Growing up on Long Island, I was pretty excited to begin my marathon career back in my old home.

While the adrenaline does kick in (being a first-timer to the marathon distance), I do have to admit the whole experience left a little bit to be desired. The beginning part of the marathon is ok, with some trots around some LI establishments (Nassau Coliseum, Hofstra University, some track stadium) but it all goes downhill when you get to the highway on the back half of the run.

First off, most of the people seemed to do the half-marathon and I can now see why. The back half is rather bland in scenery and just tough to run b/c it's all pavement and the atmosphere is just pure boredom from miles 13 to 24. This is where I would imagine most people lost their times (as I lost about a full minute per mile on the back half) but i do have to say that the run itself was not too difficult. The biggest challenge will be to maintain your interest in the race!

This was my first time running the half marathon, and when I asked questions, the staff was very friendly. Also, the people I ran with were very supportive.

I have run this half marathon ten times. This year the course was changed significantly, allegedly to take it through the residential neighborhoods of Nassau County. Yeah, right! Most of the course now goes through industrial sections with absolutely no crowd support at all. And the Nassau County buses idling on the side of the course and spewing fumes was a nice touch! The old course was so much better with so many spectators on the streets and bands playing. And the finish area continues to be horrendous. The organizers could learn a lot from the NYRRC. But year after year this race just gets worse.

This was my first marathon, so no matter how boring the course may have been, I will always remember the kindness of everyone I spoke with. I had decided to run this about 10 days before, and was very appreciative of the friendly staff in the office when I called. I was very impressed with the friendly, encouraging volunteers at the water stations, even though I must admit that I was disappointed with the lack of water stations at the end.

After reading all these previous comments about the L.I.M., I would like to express my opinion. I have had the good fortune of running this as my very first marathon back in 1989, and have continued to do so for 15 straight years. The comments, both pro and con, have some merit. It's flat, boring at times, light on spectators, and the marathon participants have dwindled over the past few years for a number of various reasons. Yes, David Katz and his organization-Finish Line Technicians are the best at what they do. As far as the course is concerned, I'm guessing that the county will not grant the marathon committee access to most of the side roads or other major arteries to do the full marathon. Logistics and cost are probably two of the many reasons. The present course could also be one of the major reasons that they are able to keep the cost as low as it is for a marathon, or even half-marathon. That said, the other major ingredient needed is more marketing or publicity. One runner hit it right on the head when they said that with two million or so people in the Long Island area, it surprising to see such a low turnout. As far as the other negative comments are concerned, no matter what race it is, not every participant is going to have a perfect experience or perfect run. Some runners enjoy spectator crowds, while other runners enjoy the breathing room; some runners need to be encouraged, some like it flat, some like a challenge, some like it cold, etc... After 50 plus marathons, I have come to learn about and accept variety. I agree much can be done to improve the L.I.M., but perhaps this is the best they can do. I would be very disappointed to see this race fall off the calender, as it holds a very special place in my heart. If the commitee can improve or tweak certain aspects of this event, that would be terrific. If not, there are hundreds of other marathons in this country, not to mention the world. It would be sad to see this race vanish, so I, along with others, will continue to support this for as long as I am able. My thanks to everyone who has made this race possible, not only for the 15 years I have done this, but since its inception. Thank you for this opportunity to share my opinion.

The race was well organized, but had less then 500 runners in the full marathon. Was very lonely out there. At many points during the run, there was no one around me, other then police and staff personnel. The race need more participants, more spectators, and a more interesting course layout.

Great supporting staff, very nice people. I was surprised at the low number of marathoners.

This was a well-organized race, but the few spectators that there were (or at least my dear OLD dad) had a rough time--they were kept far from the finish line (off in the stands) and couldn't find their athletes easily (because of all the fences separating the spectators from the tents). Lighten up a little and let the spectators get up to the finish and greet their athletes even if they might, possibly, sneak a bagel or two! It's a long lonely run and family members should be more readily allowed to become part of the celebration at the end.

Temperature for 2003 race was perfect for a run. The course is run mostly on a closed-off highway. Although marked as flat, it gradually goes up one direction and down the other. The water stations are staffed with awesome volunteers. The only complaint I had was during the last 7 miles, marathoners run into an enormous pack of half-marathon runners who started an hour after the marathon. Such congestion naturally slows you down and affects your concentration.

The benefit of starting the half marathon an hour later was less congestion at the start and a lot more people cheering the runners on over the last 4 miles.

I would recommend either (1) the marathon start at 7:30 instead of 8am and still have the half start at 9, or (2) cones be used to separate the full marathoners from the half marathoners on the overlap portion of the course.

Race organizers were very helpful. I recommend this race to all those runners who are looking to improve their times and concentration.

1 - Return to same start time for the full and the half marathons; having the option was a great feature in 2002 when I did the full marathon.

2 - Have a clock or someone giving time at each mile marker, at some points in the race (half) I did not see mile markers.

3 - Provide sports drinks, water, power gels etc. at a central point along the Wantagh. Erecting a narrow table/platform over the concrete median near the 10 mile mark would not interfere with the runners, while giving full marathoners three chances to refresh themselves and half marathoners an energy boost to finish strong.

4 - To avoid possible ankle/foot injuries, place astro turf mats over the grass strip where the race exits the Wantagh to local streets.

5 - Improve web site, post race photographs of participants at various points along the course.

6 - Kudos for your pre-race expo change, this larger site was a big improvement.