There were lots of pros and cons to this race, but overall I would recommend it. I have a soft spot for small local races.

Registration was easy. Between their website, facebook and email updates I felt very well informed about this race. Also, I had a tiny issue which was totally my fault. I ordered the wrong size shirt and didn't notice until 2 weeks before the race. I emailed the director, who very kindly and quickly assured me she would correct it. Since it was my fault I was very grateful.

I did not attend the expo, since I live over an hour away from Washington, Mo. However I arrived early the day of the race and had no problem picking up my packet and bib. The race shirt was a nice dri-fit, however that was it for race bag swag. Parking was abundant and free, always thankful for that. Also, to note, there were plenty of porta-potties this year.

The website described this course as having many rolling and challenging hills. They were not kidding. This was by far the hilliest half I have ran. The hills were unrelenting. But, we can't do flat courses all the time, can we folks? I will say that the course was rural and very beautiful. There were not many spectators, however many of the people who lived along the course were standing outside and were extremely friendly. They really made you feel welcome in their town.

I was very thankful to have brought my own hydration and nutrition for this race, and would recommend that if you are considering this race, you do so also. It was a very warm day and I noticed 4 or 5 tables with water only along the course. No Gatorade and no Gu.

The finish line was exciting, I loved that it was downhill so you could really sprint in. They had great music playing, which always adds to the atmosphere. They had medals for all half marathon finishers. Post race fuel included water, chocolate milk, apples, oranges and granola bars.

I signed up for this race only 2 weeks before. Honestly, I had never heard of it, and sometimes I'm not crazy about small town half marathons. This one definitely proved me wrong. I arrived about an hour before start time and got a great parking spot about 100 feet from the start line. I went over and picked up my packet from the friendly volunteers, happily used one of the abundant clean porta-potties and then went back to my car to stay warm until closer to start time. The long sleeved tech shirt included in my race swag was very nice quality. Other than that, the bag was filled with your usual chapstick, pen and info on other races. The race started right at 8am, and did offer chip timing. The course was absolutely beautiful. The massive Mississippi River is such an amazing sight to take in. Now, if you are not familiar with Alton, this cute little town is nestled against the Mississippi river. It is always pretty windy over there, so I signed up knowing gusty winds were certainly possible. I am pleased to say that the wind wasn't near as bad as I feared. As for elevation, you can not call this race flat. However, these would be the hills that people refer to as long and rolling. I was also thrilled with how the city of Alton rerouted traffic. I felt safe from traffic the entire time. There weren't many water stations, maybe in future years they will be able to add to that. For nutrition, they had cyclists offering Twizzlers. This was a little strange to me, but it was detailed in the race info, so I planned ahead and brought my own hydration and nutrition. After the race they had an abundance of typical post race food: bananas, fresh bagels and pretzels. Finishers received a nice medal commemorating the bridge you just ran across. Overall, it was the nicest small town half marathon I've ran to date. I would definitely recommend it and will probably do it again.

I have already posted a review for the 2013 HC15k, but I just wanted to update it for 2014. Again, I was thoroughly impressed with every aspect of this race. Ram Racing really knows how to produce a great running event. Just like last year, everything was so well organized, from the expo to the race to the finisher's mug hand out. The jacket was a nice change over last years hoodie. Very nice quality! Also new for 2014 is hand outs of chocolate treats on the course. They offer chocolate chips, marshmallows and Tootsie rolls. Of course, one of the main things that caught my attention this year was the finisher's medal for those who complete the 15k. I love the medal, it is really top notch, and made me really happy that I ran this race again.

I won't bore you with too many details, since there are 2 other reviews for this year's IMM. Overall, this was a great race. Typical big city, some beautiful parts, some industrial, but overall there was always something to look at. What I didn't like about the course was that many roads weren't completely closed. So there were intersections that you would be running through and you could see cars that were waiting for a gap between runners big enough to pull out into. This was a little scary, especially since some of the motorists were acting visibly annoyed because of their wait. My other complaint was that by the time I got to the aid stations ALL of the promised Clif Shot Gels and Blocks were gone. I was hanging with the 4:30 pace group for most of the race. So, by no means was I at the end of the race. If certain nutrition is promised, they should make sure there is enough for everyone. And the finish line? I heard rumors of mythical Jimmy John's subs...but alas that must be only for the elite. Our post race food choices consisted of cookies and frozen bagel pieces. I don't mean to sound too negative. If you are looking for a race in Indiana to do, I would still recommend the IMM. However, I probably won't do it again.

I've never met a race I didn't like, especially in a half marathon distance. However, of the 7 half marathon's I've done so far, this was probably my least favorite. Perhaps I had my expectations set too high. I will start with parking. While they had enough, there were minimal entries and exits to get to said parking. So, we spent a lot of time sitting in our car. Even though we arrived an hour before race time, we actually made it to our corral with only minutes to spare. Now, this was also due to extraordinary long porta-potty lines. They really needed more potties! Then, the corral start was on an honor system of sorts. You had to enter the corral at the 12 minute pace section and try to weasel your way up to whatever pace you were hoping to start with. I was trying to get to the back of the 9:00 minute pace and it was very hard! Thank goodness for chip timing, but oh my gosh, was there quite the bottleneck at the beginning of the race.

As for the course, the website really made it sound like it would be pretty. I guess they meant pretty boring. Lots of car lots, auto body repair shops, empty fields...the one cool part was running through New Town, a very quaint little neighborhood with a lot to look at. My suggestion, bring music or a running buddy! I was very thankful to have both. I was also lucky to have my own hydration, because water stations were scarce!

The biggest draw to this race is that it is mostly flat. You will enjoy that. With the exception of a never-ending hill from mile 10-11. You know, just when you are starting to get pretty tired?

Fast forward to the finish. There were big cheer zones at the end, lots of excitement and they even called out your names as you passed through the finish line. So, after the excitement wears off, and you are done admiring your new bling, I hope you are not very hungry. The post race snacks consisted of water, slices of cinnamon bread, bananas and chips. Yes, chips.

This is still a relatively young race, and I can only assume it will get better each year. However, I will probably wait a few years before trying it again.