Dixee Ayach's Staging Area

As a first timer doing this race and first timer in Solvang, CA, I had a wonderful experience! From the very detailed information prior to race day to the wine tasting expo the day before and wine tasting after the race. I wanted to wear a “costume” for the race and reached out to ensure this wasn’t a problem and I received a response within the hour!
The scenery was beautiful from running through the neighborhood, the little shops and the views when reaching the top of the 7 miles and Al the animals along the way. At the beginning of the race, there is a little incline but no more than .2 of a mile and it kind of evens out and almost a slight decline in elevation. From mile 2-6 it’s a very light incline but feels more flat. There are definitely hills to tackle but personally I found corkscrew hill which is from mile 6.4 to 6.9 not as bad as I anticipated.. it then follows onto some rolling hills but very easy and manageable. The one I found challenging was the last little hill at around mile 11.5-12 probably because it is towards the end of the race where you are simply trying to cross the finish line. Overall, I found the route to be beautiful, well planned and challenging enough. I carry my own hydration pack but there seem to be plenty of water stations and people cheering which was nice. The parking was very accessible, we didn’t arrive until 6:30am and the race started at 7am. I also loved my pics which I purchased in advance with registration, I love my wine glass , (this was an extra charge for the wine festival at the end of the race) and the medal is very cool as the windmill spins. Overall experience was great and absolutely looking forward to next year’s race!