Running over the Golden Gate Bridge was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was really unsure of what to expect from this race since I heard how "killer" the hills were. Yes. They were. I was literally hiking up one hill- I couldn't even run up it. And of course, there is a hill on MILE 12!! The 12th mile was definitely the hardest for me and the course didn't make it any easier.

Not only were the hills difficult, but the downhills were just as tricky. Some people were flying down the hills, but I really struggled downhill. Overall, the course was difficult, but the scenery could not be beat.

I passed the first few aid stations and grabbed water at mile 7 along with GU (it's nice that they gave us these!) I had to wait for them to get me water, but the GU was readily available. They were passing out the Nuun first and they were all ready, but the people manning the water station didn't seem prepared for the amount of people coming.

While running across the Golden Gate Bridge, we had to share a lane with the people coming back on the course. The worst part of the entire race was that people would LITERALLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BRIDGE TO TAKE A SELFIE. It was pretty difficult to get around them, so sometimes I got stuck behind a large group of people who were just moving really slow or were stopping and it was really hard to get around without running into the people who were coming back over the bridge from the other side.

After the race, the finish was great, even though it wasn't exactly the "party" I was expecting. They bussed us to the finish line for the full marathon. I was hoping to go to the beer garden, but the line was ridiculous and they pretty much put you in time out while you drank your beer. I watched people in there, but didn't go myself. They had a small gated area and you had to stay in there if you had a beer. As a girl from Louisiana, this was super sad. There was also no band or loud music at the end- it was kind of a cluster. I was hoping that it would be party-like since that is how The Louisiana Marathon is, but it just wasn't.

I was also shocked at how few people were on the course to cheer us on. We ran through some areas with absolutely no one, even though it was a residential area. All of the other courses I've been on, people will come out of their houses to watch- not here!

Overall, amazing race, amazing expo, amazing scenery. I would definitely recommend it!