Overall:
If you're training for a marathon, this is a great race to sign up for if you're doing the 18.12 mile distance.

T-Shirts/Swag:
The registration included a long-sleeved T-shirt. The smallest they had was a Ladies Small, which was still too big for me. So I wish there were some XSs available.

Aid Stations:
Adequate number of aid stations on the course with water, Gatorade, Popsicles, and one in which they were handing out sliced oranges!

Course Scenery:
The scenery is mostly through farmland, so you see some lush green fields, some with cows and horses. The beginning and end of the course is in front of Lake Ontario.

Expo Quality:
There is no expo, but during packet pickup and during the race and afterward there was a vendor tent with typical running items - shoes, gels, waist packs, etc.

Elevation:
This wasn't a challenging race in terms of elevation. Much of it is flat, intermixed with small inclines and declines.

Parking:
Adequate, assuming you got there early enough. The volunteers did a great job of directing parking so there wasn't overflow anywhere.

Race Management:
I appreciated the email a few days prior to packet pickup outlining where it was, what was needed (your ID and a signed waiver we could access from the website). The packet pickup was easy enough. The organization did a good job of preparing items - start/finish line, port-a-potties, etc. As it got closer to race time, I was a bit concerned there weren't any announcements. There was an announcer, but I wish she had made it clear where to line up. All of us had to re-line on the other side of the start/finish line, which was confusing for a bit. There were 23 states represented, and I wish I knew what other states people had come from. While the announcer was OK, I wish she was a bit more polished. Nevertheless, after I got done, I got my results quite quickly and there was food available. I wish they had more food out though. There were boxes of food available, but they weren't opened yet until I asked a volunteer if there were chips left. In any case, the weather was perfect and the volunteers along the route were encouraging and cheerful.

Given the distance, I would definitely consider doing this race again.

T-shirts/Swag:
Packet pickup was only the bib. When I got mine I later realized it didn't have my name on it. Not sure if I accidentally typed something else in the "Name" field, but my bib simply said "Yes". This is what also came through on the registration confirmation - I just didn't bother to check it beforehand. Nevertheless, bibs had your first name on them (or whatever you ended up inadvertently typing in), and that was cool. The packet pickup was only the bib and no shirt. I did see a few people wearing shirts during the race, so I wondered if they were volunteers who were running the event. I did pick up my shirt after the race - there was a booth for this - but they ran out of my shirt size even though I had an attachment on my bib signifying the size (something they ask on the registration form). I was a bit disappointed about that, especially since I came from out of state for this race. I would like the management to consider offering mailing shirts to participants who weren't able to get the size they ordered.

Aid Stations:
There were an adequate number of aid stations and volunteers, so that was nice. The options were water or Nuun, which I use so I was comfortable with that even though I had a bottle on me.

Course Scenery: Excellent!!!

Elevation:
This course starts at 8,000+ feet and drops to 7,000+ feet. I was in the area for a couple of days to acclimate to the elevation, which is something I would recommend if you're not used to running at high altitudes.

Parking/Start Line/Management:
The volunteer at packet pickup encouraged me to come early to park. There were buses leaving from Idaho Springs to take participants to the start line to Georgetown. I'm glad I listened because I was able to get a good parking spot (meaning 5:30 a.m.), and get on the first bus. The bus ride is about 20 min. The downside is waiting. There were plenty of porta-potties near the start, and the scene was beautiful - right in front of Georgetown Lake. I wish there was a table of water. I had water on me but my intention was to use it for the race. Other races I've been to had volunteers giving out cups of water beforehand. Because I was there so early (the race started at 8 a.m.), I had plenty of time to stretch but also wished the race started at 7:30 a.m. just so we could get going. There was gear check, but that wasn't announced and there was nothing about it in the emails. One assumes gear check is available at a half-marathon but I didn't see it until much later.

Race:
The race is very scenic, and coming from Iowa running among mountains is quite a spectacular experience. The course runs along Clear Creek. There were some construction cones on the route, but the race did a good job of informing us of this in advance and to watch out for them. Even though the course is downhill, they are steep and intermixed with some small uphills.

Post-Race:
The finish was in Idaho Springs and adjacent to a sports field where we could get food, medals, and times. I liked this but wish there was signage closer to the front signifying where these things were so I didn't have to look for them. The race did provide an option to purchase lunch, which I did. The food looked good (healthy vegan salad) but I just wasn't able to eat much of it perhaps because I really wanted something more caloric. The medal is cool. I didn't bother to look at who the other vendors were, but I think if I knew that info ahead of time in an email I would've taken the time to visit them.

Overall:
This was a beautiful course. Even though it was downhill, it was at a high altitude and there were steep downhills, which made for a challenging and enjoyable run.

There are a few other race distances aside from the 5K and half involved in this race. I signed up for the Mega Challenge, which is the 5K followed immediately by the half. I PR'd my half so I was super thrilled about it. It also rained consistently on race day. The course itself isn't super exciting. There's some grudgy parts of Indy. However, the highlight of the course is going around the Indy 500 track, which is pretty special. The expo before the event was really cool as well because I got to meet and get my bib signed by Olympic marathon Gold Medalist Frank Shorter. Plus the expo has this gigantic wall of all the participants (up to a certain date), and it's cool to find you name on this wall. Overall, great experience and excellent crew of volunteers for this race.

As a Midwesterner, I spent much of the winter in a Polar Vortex. So there was a lot of training indoors leading up to this race. When you're not used to running in 70 to 80-degree temps first thing in the morning, it can be a shock to your system. This was a local race that snaked through Miami Beach. I loved that we were running on bridges in which traffic was flowing and the elevation proved to be a great challenge. I appreciated there being an adequate number of aid stations. As an outsider, though, I would recommend bringing your own nutrition. There was nutrition at the aid stations but it wasn't stuff I was used to so I was reluctant to pick it up. The race organizers were upfront about not having medals ready - a shipping error - but they made up for it by providing a temporary medal. I think this was a unique situation the race handled well.

A couple things I didn't like:
1. After crossing the finish line and going through the food area where I picked up one thing I was told I couldn't go back to get more food (which didn't have other people on it). I understood the desire to manage traffic flow, but I think exceptions should be made or the food area relocated to a different area.
2. I asked a volunteer what my time was but she couldn't tell me if that was my chip time or gun time.

One surprise element of the race I did appreciate was the race sending me a video of my finish in which the announcer called out my name and city. That was a sweet post-race gift that I've never gotten before. Overall, a good physical challenge for me and a race worth considering, especially if you're from out of state.

Perfect race for January, especially when you're coming in from a miserable Midwest winter. I enjoyed the course, the music along the route, and the scenery. This was my first time in Arizona, so it was a great way to see a bit of the state. Mile 9 on this course was the hardest part, but also the most scenic.