For a first-time race, I thought they did very well. And the organizers openly acknowledged and apologized on Facebook for any mistakes they made. Pre-race, I found it difficult to access the website (I guess it couldn’t handle all the traffic). And the access to the expo by car was a little difficult. Thankfully, there is a metro station right across the street so on race day, I avoided the whole parking situation by taking the Red Line. So overall, I would have to say that access to the event was convenient. During the race, they ran out of cups – there was plenty of water, but not enough cups. The water volunteers were having to pour water into the cupped hands of runners who were not carrying their own water. Fortunately, I had a hydration belt so this didn’t really affect me. But it’s still a problem, although I objected to those runners who took it out on the volunteers (it wasn’t their fault). I really enjoyed the course; it’s so much nicer to run Hollywood Blvd. than it is to drive it. There were a lot of port-a-potties (this was very important since I was running with a pregnant friend who had to avail herself of them). And the volunteers were great. Post-race, I loved hearing them announce my friend and I as we crossed the finish line and there was food and refreshment available, which I appreciated. I heard there were problems with people getting back up to Universal because of the shuttle situation, but since I just walked downhill to the Metro station, I can’t speak to any of that. All in all, I enjoyed this race and I’m already signed up for next year.
