I was very disappointed with this half. I was very excited for the event, since I love the Boston Athletic Association. However, this event was awful. To start, parking was all the way in East Boston/Seaport area, when the event started at Franklin Park. Getting into the parking garages was a nightmare and the shuttle bus driver got lost and took over an hour to get to the race start, making everyone late when we arrived towards the earlier end of the recommended arrival time. Not enough Port-A-Potties at the start. Limited crowd support along the course and not enough aid stations. The course itself was pretty boring, with a out and back type loop toward the end of the race. Running through the zoo at the end was a cool concept, except no animals were out so it was very boring. Friends who have run told me that in past years, visitors of the zoo were allowed in before the end of the Half, so runners had to navigate their way through children and other zoo-goers. Ran out of many snack items at the finish.

This was my first half marathon and was a great race. Good crowd support along the route with entertaining aid stations with DJs and performers. A few challenging hills and a bit of a fishy odor around the harbor area. The post-race refreshments were great, and the medal was cool. Parking was a bit difficult in downtown.