Yeah, they unfortunately focus on the flat parts of the course in their description - and it is true that most of the course is flat along the river (most being the majority of the miles) - but the portions that are not flat are very hard. I have only done the half, and do it every year, but the full course runs right by the house where I grew up and I am very familiar with the roads. From mile 13 or so to mile 19 or so it is really brutal. There is also a long, tough climb in the second mile of the race.
It is as pretty a course as you will find though. The race is smallish - I am not sure of the numbers but I would think it is less than 1000 people for the full and not much more than that for the half. It is pretty well run, parking is easy and it has a beautiful post-race site and environment, with food and bluegrass music, etc. The weather is typically a good temperature for racing.