This was my first year running the race and I loved it.

Pros
• $19.72 (or something just shy of $20) and no handling/service fee. I don’t think I’ve ever done a road race for less than $20!
• Lots of pre/post race entertainment and activities. There were plenty of vendors handing out free stuff like sunglasses. There was a DJ and a photo ‘booth’ for pictures. It was a very fun atmosphere. People seemed to hang out both before and after the race. It wasn’t one where people disbursed immediately afterwards.
• Trucker hat instead of a race shirt! Don’t get me wrong – I love a good race shirt but I also love a fun hat. I wore mine during the race.
• People dressed up in ‘70s outfits. Well, the majority of people did not. Only a few people, myself included, seemed to dress up. My guess is most people don’t own things that would fall into the ‘70s category but it was still fun that they promoted the ‘costumes.’
• I love the race location and course. I’ve done other races on this same course and I really like it. There are a few sharp turns and a couple of short, gentle inclines. The surface type also varies – there’s crushed gravel, concrete, asphalt and a wee bit of grass at a turnaround point.

Somewhere between a pro and a con
• Bib numbers were assigned when you showed up to packet pick-up. I’ve had less than ideal experiences with this with past races but for this race, it didn’t seem to slow things down. I know this allowed them to pass out bibs at a couple of different locations at the exact same time.
• You could order tube socks at registration. You had two different color options. I did not order any but when I picked up my bib I noticed their display of socks had different colors than you could order. I asked about it and they said their supplier sent the wrong colors. In my opinion, the colors they sent were really ugly and I would’ve been annoyed that I paid for them. In their defense, the supplier did say they would ship the correct socks to you if you wanted.

Cons
• It rained for 2 minutes while we were at the start line waiting for the gun to go off. (Obviously this is just a joke. Well, it did actually rain but since I can’t think of anything negative about this race so I commented on something out of the race organization’s control….

I’ll be back in 2016! 5ks aren’t my strong suit or my preferred race distance but this one was fun (and cheap) enough I’ll do it again!!

this was my 4th year running this race. i love that 100% of the race proceeds go to finding a cure for breast cancer. i will definitely continue to run each year that i can!

packet pick up was super easy. they have various different places to pick up your packet on different days. the race shirt is a cotton tshirt, not your typical drifit shirt. the race course definitely needs some additional markings to clarify when to turn. it wasn't obvious when the 10k runners should split from the 5k runners. the 5k and the 10k could probably be started separately. they could also use a few extra signs just to reassure you that you're on the course. they also have a part of the race where the course crosses itself. (i thankfully didn't trip anyone, or myself, when i had to cut through the other runners to continue on the course!) they had aid stations which appeared to be well organized and manned but i didn't take anything or stop.

the pre/post race area is awesome! there are tons of vendors with giveaways. there are special events for survivors. there's plenty of music and enthusiastic emcees. it rained the entire morning this year, but that didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits. everyone came together to raise money and awareness for an amazing cause.

this was my 5th boston marathon and it did not disappoint! everything from registration to the post-race area is well organized.

registration was super easy and the turnaround time for when they confirmed your entry was pretty quick. i think i heard back within 48 hours. i received an email and also a postcard in the mail to confirm my entry.

the race expo is massive! every sort of running related vendor you can think of is there. it's open for 2.5 days so there's plenty of time to check everything out. the only down side is it's so crowded! the aisles are very narrow and it is wall-to-wall people.

the race shirt is awesome per usual! it's a simple design but easily recognizable as a boston participant shirt. they're also very flexible with exchanging shirt sizes.

in the days leading up to the race there are several other running events going on. there's a 5k, a relay race among local elementary/middle schools, invitational mile races by both professionals and local high schoolers, and others. there's also always a red sox game to attend over the weekend.

i was fortunte enough to be on a chartered bus because of the training group i was with thus i didn't venture into the athlete's village this year prior to the race start. i did have to walk through to get to the start line and it appeared to be more spacious than prior years and had plenty of porta potties. they also had bagels and (i think) coffee available.

the actual race start area is well organized. they have even more porta-potties closer to the start line. they're also very diligent about checking for bibs and that people are not starting in the wrong wave or corral.

there are thousands of spectators at the start, along the course and at the finish. the spectators are awesome and will stand outside for hours in all weather conditions. i especially love the spectators along the last 1000m of the course. they cheer so loudly and are packed in line sardines, often several people deep, until the finish line.

the course is a point to point route. the miles are clearly marked as well as each 5k. the aid stations were well stocked with water, Gatorade and volunteers! :) they had aid stations on both sides of the street but they were slightly staggered. this was nice to avoid congestion and also gave you a second opportunity if you some how missed the first or needed more fluids. the course also appeared to have ample medical aid stations and police/fire people monitoring.

the post race area is well organized. they give you your 'heat sheet', your medal and your snacks. you can also grab your gear check bag (i didn't have gear check since i could leave my bag on the chartered bus.) and then meet your spectators in the designated area which is organized by letters of the alphabet.

the boston marathon puts a lot of thought into every aspect of the race and the city of boston loves the marathon! all of the stores, hotels and restaurants cater to the runners race weekend. if you ever have the opportunity to run the boston marathon, i highly recommend it!