This was my first half marathon in Arizona, and I was able to have some family come out to the event. The event is mostly flat along a main stretch of road, although there did seem to be a gradual incline at some spots, so be prepared to be a bit sore at the end.

Pros:
- Great pre-race communication and updates. Instructions on parking were easy, and the race organizers made sure we knew exactly where to go and when.

- AMAZING swag. The fleece lined zipper hoodie is really high quality and nothing like I've seen at races before.

- Cool medal

- While the water stations did not start until mile 2.5-2.9, after this they were constant for every 1.5-2 miles, which was refreshing.

- Post-race mimosas! Awesome!

Cons
- Not enough porta johns. We waited for over a half hour in line before the race to use the facilities, which resulted in us getting to the starting line a few minutes late.

- Post-race food: all we saw offered at the finish line was halves of bananas and halves of bagels. This race was a more expensive one, and after running a half marathon, I hoped for more than a 1/2 of a banana and a bagel. We had to leave the post-race event early to go grab food.

- The course scenery was nothing to write home about. You go straight for most of the race along a busy road, and you pass strip malls and houses. I had hoped for a little more variety, as the race seemed to drag on. Toward the end, you go through a park which was cool, but other than that, it was a pretty "meh" course.

Overall, I had a decent race experience and will continue to wear this sweatshirt!

This was my seventh half marathon and first time in California. I opted to pay extra to pick up my packet on race day due to my travel schedule. This is definitely a rolling course, but the only very difficult hill is at mile 1.5, and they clearly tell you about it on the website, so I knew what to expect. This race is a really great one and I would run it again, but I do believe the organizers could do a better job of pre-race communication. If I was not recovering from an injury, I believe I could have PR'd with no problem.

Pros:
- The course was amazing. There was lots of variety in scenery---some of it is along a road, and other
parts are through a wooded area. The variety kept everything very interesting.

- The water station volunteers were awesome. There were plenty of cups, and there were separate
cups for Gatorade so you knew exactly what you were grabbing.

- There was good crowd support at the water stations.

- Plenty of medical personnel

- Really cool medal

- Post race food was in a bag so you didn't have to grab your own food. Post race food included a
couple granola bars, an Uncrustables, a clementine, and water. There was plenty of food for
purchase, but I did not buy anything.
- Great directional signs along the route to let you know where you were going

Cons:
- I was extremely frustrated by the communication provided by the organizers. There was no pre-race
email that you usually get which tells you where to go and when, and general caveats about the race.

- The website instructions regarding race day bib pickup were extremely unclear---I wasn't sure whether to go to the start line or the parking lot at Torrey Pines with the shuttle buses to get my bib, as a bib was required to get on the shuttle buses. I tried to contact the race organizers to get some clarification, but received no response. This added extra stress on race day, as I had to arrange transportation to the event and didn't know where to drive to, Torrey Pines or the start line. For future reference, if you select race day bib pickup and pay the extra ten dollars to do so, you get your bib at the start line, not at Torrey Pines.

- The race *does not* end at the beach as the pictures might suggest. You end at a marsh at Torrey Pines across from the beach, but a beach is not in view from the finish line.

All in all, I would do this race again!

This race highlighted the best parts of Cambridge.

The Expo: I picked up my bib at CambridgeSide the night before, and it was really easy to find and a very quick process. I also got my "sweatshirt" there. The sweatshirt was really a long sleeve t-shirt, but they tell you it's a sweatshirt. There was nothing else at the expo, it was a large and empty area at the back of CambridgeSide.

The morning of the race: the morning was so incredibly cold, so I appreciated being able to wait inside the mall before we got going. Bag check was really easy.

The race itself: this was my favorite race course I've done. The course was mostly flat and took you through many Cambridge landmarks. You end up running a lot of the Esplanade, MIT, and even a surprise turn through the Harvard Coliseum. At this point, a lot of people hopped to the center of the field to take pictures, as it was really cool to see the Coliseum empty. The elevation was pretty constant throughout the race, I would consider it a flat course.

Post race: After finishing the race, you grab your bag and head into the mall. You get a few beverage tickets, and there is music in the mall as well as lots of food tables set up with food from local restaurants. Needless to say, I was stuffed by the end.

I would 100% recommend this race and hope to do it again next year!

I have done this race for the past two years, and it has consistently been my favorite race.

Pre Race: Packet pickup is at a local school and is very easy. I would recommend doing it the day before rather than on race day.

Race Day: Get there early, and do not underestimate the time it will take to park. There is one way in, one way out to Fort Adams, and it just takes a while to park. They encourage you to try to bike to the race, but I have driven the past two years.

The Race: as you line up, there is a DJ and an enthusiastic emcee who set the excitement level for the race. Perhaps the best part of this race is the course itself. The emcee was amazing for both crossing the start line and crossing the finish line. You spend the first half of the race with gorgeous ocean views, and for the second half, you wrap through all of the historic mansions in Newport. The variety of scenery alone makes this race amazing. There are plenty of water stations, and there is a surprising amount of crowd support despite the race being so early in the morning. This race seems to fly by.
The course has a few steep and winding hills, but nothing too bad. The course ends at Fort Adams. You run through the Fort itself at the finish line, so it is something to look forward to.

Post-race: The medal is really cool and is quite large. There is plenty of post-race food, and you get drink tickets. Getting out of the Fort is a bit of a pain, but I think it is unavoidable. Definitely take your time at the post-race celebration and it should take less time to exit the area.

All in all, this is a great race which sells out, so make sure to register for this one!