The race starts off at a high school where you can warm up as when I ran there was still snow on the ground. Did not stop me from wearing shorts and a singlet to warm up as the sun was out. There is about 300-400 runners as it is a small little half marathon in Raynham MA. You will want to train in a little bit of an hilly elevation as it can be hard in the beginning but especially at the end there is a hidden hill around mile 11 to really try to wind you. There is plenty of water stops along the course roughly every 1.5-2 miles with Gatorade and Water. Crowd support is really good as it is a huge running club along with volunteers and high schoolers.

Get adjusted to the cold and realize the first mile or so will be a little cold! Fun swag for AG winners . Plenty of food to go around as the awards are being handed out in the cafeteria where they are giving out meals.

Recommend a good race to get adjusted in the cold and also a challenging experience through rolling hills.

This was my first ever half marathon race as I was a Cross Country and Track runner in college I was afraid of bigger distances. The race starts around 6AM for slower runners and 7AM for runners that will finish under a certain time. It is a good size race for about 400 Runners and 300 in the other division. There is a lot of planning that is went into this race as their is aid stations every two miles and snack/ water/gatoraid every station.

You cut through the downtown area of Salem and through the scenic roadways of Salem, Mass you will see the sunrise during the race and beam on you. There is Police Officer's and Firemen every few miles directing traffic and cheering you on as you pass them. This is one of my favorites but it was also my first long distance event. The crowd support is AMAZING!

The food after the race is all local business catering there food between pancakes, waffles, quiches and do not get me started about the cold brew coffee or protein shakes.

Highly recommend for anybody or even beginners like me when I first started!