pretty easy for me as a charlottesville native--very hard for anyone else. I was one of the few people that always just kept running the hills. lots of faster people that had to walk them swearing... only one I saw running up river road on second loop. most people looked beat up, whereas I was going faster second half.

challenging do to hills and monotony of running two six mile loops at end, having people passing me that were finishing when I was just starting first loop. had a guy ask if I was mile 16 or 22. when i said 16, he said he was a "strong 22". whatever... just congratulated him and kept running. had 3 asthma attacks due to bronchitus only.

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

very little food, two porta-potties put up for whole race (not counting ones at start/end line). No gu passed out as advertised. N0 line up, just huge mass start that including three races all-at-once. Very monotonous looping of course, very few spectators. Awards ceremony over by time I finished-three hours into. But in hometown turf and had friends and family-the trade off.

Pretty low-budget organization. liked the medal-- artsy tree but no date on it. got the wrong sized t-shirt. ordered womens small and got a kids x-large. doesn't fit, but don't like it anyways. no drinks at end--just one skimpy peice of very cold pizza and one banana. huge sign saying that you only get one plate and no more. porta-potty stop at mile 8 cost me 10 minutes due to long line. doing laps was pretty awful in second half. No crowds like the 10 miler... A volunteer cheered me on just past mile 17/25 junction and said I only had a mile to go--not really, as I had 6! Not encouraging for me. But a volunteer asked if I needed help when I stopped at mile 15 with an asthma attack (but I had my inhaler with me). Bands were done when I was done. Almost everything used up by and for the half-marathoners or uber fast full marathoners. an insult to slower folks.