loop through the streets of Cincinnati.

Pre-Race: The race website includes all important aspects of the race - the course map (although with no elevation), parking locations, and most details. Those that follow the race on Facebook and those that register in advance (you HAVE to, the race sells out) are provided packet pickup instructions in the Facebook event and via email. They are active on Facebook and mostly active on Twitter (and maybe Instagram too, I don't use Instagram). Packet pickup is available on the Friday before the race near Downtown Cincinnati during lunch (11a - 1p) and early evening (4p - 7p), and arrangements can be made to pick up packets for other runners with a copy of their ID.

Race Day: parking is only available off-site, and shuttle busses are provided from at least two lots. Since the early-March weather in Cincinnati is a crap shoot, Bockfest Hall is open for runners to hang out (and packet pickup is available in Bockfest Hall), and it is very close to the start/finish line. Bag check is available very close to the start/finish line as well. Port-o-lets are available, however, there was nowhere near a sufficient number of them, as the line at 25 minutes before race start was extremely long. Starting ceremonies included recognition of "Brew Hogs" (runners that have run all three Beer Series races for all of the five years of the series' existence), presentation of the flag and the national anthem.

The Race: a 5k loop starting and ending in the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood. The race course is entirely closed to traffic and monitored by police at most intersections. The course begins with a substantial hill, then a loooooong downhill before making a loop and proceeding at a slight uphill back to the start line. One official aid station is provided just prior to the 2 mile mark. Several bands and musicians provide entertainment along the course. The race is chip-timed with disposable chips on the race bib. Upon finishing, a nice medal (that doubles as a bottle opener), water, bananas, and space blankets are provided (and at this point, there are shorter lines to the port-o-lets too!). Outside of Over-The-Rhine, the scenery is limited to Jack Casino, several parking lots, and the Hamilton County Justice Center (jail)... so the best thing to do is PR so you can get to beer faster!

Post Race: the race bib includes two free beers and one cheese coney. Beer selection is very good with several Bock beers on tap, a pilsner, and many others, and cans of an American Lager and American Light Lager (Hudepohl Pure Lager and Hudy Delight) are available as well. The band, Just Add Beer covers many popular rock songs, and some food (pretzels, waffles, cookies, possibly more) is available for purchase at reasonable prices. Times are available fairly quickly and are usually accurate (although my official time was ~10 sec. slower than my watch this year, which is odd since normally my watch is 1-2 sec longer than the official time).

Overall: I've run this race every year it's existed, and probably will again next year. The lack of scenery doesn't bother me (it's a 5k!) and there are very few hiccups or issues over this and the last 5 years of Beer Series races.