Not bad. Half of the course is uphill, and half is downhill, making this a pretty challenging course. I'm not the kind to under-estimate the downhill portions (I saw someone take a spill!), and the uphills are self-explanatory.

This is one of the oldest race in the area, and is in its 32nd year. For a community event, that's quite a long time, and there were many genuinely unique perks to both the course and the "after party." One of the highlights were the row of grandmas handing out oranges at the end of the race.

So the course itself starts in downtown and runs up into Elysian Park. There is a short straight run before the 20 or so minutes of uphill running begins. That's about 1.5 to 2 miles, I think? It's nearly half the course, and it's not a gentle incline. Not monstrously steep, it's unmistably a hill. I ran most of the way up, and when we reached the top, one guy next to me said, "Here comes the fun part."

The rest of the way was almost entirely downhill, right up until we got to Dodger stadium. At first I played it safe, holding back a bit because I didn't want to pound my feet too much or over-work them so that I get too tired. Eventually I wanted to start passing people, so I started picking up my knees a bit. It seems like if I can use my muscles to control things rather than letting gravity take me all the way down, I can actually pick up the pace and still feel in control.

I really like this course. It's unique for a race. This time it whooped me, but next year I'll be back, hopefully much stronger!