For it’s first year the Hollywood Half had some really good things go right for it and it has some room to improve. First off, the communication and interaction with the race director Ken was outstanding! He consistently talked with and answered questions on Facebook with everyone!
-The race Expo was held at the Universal City Hilton, traffic was horrible and the expo i’s self was WAY too small for the amount of people attending. I will say this Ken, immediately noted that they would look into changing this to a 2 day event next year to lighten up traffic. Also while in the expo bib #’s were way in the back and shirts were off to the side with very little organization.
-Race morning – Parking was great, it’s Universal City so they have plenty of it, went very smooth.
-Starting line – The corrals were very confusing and weren’t being policed at all. In the first wave where the elite runners were, walkers were there and started with them.
– The course – The course was great and wasn’t too difficult until the the hill from miles 11 to the finish. I’ve never done a race with such a long hill at the end. This isn’t a deal breaker for me just super tough at the end of a half.
– Water/Aid stations – How do you run out of cups in the middle of a race? 2 back to back water stations around mile 8 and 10 did not have enough cups so many people including myself went without fluids. i wasn’t even at the back of the pack so i can’t imagine what they went through. This was an out and back course so water stations were being hit going and coming.
– Finish – No complaints here, the finish are was great, from the red carpet to the food and drinks that were waiting and the medals were pretty cool.
-Spectators – My family always goes to these races with me and their biggest issue was, no one knew what was gong on form volunteers to security. the finish line was just under a mile from the start and when my family asked the volunteers they had no idea where it was. Also when they actually found out they had to walk on the course with the runners to get there because all the sidewalks were blocked off.
Overall I would do this race again, it’s the first year and they have and I’m sure they will fix the issues that arose this year.