Pre-race: A sufficient level of communication leading up to the race, including check-in information the week beforehand.

Expo: The expo was smaller, but OK. One of the major running stores in town had booths with discounted nutrition, socks, shoes, and apparel. A few other local vendors plus a few Kansas City-area races were on hand.

Shirt/Swag: The race apparel was a dri-fit, short-sleeve t-shirt. The 15th year medal was HUGE! It was well worth the work for a fantastic reward. Post-race beers from Martin City Brewing were good (choice between an IPA and a blonde ale). There were several food tents offering FREE post-race bites plus some cold, chocolate milk.

Aid Stations: There were 7 aid stations with water and Gatorade with Gu gels available just past the halfway mark.

Course scenery: Course is basically an out-and-back with a slight detour around Loess Park, which is a highly residential area. The course has a lot of rolling hills with a grassy median down Ward Parkway (hence the race name). There were a few folks along the parkway cheering, but many more around Loess Park. Overall, it may not be the most beautiful scenery, but is certainly not ugly.

Elevation: Per my Strava data, I gained 522 feet in elevation. There is a slight incline to start the up to Mile 3 before losing elevation until Mile 7. Miles 7-10 are rolling hills, but nothing too steep. There is about a 100-foot drop in elevation over the last mile, which sets you up for a super fast finish.

Overall: I really enjoyed the race. The course was a bit tougher than expected due to the hills, but not so tough that I didn't set a new half marathon PB/PR. The weather was pretty ideal, the crowds were good, and the post-race was fun.

I stayed at a hotel about 4 miles away and left 45 minutes before the race start, which made it VERY tight getting parked, dropping my bag, and getting to the start line. There was a record number of participants, but no police officers directing traffic. Parking and getting to the start was straightforward, but more than a bit hurried.

Despite the stress of race-day logistics, it was very well organized, and I would recommend it to others. However, I'd suggest aiming to arrive at the race about an hour (or more) beforehand instead of following my timeline.

Pre-race: A sufficient level of communication leading up to the race, including check-in information the week beforehand.

Expo: Packet pick-up was at the new YMCA building in town with no expo. There was some apparel for sale, but I would not describe it as an "expo."

Shirt/Swag: The race apparel was a long-sleeve cotton shirt with this year's race design on the front. Shirt is super comfortable and high quality. Medal is good size, and the design was awesome!

Aid Stations: There were officially 7 aid stations with water and Gatorade. However, it seemed like there were less and definitely farther spaced than I would have liked due to the humidity. There were no gels on course, but one aid station had some gummies available.

Course scenery: Course is basically an out-and-back with a slight detour through downtown and around the town square. Most of the course is on the Kewash Trail, which is paved in town before turning into crushed limestone. Running on the cobblestones to reach the park and trail was pretty, but the trail itself was not overly scenic nor unattractive.

Elevation: Per my Strava data, I gained 278 feet in elevation. There are some quick ups-and-downs through the first 2 miles, but nothing terrible. There's another drop heading onto the trail with a gradual climb before reaching the turnaround at Mile 7. As the course is mostly an out-and-back, there are some hills coming back to the finish. There's a slight uphill finish, but nothing terrible. Overall, it's a mostly flat course that can be great for PRs/PBs.

Overall: I enjoyed the race and the small-town setting, and I would definitely recommend it to others. The course was relatively flat, which sets runners up for a great performance. There is good crowd support at the start/finish area, but not as much along the trail aside from the aid stations. However, hearing elementary school kids cheering along the trail was a great addition to the experience.

Traveling from out-of-state, my wife & I stayed at a small motel in town. We received a "thank you" goodie bag with water, chips, and granola bars. Parking in town was easy and 2 restaurants in town offered pre-race carb-loading meals, too.

There was free post-race food ranging from chocolate milk, bananas, cinnamon rolls, and Michelob Ultra. Additionally, there was a food truck and a coffee cart available for pay if you want/need something more to refuel.

Pre-race: A sufficient level of communication leading up to the race, including check-in information the week beforehand.

Expo: The expo was smaller, but OK. Major running stores in town had booths with discounted nutrition, socks, shoes, and apparel. A few other local vendors plus a few regional races were on hand.

Shirt/Swag: The race apparel was a nice quarter-zip with the race logo. It was a nice change from the typical long-sleeve shirt. The medal was inspired by the neon signage at Route 66 Historical Village, which adds a local cool factor to the medal. Post-race beers from Welltown Brewing were solid (choice between a light lager, pale ale, and Mexican lager). Post-race food was the typical banana and oranges and some Simple Simon’s pizza.

Aid Stations: There were 6 aid stations with water and Gatorade, but none of them had any nutrition.

Course scenery: Course starts in Downtown and wanders through some neighborhoods and past Philbrook Museum before heading through Brookside and Riverside. The finish at Guthrie Green is quite nice, as it sets up the post-race entertainment extremely well. The course is pretty, but nothing particularly stands out as awe-inspiring.

Elevation: Per my Strava data, I gained 516 feet in elevation. The course starts with a few rolling hills, but gets a bit tougher through Mile 5. The downhill slope starts firmly at Mile 6, as runners head down to the river with some really nice, flat, straightaways. The course crosses Route 66 at the beginning and takes runners out onto the road for about a mile just before Mile 11 and finishing just before Mile 12, which includes the last challenging hill. Despite a few turns, the last half mile is super flat and leaves you with a great sprint to the finish.

Overall: I stayed at a downtown hotel as part of a block booked through the race, which guaranteed me 3 p.m. check out on Sunday. I also took advantage of the Mother Road VIP package, which provides you with a tent by the start before the race and an indoor, post-race party with unlimited food and beverages. Both are a GREAT perk if you want to avoid any weather issues.

The course was tougher than I expected, despite knowing there were some hills in the first 4 miles. The straightaways along the river made a BIG difference in closing the gap and finishing just a bit short of a personal best/personal record time. If you’re looking to just have fun on the course, there are multiple “hydration” stations offering adult beverages. Crowds were a bit subdued due to some morning rain, but overall there was solid support throughout the residential areas. The finish area was definitely full of spectators cheering you on to the end.

Pre-race: Not a ton of communication leading to the race, but enough to keep you informed. Nicest part was the pre-race email that had a link to the results, so you could easily find your chip time after finishing the race.

Expo is not applicable, as it was really just packet pick-up at Nebraska Brewing Co. in LaVista (about 20 minutes from downtown Omaha).

Shirt/Swag: The race shirt was a nice, dri-fit long-sleeve shirt. Medal looks like the race logo on a blue and black lanyard. Post-race beer from Nebraska Brewing was brewed and branded for the race, which was especially cool. The beer was a lemon shandy, which got non-beer drinkers is a great choice.

Aid Stations: There were 4 aid stations with water, but no electrolyte drink. Due to the out-and-back nature of the course, runners actually got 8 aid stations. There was no Gu or other nutrition on the course.

Course scenery: Course starts in a really attractive pedestrian mall before going through the Old Market area and passing the downtown arena and baseball stadium (home of the Men's College World Series) before taking runners across the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge into Iowa. The majority of the race was run in Iowa (approximately 7 miles) along the Council Bluffs Levee Road. The route provides some great views of Omaha, but running along I-29 is extremely boring.

Crowd support was rather minimal. There were some spectators at River's Edge Park, but otherwise due to being downtown there were no residents cheering on runners.

Elevation: Per my Strava data, I gained 253 feet in elevation. The course has a few rolling hills, but other than the rise and fall of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge it is a pretty flat course.

Overall: The start area was really easy to find, especially staying at a nearby hotel. However, more obvious signage could be used to help runners navigate the turns coming back from Iowa and through a bit of construction before returning to the pedestrian mall. As a no frills, get it done race, it is a good event. However, running most of the race in Iowa was extremely boring. Hopefully, the course changes in the future and the amount of running in Iowa decreased.