The organizers at Lantern Run say that they have "stripped down the event so you can focus on the run", and I will say this is very true. From my understanding, these races are capped at 25 participants for each wave. I think the half marathon had four separate waves starting at 8:30 am, 9 am, 11 am, and 2 pm. Since the other slots were full, I went with the 8:30 am wave, and there were about 6 or 7 other runners so it was a very, very small race. This race was more like meeting up with a running group and doing a weekend long run. The race does not have bibs, so you kind of blend in with other runners who are not affiliated with the race. Also, timing is done by a stopwatch, pen, and paper . . . very old school.

The course for the half marathon was pretty simple. We started out on Pier 45 on the Hudson river, ran south to Pier 25 and looped it, ran north to W12th Street, ran south to Pier 46 and looped it, then to Pier 45 and looped it, and this route was repeated four times. Since you loop this course 4 times, the scenery can become a bit redundant; however, I think it's easier to mentally compartmentalize a half marathon because it's easier to break it down into four 5Ks. I will say that the views of the Hudson River, New Jersey, the Freedom Tower, the Statue of Liberty, and the beautiful architecture of NYC's West Side were quite breathtaking. The weather for our run was sunny with temperatures in the mid 30's F; however, the headwinds were quite strong.

Registration was $50 bucks; technically, $53.95 when you register through Active.com. The organizers will ship your race swag to you via USPS. My swag bag included a super soft race shirt, a water carabiner, some candy, a drawstring tote, and a general finisher's medal. I will say that it was a bit anti-climatic to receive the medal before finishing the half marathon. I had some USPS issues with shipping (not the organizers' fault). Whenever I contacted the folks at Lantern Run by email, I received a response within a few hours, which was well appreciated.

I definately think that I would run another Lantern Run race in the future.