This was my 7th year participating in this race. Very well organized. Yes, the course has a lot of hills, but it is east Tennessee, so that is to be expected. This race offers a variety of scenery as you begin by running from downtown through a college campus, into a super nice neighborhood with beautiful houses to look at, onto the greenway for a bit, and then through the college housing district once again before finishing on the fifty yard line of Neyland Stadium. What an experience. Post race food includes chips, pizza, soft drinks, gatorade, goldfish, animal crackers, etc. The race offers ample parking at both start and finish lines which is very nice. Expo has decreased over the last couple of years, but I imagine a lot of that is due in part to a shift in how companies prefer to market themselves. Overall, a wonderful race!

This was a major bucket list race for me. My husband and I spent a few days in Vegas before the race and I could not wait to run down the strip at night. Like any RNR race, the crowd was insanely large. While I loved that we got to run down the strip at night, it seemed like the entire day had to revolve around the race. We boarded the monorail to head to the start line around 2 for the 4:30 start. Once there, I waited more than 30 minutes to actually reach the start line which seemed fairly long since I was in corral 8.

We had some pretty unfortunate weather with insane wind gusts and crazy rain, but that is not race organizer's fault. Running down the strip at night really was neat since it felt like everyone was looking at us (#Rockstars), but it seemed to be lacking the "fun" vibe that I anticipated feeling. Overall I had a very lackluster feeling. Majority of aid stations were out of water and the ones that did have water, it didn't seem to be clean. I'm not sure where they got it from, but it had weird specks in it and tasted gross.

After FINALLY finishing, it took what seemed like hours to exit the finish area. I was feeling very ill and began to feel claustrophobic, but there was no end in sight. My husband is a firefighter and he was able to run ahead to get some milk and chips for me to snack on since my blood sugar was so low. Once we made it through the finisher's area, we had to wait in an even longer line to get the special medal for doing both the half marathon and the 5k. The volunteers were out of water and Gatorade when we tried to ask for it.

I wish this race was more special to me. Yes, I'm glad I did it because it was a cool experience, but I would never do it again.

The expo was very well organized and the volunteers were some of the friendliest I have met. They had several themed stations set up for photo opportunities including a massive pirate ship in the center with real pirates. My Daddy had never been to an expo before and was blown away by the fact that people were selling a pair of socks for 10 dollars. It was quite the experience.

The race itself was fantastic. There were people everywhere and all the fellow runners that I met were super encouraging and nice. With a light rain sinking into our skin, it was hard not to just laugh about it. All of the miles were very clearly marked and you could see them in the distance. My biggest complaint early on in the race was a handcycle that had either stopped for a break or just fell behind. He was screaming at participants to move out of his way and was downright rude. He literally would run straight into the heels of people which had to hurt. Obviously it was harder for him to maneuver the crowds since he wasn’t on his feet but he still did not have to be so hateful.

There was a huge amount of crowd support that really made me take my mind off the distance. This course is by no means flat and the most annoying part of it was that the “hills” were really just inclined but they were soooo long which made it seem like they lasted forever and then the downhill inclines seemed like flatland. We ran past the Governor’s Mansion and he was outside with his wife (and bodyguards) high fiving runners. Several people stopped for photos but I chose not to. My favorite part of the race was the Couch Potato Mile. This portion was a strip of race that had couches lining the streets on both sides. The volunteers were handing out tater tots, french fries, potato chips, donuts, and beer. They even gave us all a sticker that said Couch Potato Mile. I’ve never seen anything like that before and loved the quirkiness that it gave the race.

Around mile 12.5 Maybelline beauty cosmetics had a station set up where you could get beads and lip gloss for your finish line photos. I grabbed some beads to put around my neck and placed the lip gloss in my running pack. That was such a cool touch and another unique thing to this race. Finally I could hear the finish line and had it in sight. There were people everywhere cheering and the announcer was booming calling everyone’s name out.

The post-race chute was incredibly organized. I was able to get my medal, some food, and my space blanket and then make my way to the reunion area. Oh, and the post race food was “snacks” but they were so delicious and perfect for what I was craving. Chocolate milk and goldfish may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it was just what I needed and wanted in that moment. I was able to locate my dad and then we stopped by the merchandise table and picked up a souvenir shirt since they were marked down to five dollars. Since I had a spectator I chose not to check a bag which made me glad because the bag check line was extremely long. Something to think about if you ever do this race.

Side note: due to a port strike on the West Coast, finishers medals were stuck at sea. The race directors contacted everyone several days before the race to let us know the situation and even worked hard to get us some plastic medals so that we would have a tangible medal upon finishing. They are mailing all medals at no cost to us so I’ve been very impressed with their professionalism. Do this race, y’all!

I signed up for this race on a whim while visiting Waco. It is your typical small town half marathon. Packet pickup was at a hotel near the start line on race morning which is always nice since you aren't committed to being in the area two days in a row. The race started near the Waco suspension bridge and ran all through town including through Baylor University. Lots of Baylor students out cheering. Coming from Tennessee, I assumed Texas would be flat, but that definitely was not the case. Lots of hills and inclines. Course was relatively boring and lacked a lot of crowd support, but it was to be expected with the low number of runners.
Absolute coolest part of the race was running through a zoo. It was still closed to the public at that time of morning, so we got to get up close and personal with lots of animals including my favorite one...giraffes.
Near the end of the race, they offer what is called "Jacob's Ladder Challenge." If you complete it, you get a ladder charm to hang from your medal, so of course I had to complete it. You basically ran up these massive steps that were formed into the mountain bank. Once you got to the top, you got a wristband to prove that you made it. I thought that was something neat to add to the race.

Overall, I would totally recommend this race if you are looking for a small town race with a smaller field or if you need a Texas race while racing the states.

Out of 31 half marathons, this one takes the cake of being my favorite. We turned this into a destination race and spent a few days in Myrtle Beach before the race. The tshirt was one of my favorite race shirts to date..super comfy and a very nice color/design. Although the expo was small, it was very organized and the volunteers were super friendly. I also liked having the name on our bibs.

Race morning was great. My running partner and I parked at the mall since our husbands would be at the finish line waiting for us. The race began running around the mall parking lot, but it was nice and flat. Before too long, we were running on nice open roads and running paths. Did I mention how flat it was?! A total dream. The weather was nice and cool, but still warm enough to not be miserably cold. Aid stations were well stocked and had two different powerade options in addition to water. Two of the aid stations even offered gels.

The last few miles ran parallel to the beach and it made time go by so much quicker looking out at the ocean with each step. Finishing on the boardwalk was the icing on the cake. It was a wickedly sweet finish line with lots of fanfare. The medals were AMAZING and HUGE! Coolest part about the medal was that it served as a bottle opener and the ribbon came off so that you could use it as a fridge magnet. Very unique way to display the medal. After going through the finish line area, there is a beach access point, so we were able to walk down and rest our feet in the cold water and enjoy some relaxation before heading back to the hotel.

Fantastic race, great swag, wonderful beach scenery. A must do for sure!