This was a last minute decision to add this and I was NOT disappointed! Texas is really a fun place to run!
Expo: The expo was pretty large! There were numerous vendors, lots of cool photo opts and sweet race swag by Brooks and LuLu. Overall the ease of parking, getting my race bib and a few extra items made this a quick, easy experience after a long flight into Texas.
Logistics: We stayed downtown between the start and finish lines. It made it very easy to get to the start and finish via walking. It also made it easy to hang out until 6:30 before heading over for the 7am start. (no bag check needed, although the UPS trucks were easily accessible and had short lines) There were tons of parking options as well if you were riding in!
Course: Although this race was primarily made for half marathoners, I still really enjoyed the full course. BEWARE: there are some hills! I will get to that later! The course starts downtown and takes you through some of the historic sights of the city. I think the course might have passed the Alamo in the past, but the area was blocked off due to construction. We looped around the city going through the Brackenridge Golf course (being from MD, it was fun to see palm trees and cactus on a golf course) and then through Fort Sam Houston. That was pretty incredule seeing the military buildings, old fort and overall support from the military personel. The course headed back downtown and at mile 11/12 split for the half/full runners. That was the FIRST big hill that the full marathoners had to hike up. Despite the hill, there were still tons of supporters, music and well supported aid stations to give you a boost after making it up the hill. The course looped through an industrial area before turning into the Salado Creek Greenway path. This was GREAT! The temperature at the start was 48, but was not getting warm! So this shaded path was perfect. Scenic, well staffed aid stations and still - great music. This portion was about 5/6 miles so by time you existed you were at mile 20! Mile 20 is hard, but this was where the rolling hills come in which was a big challenging in the heat. But I can't stress this enough - there were always people cheering, well supported aid stations and music. A few notable course highlights - the blue mile (a tribute to fallen soldiers which I have only seen in DC, but was really happy to see here) and a mile of mariachi bands! I mean seriously - one after another of bands and dancers. It was really fun!
The finish line was a fun area with a good amount of crowds cheering and fully staffed with everything! Food, water, electrolytes! Next to the finish line was a park with a stage and great music. A perfect place to relax with family and friends after you finish. Overall it was a great experience, fun course and exciting atmosphere. After I walked back to the hotel, I stopped by the Alamo to take a picture with my medal! The Riverwalk is near by for after race festivities and food as well!