This is a must do.
The course is remarkably picturesque.
The course is not grueling, but somewhere between undulating and difficult.
This isn't a PR course, but enjoy it for the community support and for the fun of running.
very well marked.
The ONLY. ONLY draw back is the parking.
The entrance / exit to the farm is across the race course (finish line is at the barn and the runners come down onto the farm across the entrance. I wouldn't change the course, but rather see if there is a parking solution with the fire department and using their property at the base of the hill.

The Good: This has to be the best race from a support perspective.
The Bad: its hard

Registration:
The site is really easy to navigate. If you are looking for information or looking to register the blue ridge site is user friendly.
Registration is administered by Active.com which means it has some of your information saved and it makes registration convenient.
The communication from the race directors leading up to the day of the race is great.
not too much and not too little

Expo:
This is a decent sized expo. It was held in the lobby of a hotel and it had a couple of vendors. Foot levelers and Fleet feet were there which makes sense. it gives you the opportunity to grab some last minute race supplies. You're not going to find the depth and breadth of items at a larger big city race, but compared to some other marathons i have run this expo if 'big'.
They lay out everything nicely so you can either breeze through and get your race stuff or take some pre-race photos and shop for some gear.
There are a few additional vendors where the finish line would be, but these are mostly set up for the music fest.

Race:
The elevation definitely messes with your race strategy. You go 13 min/mile up hill and 6 down hill.
The scenery is breathtaking... on Roanoke mountain. The city is...well; the city, but worth it.
The volunteers are fantastic. The community is supportive.

Post Race
The finish line festival rivals that of a rock n roll event.
There are vendors at the finish line.
there is music and beer.
the awards are really cool

I would highly recommend this event to anyone interested in testing their ability and pushing their limits.
While this isn't necessarily a PR course it is something to write home about.

First--This was not a bad race. I would not-not recommend this race IF you're in the area. in full disclosure i only went for this race.

The good
The course is flat and fast. Finish line is good.
The bad
Parking is rough, there is a lot of traffic, its far away.

Communication leading up to the race was good. nothing to fret about.
The swag was pretty standard.

The Expo:
Its pretty low key. There are a few vendors. There's some neat picture stations.
Definitely feels like a local race, which is interesting because it is marketed as this bucket list race and i imagined a bit more fanfare

The Course:
Its flat and fast and mostly scenic. There are a lot of people who peel off to take pictures of the water, mile marker 0, and selfies. It can get monotonous if you allow it, but I think its worth it for the experience because I enjoy looking at the water =)
The course is out and back which means it does double back on itself and you pass runners on your way back. The area can get narrow at times but its not awful. Its nice if you have people you are running with because you can cheer them or high five them as you pass.
Course support is great.
I have to admit the people who come out to volunteer are really supportive. They are wearing scares and gloves--but hey, they are Floridians and are not used to 50 degree weather...

The Finish
The finish is really nice.
As I mentioned you wind through the downtown area and come thought the village which is neat. There is a bit of fanfare at the finish line and really big crowds which was a stark difference from the expo and even the course.
They do a great job of feeding runners, offering photo opportunities,m giving away things and make the finish line feel like the destination / bucket list race.

All in all this wasn't a bad race. like i said, if you're Floridian, or even Georgian - do it.
if you have to travel, make sure there is a vacation planned or something because its a headache to get there just for a race.

This is a must race if you enjoy the race experience.
If you want to run over Bridges, through tunnels, into Canada this race is a must.
The Canada side is much more Rowdy than the American side.
I would say that the bridge is a bit rough because it's a bit of elevation gain the tunnel is interesting definitely must experience best part I think is the island that you run onto because it has some really amazing scenery
The Finish Line Festival is kind of average they have music they have vendors it's a big race so it's super crowded and if you're looking for that memorable end experience maybe not this race to the memorable piece is the scenery and the fact that you can say that you ran to Canada

Pancake flat
Make your PR here.
Cool breezes
A lot of the course is shaded.
It's right off the water so you can hang out on the beach after the race.
About average aid stations but great volunteers.
I loved the boxed lunch they have at the end of the race!
I would recommend this to anyone wanting to pr or qualify for Boston.
the swag is really nice and thete is decent security for a smaller race.
Parking is pretty solid but greet there early because you need to shuttle to the start.