Diva Half Marathon Expo

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the Diva Half Marathon.  The trip was perfect!  The drive down was about 10 hours.  My mom, my daughter and I arrived in Myrtle Beach around 8 PM on Friday evening.  We checked into our hotel, got some dinner and then made a Wal-Mart run for some last minute essentials.  We went to bed that night with plans of hitting the Diva Half Marathon first thing Saturday morning. 

We got up Saturday morning, got some breakfast and headed out to the expo.  I was not sure what to expect for this Expo.  The only other Expos I had ever been to were Disney.  We got to the Expo around 10 am.  The cars were pouring in.   We parked and went in.  A very grouchy lady from the chamber of commerce handed my mom and I a bag of coupons and directed me to packet pickup.  There was no line at packet pick up.  I told them my bib number, showed them my ID, and they gave me my packet.  Very easy! 

Inside the packet was my bib, some bib pins, a draw string back pack and the race shirt.  I really like getting a goody bag, but it is nice to not have a bunch of papers to through away.  The shirt is awesome!  It is a ladies cut tech material, hot pink and super cute.  The draw string back pack is nice and also served as our gear check bag. 

After I got my packet, I walked around the vendor stands.  There was maybe 10-15 vendor stands at the Expo—much less than at Disney.  I checked out Running Princess and got an awesome shirt that I wore for the Diva half.  I checked out some other vendors and got a new headband.  My last stop was the Diva Lounge.  At the Diva Lounge, there were lots of tiaras, feather boas, and Diva bling to play dress up with.  There were also banners to take pictures with.  I also got to meet Kendrick, the official trainer for the Diva running series.  I have been following him on Facebook and Twitter for a while now.  He always gives great advice and answers reader’s questions.  He is a real class act. 

The highlight of the Expo for me was being recognized by two separate blog/Facebook friends.   I love meeting new people!  It was so great to meet you, Cara and Jenna!  I also met up with some friends from home.  It was fun to shop the vendors with friends. 

After the Expo, my mom and I spent some time on the Myrtle Beach board walk and beach.  For the evening, I went to dinner with some of the most wonderful women I know.  Thank you to Hope Epton for hosting and giving us a place to hang out together!  It was so great to see you ladies again!  After dinner, I went back to the hotel to prepare for the Diva half the next morning. 

A dream is a wish…

--Amy