RaceFest has steep hills, free beer

I was hoping to get this up earlier, but I'm just glad to get them up at all: A few bits of news and notes from Neil Howard, one of the organizers of Saturday's Charlotte RaceFest:

Q. How many runners are registered?
A. At 2,000 right now and could get to 2,500 [by Saturday] ...

Q. I hear from veterans that the course is hilly. True?
A. First part is pretty flat, with a big hill at 10.5 [for half-marathoners] and another one -- not so big -- right before the finish. So the strategy is to make sure to have enough for that hill. There are six aid stations with Gatorade and water. [For a peek at the route, go to the RaceFest site and click on "Course Map."]

Q. Post-race beers: Free?
A. Beer is free for runners (there'll be eight kegs of Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Amber), and we'll have a live band as usual. There also will be oranges and bananas at finish line, as well as water and Gatorade.

Remember: You can still register for the 10K ($40) or the half-marathon ($50), but only in-person -- either from 3-9 p.m. Friday or from 6-7:45 a.m. on race day, at the Doubletree hotel at SouthPark, 6300 Morrison Blvd.

Forecast is for 52 degrees and sunny at the 8 a.m. start. Hope to see you out there!