This race is a lot of fun, do not let all the talk about the hills scare you!! It starts off in downtown Knoxville and finished on the 50 yard line at Neyland...which was A DREAM COME TRUE for this Volunteer!!
The volunteers and cheering spectators along the first half of the race were some of the best I have seen in any race...especially miles 4-7!! They were overwhelming! And funny...there were so many folks dressed up with hilarious signs, a fake finish line, jokes on posters, etc.
The course itself is hilly...yes...but they are punchy hills. You can see the top and it goes straight back down. So it doesnt take great amounts of strength, and you can coast off the spirit of all the folks cheering you on.
The post-race is also awesome!! They had a separate area for marathoners too, so the food wouldnt be all gone.
I will do this race again for sure! The timing in March can be tricky with the weather but in 2018 it was 40's and perfect weather for distance running.
I will forever cherish my finish line photos in Neyland!! I felt like I was running through the T and Rocky Top was playing just for me!

This is such a great race and location. It is what I would call boutique...very small, full of local flavor, and only for those who like the experience of running. The half marathon course at mile 4 takes you across a hand-built kayak bridge to cross water, and following that is nearly a 900ft climb straight up. It will drain you but it's also the best part of the half!!
Aid stations are largely local boy scouts, which was uplifting and they were a joy! Lots of fruit choices, pretzels, they had a pretty good set up at every aid station.
The hills on the back end of the half are punchy and really hard. I was worn out with all the other climbing, but those hills do not end!!!
The finish had a great party!!! Local BBQ, beer, sweet tea, and music!! It was so much fun. They also gave away a kayak in a drawing!!!
Of note: it is Tennessee in February so expect there to be weather. One year had a full on ice storm and they still ran the race (albiet with much fewer runners).
I will do this race again and again. Hope to actually tackle the full marathon one year! The locals are great supporters and I loved the small town feel. Very few runners of the half and the full made it feel more like a running club which was awesome!

Highly recommend the Wine Country series of races!!! For the Willamette, the expo was great...lots of extra goodies available but the wine glass swag was my favorite! 5 years later I still drink out of this glass frequently to remind me of how fun this race was.
We got to start the race at Stoller Vineyards, watching the sun rise over Mt. Hood. It was so beautiful, I cannot put into words. Then as soon as the sun was up, we lined up and went! Through vineyard after vineyard...past farms with livestock....back past more vineyards...gorgeous. Mile 7 had a aid station stop with a wine tasting!
The finish was also amazing...huge wine sampling from all over Willamette, photos, food, food trucks, it was a party! Our friends with us had a great time waiting for us to finish (because of course).
I loved this race and will sign up for another, and look for other cities within this race series.