At Great Hills Drive, turn right. After about a quarter mile, turn right again onto Rain Creek.

Now the fun begins! In the first half-mile of Rain Creek, the course drops two hundred feet. As you descend the hill, take a moment to look out at the trees and the valley below you.

The bottom of the hill is the lowest point on the route. You will be at the 4 1/2 mile mark. In the morning, you may see deer grazing on the golf course that extends along both sides of the road. There will be a water stop there too. Grab a cup or two of water here before you begin climbing again. You will ascend two hundred fifty feet over the next two and a half miles.

The mile following the golf course is the most challenging part of the route. There are three hills. The first is moderate but short, the second is steep, and the third is gradual but long. You will reach the top of the third hill at the intersection of Rain Creek and Lost Horizon. Continue on Rain Creek. It makes a quick descent, then rolls up and down until it reaches Fire Oak.

Turn right onto Fire Oak. This is the last major hill on the route. From here on, the course is relatively flat.

When Fire Oak reaches Oak View, take a right. You will enter an older part of Great Hills. The streets are wide and tree-lined. Follow Oak View past Oak View park. When you reach Narrow Oak Trail, turn left. When Narrow Oak Trail dead-ends into Vallecito Drive, turn left. When Vallecito dead-ends into Carlwood, turn right. When Carlwood dead-ends into Fire Oak, turn right.

The course descends slightly over the next two miles. When Fire Oak meets Oak Knoll, turn left.

Take Oak Knoll under the freeway, then through the Riata office park. You will reach mile nine inside the office park. If you are too tired when you reach this point on race day, you can take a short jog to the finish line. Not that you would dream of quitting now; the hard part is behind you and you only have four miles to go!

Continue on Oak Knoll until you reach McNeil, then turn right. Stay on McNeil for a few hundred yards, then turn right onto Melrose Trail. You are at mile ten. Melrose Trail goes south, then east. When Melrose Trail meets Heinemann Drive, turn right. Take a left on Shreveport, then a right on Garfield. The road climbs a bit on Garfield, but after conquering the hills on Rain Creek, you'll barely notice it.

Stay on Garfield until it dead-ends into Riata Vista. Turn right. You are at mile eleven. Stay on Riata Vista until you reach Diehl, then turn right. Follow Diehl until it dead-ends into Riata Vista again, then turn right. At Riata Trace Parkway, turn right.

Take Riata Trace to Alameda Trace, then turn right. You are at mile twelve. (Drive carefully here. Rumor has it that the city subcontracted the Alameda Trace speed bumps to a front-end alignment company.) Alameda Trace climbs gradually and then joins back with Riata Trace. Turn right onto Riata Trace. Stay on Riata Trace until the next right. Turn right and sprint to the finish line at the Motive building.