This was a fun Halloween-themed race next to the Mississippi River. A 5K, 10K and Half Marathon are all offered. It started on the cobblestone of Main Street, then crossed the river before returning on the Stone Arch Bridge.

There was no expo, but packet pick-up was offered for the full week before the races at Running Room in St. Paul. It was nice to be able to go in on my own schedule with such a wide window for pick-up.

The long-sleeve tech shirt was very nice with great Halloween graphics. Even the back had a charming Minnesota Frankenstein graphic in addition to the typical list of sponsors.

Parking was suggested at a few ramps, but only one was on the side of the river as the start and finish. Clearly, this became very crowded, and cars were lined up very far as many people did not come at the suggested 7:30 a.m. arrival time. I arrived early and had no problems getting in quickly.

The announcer was great at the start and finish (he said your name as you approached the finish line, which was a nice touch), and Halloween-themed music was played at the start line.

There was no aid station for the 5K along the way, they only provided aid stations for the 10K and Half Marathon. I never stop for water for 5Ks so it didn't matter to me, but just mentioning this as it's a bit unusual. 5Ks typically have one water stop.

The medal was very nice at the finish, and there was plenty of food choices available (water, bananas, apples, chips, protein bars).

The one thing I would suggest to the race organizers would be to at least make an announcement about slower runners/walkers starting in the back. There were no pace signs, and many walkers started smack dab in the front. The beginning of the race was quite annoying having to run around walkers and/or groups of people 4+ in a line across the street. If there aren't pace signs, at least make an announcement, please!

Overall, this is a very fun race and I would do it again!