This is my first half marathon so bear with me!
I thought it was a great race to start on.
Half marathon started at 7:00pm which works best for me since I am NOT an early riser.
Pros:
Started on time
Lots of spots open for guests to cheer you on (easily accessible)
Went through some neighborhoods where resident were sitting in their front yards cheering you on, one was actually out with his hose offering to spray you with water
Lots of staff guiding you
Clear paths
Relatively flat
Some mix of flat dirt paths (on occasion) but mostly asphalt or sidewalks
Roads were closed around the race so not much road traffic
Chalk arrows on the ground to help with directions, as well as cones
Adequate parking with no traffic upon entering
(I've done 5ks before where we got stuck in traffic for parking and ended up being late)
Emails sent out with important info and tips on race day
Cons:
Inadequate hydration stations. The first one wasn't until mile 4! Also they served blue Gatorade or water and each station was completely different temperatures of drinks. The first one the Gatorade was hot, second station, ice cold. Third, hot again.
Staff did not know when next water station would appear
Some areas poorly lit (although they sent an email before hand stating it gets dark so bring a headlight or flashlight-which I did and it was helpful)
I was not happy with mile 12 being mostly uphill over bridge that was an overpass over the freeway. Going over it the first time earlier in the race didn't kill me, but going over it again on mile 12 made me wanna collapse and really screwed up my pace
Also you have to run right past the finish line to go the last about 0.5-0.75 miles until you actually CROSS the finish line, which was slightly misleading. I wanted to push myself at the end, and used up my gas a little early since I saw the finish line and still had quite a bit of that final mile to finish.
Overall it was great. Vendors after served beer, ice cream, snow cones, watermelon, banana, and protein bars.
Shirts and medals are cute. Medal glows in the dark.
All in all, what matters most, is I would do the course again :)
Biggest suggestion is more hydration stations read more