Challenging with multiple rolling hills, a couple are steep.

The course is a nice balance of fast and slow/challenging areas.

There are 3 hills. One in the first mile, one monster hill in mile 5 or 6 and a short hill just before the start of the last mile. The rest of the course has some rolling terrain.

Quality of Event:
1-poorly organized
10-very well organized

No expo, no buses to start, there was a baggage check.

This is my favorite race. The course scenery is spectacular. I love the 6:30AM start. I was taken back by a someone asking for a donation to a charitable cause at packet pickup this year. When I wasn't able to make a donation, I was told the volunteers from the charity would still be out there to hand me water during the race. This race is fairly pricey compared to others I run. I thought the reason was because a substantial portion of the entry fee was going to charity.

Experience and right strategy definately helps me in this race. There are places on the course where you can pick up some time that you might lose on the hills. It's great starting the race with out of towners, watching them run ahead,then catching up and passing them just before mile 10 - happens every year.

Scenery is beautiful; start time of 6:30 is just after sunrise and well-timed; course very hilly; expensive entry fee; shirt mediocre; medal diminutive; post-race nutrition mediocre; did not care for the packet pick-up experience which forces you through multiple stations within the running store, the last of which coerces you to make a donation to a local cause before leaving.