Real runner feedback on course feel, crowd support, aid stations, and logistics (parking, hotels, restaurants).
I retuned to my hometown to run this, my third marathon. I knew to expect the breath-taking beauty of the course, but I wasn't as prepared for the short, steep rolling hills and gravelly trails in Wilder Ranch. They come between miles 17-22 approximately, and they did me in (I train in Florida and have to run on overpasses to get any hill training). The irony is, the hardest part of this race is also the most visually spectacular, as you follow the coast on the bluffs above the ocean. Race orgnization was impressive for this small, new race. Vounteers were helpful and enthusiastic, aid stations were sufficient.