While I didn't like the 5am start time, I forgive it because everything else about this one was so much nicer than Tink. Security was only one-time and was (as others say) quick, characters were practically everywhere on the course (they took the chance to pull a lot of stuff from the Pixar Play Parade and put it out for photos in DCA, which was neat), and other live entertainment (the Soundsational drummers and a couple of live jazz bands near the finish): and I didn't have to listen to "Following the Leader" 500 times! Especially nice was that the corrals were smaller in size: there were way more of them than Tink but each one was smaller so when we started it was much less of a stampede than Tink. There were more water stops than they've had in the last few DL 10k's as well. And the DJ on the back stretch of DCA when you're on that final mile put on Uptown Funk, which pepped me right up through a stretch that gave me struggles last time.
The weather got me a little bit and I too got a bit queasy around km6 (and water wasn't particularly helping) so Powerade or something would have been nice, but this is only my 4th 10k ever (4
Disneyland ones in a row!!!) and all of the previous ones weren't nearly so hot so I didn't realize that'd happen. I may have to carry an emergency stash of Powerade next time.