I signed up for this race during a 24-hour super discounted day that the race management held. Apparently 100 ladies from my local running chapter did as well, so the weekend of the race became an Ladies Weekend.

EXPO:
The expo definitely wasn’t the smallest expo I’ve attended at a race. There is plenty of parking nearby and under the museum, and they did offer a discounted parking rate for the racers. Outside of the bib pick-up there was the usual race vendors— running clothing, last minute nutrition/gear needs, other regional races being promoted by race ambassadors, medical, etc. While well organized in the lobby of the lobby of the Indiana State Museum, one could easily get through the expo quickly.

RACE DAY:
Several us were staying at one of the host hotels that ended up being about a half mile away from the start/finish line. (When we originally booked our rooms, we could have sworn the start/finish line was closer to the host hotel.) The walk was good for a pre-race warm up with the only downside being the 100% humidity so a sweat was worked up at 6:30 in the morning. :-) The race kicked off with hundreds of women running and walking. There were pace groups for each distance so it was easy to find a group to run with. The scenery on the course wasn’t anything spectacular as we ran through industrial sections, a few neighborhoods, past the VA Hospital, through the IUPUI campus, and back to the finish line at the Military Park. Note: some of the roads aren’t in the best of shape so runners should keep an eye on the road so they don’t twist anything. The on course support was good with medics riding the course on bikes, which was great to see since people could easily dehydrate/overheat in the humidity. There were aid stations every few miles— one even took the water hose to crest a “rain shower” to help cool off the runners. I know weather can be a crapshoot sometimes but it would have been nice to have ice and/or soaked sponges at some of the stations to provide some cooling for the racers. After crossing the finish line and receiving the butterfly medal & a rose, it was time to enjoy the nice finish line party atmosphere with pancakes, mimosa’s, White Claw, and more. Luckily the party area was shaded and along the finish chute so we were able to cheer on both the ladies in our running club and the other runners.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
If you’re looking for a small, boutique race or a Gals Race-cation... this may be one to check out. The race management did a great job of communicating with the racers. And while they don’t have any control over the road conditions, with all the other half marathons in the city, maybe they can talk to the city about improving the roads?