This was my first half marathon experience from out of state. The commute wasn't too bad until we reached the stretch of road to get downtown. The lanes dropped to one lane due to construction and that was a big headache. We stayed at a hotel partnered with Nike and it was right by the starting line. This was super convenient, especially after the race. You have a nice hotel bathroom close by instead of a porta potty.

Race packet pick up went quickly the day before the race. There were a lot of staff checking people in and t-shirt pick ups were separate from the bibs. The Expo was crowded but had a small number of vendors and stations. The best was the Luna sign making area but the staff kept telling us to come back because it was a fire hazard for the line to wrap around that long. We came back and the line was even longer! UGH!

The Nike Georgetown store had a wall with everyone's name who was participating. This was a fun photo op. There were also a lot of race clothing for people to buy at the store. Definitely buy something here if you want clothing. There was another pop up store after the race finish line with gear that had "Finisher" on it. But the lines were absolutely ridiculous and I didn't bother to wait.

The course was fairly flat but I definitely felt some minor elevation throughout. The route showcased a lot of monuments and notable buildings.

I used RunKeeper while I was running and it cut out while we went underneath the tunnel. It came back on but then reported the wrong distance.

A cool thing about this race was the real time tracking that Nike made available so your friends and family can check where you are and your timing. Also cool was the free race photos they offered. Unfortunately they could not find any photos of me! (Do I not exist??) With some investigative skills, I was able to check my ranking and find pictures of me in other people's photos. But it was really disappointing not having any great photos of myself throughout the entire race. And I wasn't the only one with this issue. I would have rather paid for a photo of myself.

I also noticed a pacer during the race holding a sign with her pace. This was a nice touch since my RunKeeper was off so I knew when I would finish if I stayed with her.

At the end of the race, you have to wait in a long line to get your Tiffany's necklace in place of a medal. This is why the race registration was more expensive than other half marathons. There was also a line to take a picture with the tuxedo wearing men. Don't they know we all have jello legs after running 13 miles?

All in all, it was a memorable race with a pretty necklace. But I don't know if I would run this race more than once, especially at the $180ish price range.