I signed up for this race because it is local and highly recommended. I was impressed with the organization--race day was stress free thanks to their awesome planning! Here's the details:

PRE-RACE: Runners got several emails in the weeks before the race, which always calms my nerves. Parking was easy. The race is held at a high school, so there's plenty of parking and AWESOME volunteers to help guide you! You could use port-a-potties or the school bathrooms before the race, which helped spread the lines out a bit. Bananas and oranges were available pre-race if you need a snack. Since this is a November race in New Hampshire, its a bit chilly at the start and I was so thankful to be able to spend the time before the race in the school lunch room.

SWAG: You can pick up your packet the day before the race at the local running store, or the morning of at the race. Everyone gets a long sleeve t shirt. Great fit and quality! I got a womens large, which is my usual size. Finishers also get a medal!

AID STATIONS: Man, these volunteers are AWESOME! Every aid station had amazing support. Water and gatorade were at every aid station, and there was also a gel station around the half way mark.

COURSE: This course follows two of the most popular coastal routes in the area. There are some rolling hills, and a sort-of killer hill at the end of mile 13.

Ultimately, I'd recommend this race to anyone. With about 1000 runners, there's great energy but it's not too crowded.

A nice small race with great local turnout! The Pumpkin Regatta is a big fall festival, and this race starts the morning off right. There's a big hill in the middle of the course, but otherwise it's rolling/New England flat. I registered too late to get a t-shirt, but they looked nice. I liked the free race photos!

This is a gorgeous course at the base of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The support is great, and the course is a loop so nothing gets old. My best friend had no trouble driving the course and meeting me at key intersections for a nice photo and some encouragement! The swag was a nice long sleeve shirt, standard fit. This has been my favorite half to date, mostly because I enjoy smaller fields and varied scenery throughout a course, and I love the mountains!

I finally checked this race off my list! If you want to register, the race usually sells out in 8 minutes or less. The race website is very clear and they communicate regularly through Facebook and email, which I enjoyed.

This is a point to point race with bus transportation from parking to start and from finish to parking. They have the organization DOWN! Bib pick-up was a breeze, bag drop was easy, and they were prepped with plenty of port-a-potties (lines were still long, but to be expected).

The actual running was horrible for me--I bonked around mile 9, but the volunteers are what kept me going. Everyone was super supportive and cheered all the runners on! The after-party tents had a great variety of snacks, from fruit to bagels to pretzels and bars. The beer selection was great, and it wasn't hard to find my gear bag at the end.

Overall, this race is well run (even if you don't run the course well :P )

COURSE: I PR'ed on this course! There are some rolling hills, but nothing extreme. The scenery is some of the best in the area.

SWAG: I really appreciated the lack of swag. This is reflected in the low cost of the race. I think it also speaks to the overall commitment to sustainability. For a race less than a half marathon, I don't need to walk away with anything more than my bib--not everyone feels this way, and swag is for sale before the race.

ORGANIZATION: Well organized! I liked having bib pickup at Runner's Alley the day before. I felt that the organizing team did a good job communicating with runners via email before and after the event, and their website is nice too.