it's been awhile since i've done a RnR race but, in my experience, this was par for the course. and i mean that in a generally positive way. they have gotten very good at pulling off these large events and this was no exception. but there are unavoidable hassles with large events.
- there were bands on platforms or DJs every few miles and the mile markers had music playing. mostly you got the regular cover-band style music but they were all into it so it was fun. there were a few people running with speakers on their backs which was annoying as hell. i have no idea if they were part of the "experience"
- the start went pretty smoothly. since the corrals were not physically separated there were a LOT of slower runners way ahead of where they should have been. it made the congestion on the first part of the race pretty significant. there were no strollers or pets, so that made up for it somewhat.
- the water stops were every two miles when possible. these were pretty well run for a race this size. the biggest issue was novice runners not knowing how to queue through (please don't dead stop in front of people). but that's par for the course with a big race like this. they also had regular gatorade and not that soy weirdness.
- the medical tents were placed regularly along the route and their personnel were pretty active monitoring the runners. as i said, it was really humid. i saw no less than three runners down on the course. (my friend who was a spectator says he saw one guy veer off the route at about mile nine, pull out his cell phone and call a ride)
- i thought they did a great job of the finish line. it was easy to move through despite the post-race zombie walk. the offerings were solid and easy to get to. the reception area was well arranged and large enough to handle the crowd.
if i felt up to another big race, i'd seriously consider one of theirs.
