This was my 18th half marathon. The expo was really nice, blanket and cap are awesome, medal just OK, course was very good. I don't understand why it's "America's Friendliest Marathon." It wasn't not-friendly - but the spectators were pretty sparse, and only a couple bands/music. Maybe the full marathon had better support. My biggest problem was bottleneck traffic. I realize street closings is a logistical nightmare, but my husband, brother, and his wife were stuck in gridlock traffic and I had to walk 1.5 miles after I finished just to find where they were stuck in traffic. They were upset and angry that they missed watching two family members at the finish because there was no good way to get around and no available parking. I've been to events with as many, and more, participants and never had a traffic issue like this. Unfortunately, all good vibes from the race were severely marred by the lack of parking. Can't this event start and/or finish someplace with plenty of parking? Other races of 30,000+ I've done are Cincinnati, San Antonio, Phoenix, Indianapolis, just to name a few, and I've never had this problem before. I'm not trying to sound hateful because I know putting on a race is a huge undertaking, and I so very much appreciate all the hard work. I'm just frustrated because my husband has told me that although he supports my running habit, he will no longer waste 3 hours sitting in traffic trying to figure out how to meet me when I'm done.

I've run 18 half marathons and this was one of the best! I was not expecting such a scenic, fun course. The crowds, the bands and music - (OK that men's choir at the top of the hill - not sure what mile that was - they were amazing!!!) Yes it was much hillier than expected, yes my time was bad, but it was still a blast. The expo was fantastic, as was the swag. Parking was easy peasy and we were able to zip right out of downtown after the finish. This was a family event and we met from two states to run together. What a wonderful time.