I've lived in Portland just long enough to have run this race 5 times consecutively. Love it. One of my favorite things about this race is the high level of competition: a huge cross-section of Portland's running community comes out for the event, mainly the 15k.

The course is very challenging and goes through some of my favorite places to run in Portland: 2 flat miles from the waterfront through the Pearl, 2 steady uphill miles along Broadway to Terwilliger, 2 steep uphill miles with a big false summit to the Chart House, and 3.4 quad-burning downhill miles back down Capital Highway. Given the varied terrain, I feel like there are still more ways for me to improve my pacing and form on this course after having run it 5 times.

The post-race atmosphere is always jubilant and festive, despite the frequently cold and rainy weather (such as this year!), and the beer and cup of chowder are a nice touch although the lines are ridiculous. I like the bands along the course, especially the bagpipers at the highest-elevation point at the Chart House. Another good thing about the race is the $3 discount and bib pre-delivery for teams of over 15 or so people. I've heard the expo is a total cluster, but have never actually had to go to it to get my bib :-)

My main gripe, and it's a small one, is that the t-shirt designs often include weird-looking thick fabric stripes on the shoulders (Adidas is the main sponsor).