The expo was really nice and big. I enjoyed walking around. I didn’t like having to pay to pick up my packet. It seems like they could have reserved an area of downtown for that.
I got there about 5:30 and didn’t have any of the traffic issues. I knew it would get crazy closer to the start time. The start line and bathroom situation were both chaos. There were not enough bathroom for the number of people starting the race. There was also only one visible entrance to the start line from the bathrooms. I missed my wave by about 20 minutes because of the bathroom line, and I got in line 30 minutes before my wave was supposed to start. I ended up in wave 6 instead of wave 5. I would say they either need to limit the number of participants or have different start times to get rid of the chaotic situation.
The course was crowded, but fine. I didn’t like the portion on the bike path because it is so narrow. Moving around slower groups is really tough on the path.
Because of the start and the crowding, I didn’t go as fast as I could have. But it was still a fun course. The people cheering ou on are GREAT. That was the best part if it.
At the end, I didn’t realize they were taking pictures, and nobody told me to get one, and I almost missed my medal. There were too many people coming through, and the volunteers looked a little overwhelmed. I then couldn’t find my family for about 20 minutes, and they were really close to me.
I don’t typically stay for the post-race, but it looked like people were having fun.
I don’t know if I would do this one again because of the crowds.