Some good; some bad. Course: Flat and BORING. Don't expect to see anything but mostly one street in a fancy Portland suburb. Portland is a great city - I want to see more of it! I have run both NYC and Philly, and if they can logistically take runners on a great city tour (which they do), so can a much smaller town like Portland. PLEASE CHANGE THIS COURSE TO TAKE RUNNERS THROUGH THE ACTUAL CITY! The organization was great - easy pickup the day before and even race-day pickup. Pasta dinner was decent. AMAZING SWAG - great long-sleeved shirt, runner's bag with the marathon logo filled with goodies (including a DVD) and a fantastic medal. Only complaint is the course.

I ran the half marathon and I can't say enough good things about this race! First of all, Portland is one great city. I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn on Commercial Street, which was within walking distance of the start/finish and expo (as well as lots of great shopping and dining). The expo is large enough to be interesting and the swag is fantastic, with everything from lots of snacks to an actual DVD of "Marley & Me." I've run in a lot of events and this is the first time I've been given a brand new DVD! The volunteers were very friendly and the course is scenic, with a few nice but very manageable hills. The weather was exceptional and, honestly, there isn't anything I can complain about. Hats off to the race director and all of the wonderful volunteers for making this one of my favorite races to date!

The SWAG was amazing - great tech shirt, finisher's medal, and even a type of mesh backpack filled with lots of goodies, including a free DVD. The organization was great too - race morning pickup was available and therefore awesome. The pasta dinner was fair; it could be a little better, but not bad. The course had much to be desired; it was literally an out-and-back on the SAME road going in a wealthy suburb of Portland. The race name, based on the course, should really be the "Wealthy Suburb of Portland Marathon." Portland is a great city with lots of cool neighborhoods to go through, but this race showed us almost NOTHING of the actual city itself. PLEASE CHANGE IT.

Amazing experience! All of the hard work that the race organizers put into this race really shows. The expo was nice, with few people trying to sell worthless trinkets. There was great parking which was easy to navigate. Fan support was amazing. The North end of the course was not in good condition - twisting my ankle kept the race from being totally perfect. However, the race organizers did a great job of highlighting these spots. All in all, it was a great race that I am already recommending to my friends. I hope to be back at some point!

The race was very well organized and had plenty of friendly, enthusiastic volunteers. There was not much in the way of scenery along the course. I guess I was expecting something a bit more picturesque. The hills don't really amount to much of anything except for maybe the noticeable hill at mile 17. All in all, I found the race to be a very pleasant, low-hassle event. I would definitely do it again.

An all around good experience. The day was beautiful, the course challenging (for me anyway) but not too much so, and the spectators and support stations were enthusiastic and encouraging, even for us back-of-the-pack runners. My only negative was they ran out of women's sizes for the race shirts, but in all fairness, I got to the expo kind of late in the day. I found the parking at the start very easy and convenient too - a big plus in my book since I tend to worry more about the logistics than the race itself. Good job, Portland - a wonderful event and great scenery too!

The race director went above and beyond to help me find a spot to park my R.V., and I really appreciated that personal service. The course is an honest one - not too easy but certainly not too hard, with manageable hills. Water stops were numerous, and they were all manned with volunteers who seemed to be having fun, and who were very supportive of the runners. The course had quite a few spectators, and they gave enthusiastic support. All aspects of the race helped me in my quest to qualify for Boston, and I would highly recommend this race to other marathoners.

Loved it! I ran the full, had a great run and enjoyed every mile. The organization and packet-pick up were good. Portland is an easy city to navigate and there's plenty of free parking at number pick-up the day prior. Awesome long-sleeve shirt, great tote bag of the usual give aways. Seamless pre-race as well. Easy parking near the start. Great course and the director arranged for perfect weather too. The hills are nothing; it is New England after all. If your long runs are on New England country roads, you are all set. If you trained in Kansas, you may be in trouble! I was very pleased to see that the medal for the full was different from the medal for half - and twice as big. It is nice to get recognition for a full rather than the same reward as the halfies as if your race was an afterthought attached to a half marathon. The volunteers at the end draped my medal around my neck and wrapped me in Mylar. I am used to unenthusiastic volunteers handing them to me. Plenty of food left for a four-hour mid-packer too. Great time. Do it if you have the chance.

This is a terrific small-to-mid-sized race. The course is rolling enough to be interesting, but flat enough not to take too much out of you. It's not Boston or New York, but you'll find pockets of spectators along most of the course if you need that boost. The race organizers kept everything running smoothly, and I saw no organizational hiccups.

It's a tiny bit crowded while the marathon and half marathon are running together, but this lasts only a few miles, and this is when you should be running conservatively anyway.

They take this race seriously in Portland! I just received an entry form in the mail for this year's race. That tells me they've been planning at least 6 months for October, and all of their planning showed at last year's race. The packet pickup, expo, race line up, water stops, and post-race food were all impeccable! Parking near the starting line was simple with the University of Maine's parking deck nearby. The crowd was supportive along the entire course, and the fall colors were amazing. And downtown Portland had some killer restaurants and things to see. I'm a Texas guy, but I really enjoyed Portland. Though I'm a 50-stater with a bunch to go, I'll run this race again. Very well done!