I've run this race three or four years now and it's become our Thanksgiving tradition. A nice, low maintenance race day on a flat, 4 mile course through downtown Savannah. You run through some local neighborhoods, so nothing too exciting in terms of scenery (though the houses in downtown Savannah can be pretty beautiful). Expect to see lots of jogging strollers, walkers, and some neighbors out cheering. The long sleeve shirt that they give out is nice quality, though not a 'tech' shirt. They also give out frito pie (fritos, chili, cheese) fixin's at the end and they have pastries in bulk that you can take home for your Thanksgiving meals. I've never gone to a pre-event day expo... I just walk up the morning of the race and pick up my bib on-site. Also, parking is limited within the park but there's lots of neighborhood street parking all around it. Just be aware of road closures for the race itself.

I was excited to cross this race off of my bucket list and overall, it lived up to its expectations. I arrived from the East Coast on Saturday morning and headed straight to the Expo. The parking was a bit of a mess but they redeemed themselves by the fact that it was free. Bib pickup was easy and my running buddy was also (somewhat easily) able to change to be in the same corral as me. They organized the corrals into colors with a dozen or so corrals in each one. I didn't realize just how massive this race was until that point.

Expo:
Lots of vendors with a ton of variety in products. A couple of energy providers (Honey Stinger, woot woot!), and some other fun freebies. I liked the variety of quality brands, especially as some offered Expo discounts. If you forgot something, you could likely find it here. Would have loved to see more reflective or light up items given the location and the only beef I had was a super aggressive security guard when we were leaving the bib pick-up area.

Race Swag:
Just the standard RnR shirt but I liked the design for this one (I've done quite a few RnR races and the designs and colors can be hit or miss). A couple of coupons in the bag but nothing else really exciting. I guess the pre-race 'concert' could be considered part of the swag but more on that with race day logistics.

Race Day:
This was the first time I had done an evening race so planning for that was foreign. I definitely could have made better decisions for lunch because my stomach was not happy with me 10 miles in. We stayed off the strip with family and knew driving to the runner drop off would have some traffic. We did not expect an hour of traffic. Getting anywhere near the Hard Rock was a joke so we eventually jumped out of the car and ran to the race festival. We heard Capital Cities just as they played their hit, Safe and Sound which was enough for me. I had worn the wristband from the bib pick-up but it fell off multiple times as we were heading in, and I saw a ton of them littered on the street during the race. They might want to reconsider the company they used for that one. I've had plenty of festival bracelets and never had that problem before. Thankfully I didn't seem to need it as we missed the festival due to the traffic. We arrived just in time to be funneled into the blue corral. It was tight trying to squeeze into our actual corral number, but from what it sounds like from other reviewers, this was a new way of operating compared to last year. It makes sense for security purposes but could probably have been planned out a little better so people could get to their spot in time.

Race:
The first 3 miles of the race were the most uneventful. You ran out to the Welcome to Las Vegas sign and there was little activity, music or much of anything else. Around mile 2 you turn around and make your way back to the strip. That was a relief because at mile 4 you finally had music and spectators which made the race so much more entertaining. I had a great time from that point on; just from people watching and enjoying the sites on the strip. The course itself was super flat and I felt that the water/gatorade was just the right frequency. In fact, it was on the heavy side where I was surprised at the amount. But I didn't mind that at all given the dry weather. The only thing that would have been nice was more porta-potties. They had one, maybe two max every few miles and they had LONG lines. I was surprised by how unprepared they were for that and at some point during the latter half, I didn't see any. I don't usually look for them on the course but the lines themselves made them very noticeable whenever you passed one.

I went in a little disappointed that there wouldn't be as many road markers or inflatables (as communicated in an email earlier in the day) due to anticipated wind. I love that part of the RnR experience as few races really take it to the extreme like they do. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount that I did, especially because it turned out to be a perfect evening with very little wind. The music stations and performances were also perfectly spaced after you got through the first few miles.

Post-Race:
Chocolate milk has become one of my favorite post-race treats so I was excited that they were there. Aside from that I was a little disappointed by the pretzels and Pringles. That and Quaker bars... and apparently over-ripe bananas (I passed on that). Meh, that was just ok but I don't really go for that aspect. I do have to give a shout-out to the medical tent for the amazing ice pack they strapped on to my knee. I was sore from running a full marathon the week before and my knee wasn't going to let me forget it. The medical tent at the finish line had me in and out in minutes. It was the longest finisher's chute ever to hobble through, but it seemed to help with crowd control.

Overall:
Really, it's a fun race. Rock N Roll is definitely in the business of making money and you can buy all the branded souvenirs and Brooks gear you want at the expo. Of all the races I've done, this expo was the largest or close (comparable to Disney). This course was flat and well supported with entertainment and aid. The medal is probably one of my favorite ones that I've received. I love the moveable deck of cards...it's a fun little extra from an overall enjoyable race.

This was my first time running Seawheeze but I'm hoping it won't be my last. As one of the first wave lottery 'winners', I knew early on that I got into the race. I didn't know what to expect but as my 12th half, I wasn't too nervous. I've definitely had a wide range of race experiences but this one far exceeded all of them.

First of all, Vancouver was such a fun city to experience. So beautiful and the other race participants were fantastic. I went to the race not knowing a soul but left with a gaggle of new girlfriends that I spent most of the weekend with. We met from an online group of solo runners and decided we might meet up at the expo and maybe grab a bite at some point. We ended up attending the early shopping hours, subsequent meals, expo hopping and post race partying all together.

So first, the swag: While this is probably the most expensive half that I've experienced, it wasn't outrageous considering what you got: a pair of Lululemon shorts that shipped to you around June, a bottle of Saje bath salts, post-race Lulu hat, running sunglasses (not Lulu), free yoga sessions, vision planning, hair braiding, manicures, temporary (sprayed on) tattoos, and of course, the post race festival! The festival featured Diplo and Felix Cartel but also had a ferris wheel, vintage arcade, bounce houses, and giant inflatable jax. In addition to the freebies, you could shop at the Lulu pre and post race stores (definitely not free but all merchandise was limited edition and made just for Seawheeze). I thought the race was well worth the cost and Lululemon really put a lot of attention into the experience for participants. I know some random people that were also gifted with goodie boxes from Lulu that included clothes, Saje products, etc - one of my new friends was one of these lucky ladies. If you were also staying at a hotel on the Seawheeze 'rate', sweet and savory treats were delivered to your room.

The race itself was really fun and well supported. The weather was a little miserable but the whole experience was such a blast that I couldn't even dwell on it. There was a minor incline a few miles in but overall the race was pretty flat. Loved the spinning crew that cheered you on around mile 2 and of course the drag queens that were waiting for you at the top of the main hill. And the sea wall? Took my breath away! It was so beautiful though probably the most congested part of the race. You couldn't look away from the road for too long for fear of running into someone.

Once you made it through the finish cute, they handed you your gorgeous medal and more swag, and from there you had the option of heading straight in to the recovery zone of grabbing a brunch box. I waited in line for the box but it was pretty fast moving. It was worth it as I was ready for some post race fuel. The box included: banana bread, yogurt with chia seeds, grapes, and a little piece of chocolate. It was enough to tide me over while I waited for the awesome massage station where they gave you a full on 20 minute massage. None of this 5 min post race freebie. This was incredible and just what my legs wanted after that cold run.

After the race, I had a few hours to freshen up before I took the shuttle to the post-race festival. The entertainment was amazing and our group had fun watching the yoga and then dancing the night away. This was one of the most memorable race experiences - because yes, this one is really about the entire experience - that I've ever had. While making a trip across the country to Vancouver isn't something I can do every year, I'd love to do it again in the near future.

While I had some gripes about the full (see the separate review about that one), the RnR NOLA 5k was a blast. A quick little jaunt through the French Quarter so you can get a taste of New Orleans. The expo is standard RnR fare with a huge section of Brooks and RnR branded merchandise, and an assortment of various other vendors. It was walking distance from the French Quarter which is perfect for tourists staying downtown.

The 5k started and finished at a square on Poydras Street where you could listen to live music and hang out after the race. Given that we were running the full the following day, we took it easy for the 5k but the crowd space out pretty quickly. The streets were generally pretty wide so you didn't have to worry about congestion from other runners. Overall, I had a blast and would definitely sign up for the 5k again, especially combined with a longer distance to get the extra medals.

Racing in the RnR New Orleans half in 2017 was one of my favorite experiences, so when I had a friend say she wanted to do the full as her first, I was happy to oblige. The half was perfect... flat course, tourist worthy scenery of the French Quarter, Garden District, and everything in between, and great course support. I had hoped for the same for the full and jumped on the chance to do it.

The expo is located within walking distance of the French Quarter which is great for NOLA tourists. You couldn't pay me to drive downtown, so we stayed nearby and just walked everywhere. Getting to the expo was no exception and the variety of vendors and merchandise was true to Rock N Roll form. You can buy everything under the sun at their races, and we left with marathon shirts with our names printed on the back among the list of participants. My biggest gripe for this race though was in the course of us registering to actual race day, RnR was bought out and discontinued the 'marathon jacket' prize. This was one of the reasons my friend had picked this race as our group of friends had received the coveted jacket when we did our fulls at RnR Savannah. We complained, reached out to race officials, and commiserated with others in the same boat, but alas, left empty handed. We were able to purchase a marathon sweater, but it wasn't the same and we were a little bitter that the higher cost marathon entry only granted the standard shirt and medal versus the previous perks. Bitterness of the new process aside, overall the race staff was fine, but RnR is definitely in the interest of making a buck.

Race day came and the weather was perfect. We set off and enjoyed our first 11ish or so miles before the course split. But once you leave the half course, you were left by the waterfront in an almost residential area. It was a series of overpasses that were crossed with little course support other than water stops. Honestly, it was pretty boring and disappointing. And while I wouldn't say the course was 'hilly', the overpasses were constant enough that we were surprised at how 'not flat' the race was. Especially compared to our experience at the half the previous year. I wavered in putting two stars for elevation difficulty but if you were planning for no elevation gain, you would have been a little surprised as well by the frequency of these bridges.

When we finally made it to the finish line, we were relieved to be done but as middle (ok for this one we were likely 2/3 of the packers) in, we made it to the 'exclusive' marathon area with time to get into the recovery line before they closed it off. We then waited about an hour eating our free jambalaya (best part of the day) for our free cooling leg compresses and watching later finishers get upset as they were turned away from enjoying the perk because they weren't 'fast' enough. I could completely understand their frustration being that close to the cut-off ourselves. Overall, I'm glad we did the race, but I'll stick to the half marathon course at RnR NOLA.