2nd year running for me. I picked up 2018 race at the last minute, which only let me register with a men’s 2XL shirt that I wasn’t able to switch at pickup. Had to pay for parking for the expo, and both years it’s been a major crunch for me to make it to pickup in time after work due to construction and rain. I was frustrated that I was emailed a QC code to bring to packet pickup and the volunteers didn’t have a way to scan it. They wouldn’t assist me till I had my bib number, which there was no board up with people’s names and numbers. You were expected to download an app, which I didn’t have. Another runner that had the app helped me out and I could finally get my number and finish pickup.
Race starts at 6:30 AM and they advise you to get there an hour early. I agree that an hour is the LEAST amount of time since parking fills up fast and you have a little walk to the start. I live an hour away, so this means getting out of the house at 4:30 AM, but there’s not a lot of good race times for August. At 6:30 the sun had already risen and the race track was heating up.
The expo experience aside, I love this race. There’s lots of crowd support, enthusiastic volunteers, yummy food, and lots of entertainment. I’ll always come back!
They do a solid medal design. When I put out all the medals at the end of the year, I have to admit I like theirs the best.