prerace:
this was my first “official” race other than a YMCA 5k, so i may not know any better but everything in pre-race seemed to flow very well. lots of staff, lots of signage to direct you where to go. great that bib number was emailed out prior to the race so you knew where to go for pickup. not that i remembered everything that was said, but it was very helpful for the course description to be laid out during race announcement, i.e., then you’ll reach the meadow, you’ll reach a long uphill trail that only 5 people in the entire race will probably continue to run, etc. helpful to recall whatever i remembered at certain points so i knew what to expect.
course:
starting the race off in waves was helpful, i think, considering a lot of it was single file. course was well marked, awesome views…. glad i didn’t come across the poison oak they warned us about. loved the happy face markers at the top and towards finish. great for lifting up spirits when you needed it. some of those uphill runs were gnarly. it sure felt like 1300′! like the other reviewer noted, the conditions were awesome… probably from the recent rains. intermittent shade/sun was great.
post-race:
great area to mingle post race…. all the shade was appreciated. food was simple but good. my only complaint is they ran out of cups for water and water itself seemed to be running out. so we had to go get a free beer and saved the cups for water. thank god for beer!
overall:
line for the porta-potties got pretty long, so i think they could’ve used several more. overall all though, it was an awesome experience for my first trail run. it seemed very well organized. the guys running the show were friendly and funny. everyone really seemed to have a great time. loved the comraderie and team spirit even though running is an individual sport. can’t wait for the next one. i will definitely be doing this one again!