This is the place to go if you want a marathon PR. That is the main draw of this event. The previous commentator must have been expecting some kind of entertainment too. This is a great course for running fast. There is a net downhill and only two slight uphills on the entire course. Eighteen miles on a bikepath may seem boring but it gives you a chance to run in a trance and the miles just fly by. There is no real expo. What did you expect? It only has 450 runners and 500 half marathoners. The course has some nice scenery with views of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers but also has an ugly section in the town of Watervliet. The weather is usually cool and running mostly west to east there is a tailwind more often than not. There are no timing chips but you can line up in the middle of the pack and reach the starting line in fifteen seconds. The school bus ride to the start is not too pleasant but hey, they don't have a $100 entry fee so what did you expect? Watch out for a train crossing around mile 17. If you get stopped they'll subtract the delay from your finish time. The volunteers on the course and at the finish seemed pleasant enough to me. There are no porta potties at the start, just restrooms in the park, so be prepared to wait or use the woods as many runners seemed to do as the police looked the other way. The finish area is very scenic with the river on your left and a close up view of downtown Albany on the left. The end result is the speed of this course far outweighs any of the imperfections of the event. I have run my fastest and third fastest times here (out of 27 marathons).

I agree it is great to get away from the big, hurry-up-to-wait marathons. However, it is still a marathon, which most people spend an average of four months training for. So how about a little fanfare? None.

The "expo" was disorganized. The people working had the energy of prison cafeteria workers. I tried to break them with my kindness, but no luck. They brag about a spectator bus, which we were told "might be canceled." It was. My wife (who paid) was told they would call to let her know. They never did. You can consider that a donation to the club. As a back up, we asked for good spectator points. All they did was hand us a map. We asked for clarity, but no one could offer suggestions on where to watch. She got to see me at the finish, where she was kind enough to help at the finish tent. The people were not friendly and only barked orders. The funny thing is that the course has TONS of points to see your runner. This was a secret left for the locals. This is a local race for locals.

No chip in 2007 - ah, OK. I love volunteers and make it a point always to smile and say thank you in every race, at every stop. They are the backbone of all races. However, I don't think they knew there was a race going on. It was difficult to get fluids. Not sure what scenery everyone is talking about.... Some trees, a river? But it was a ton of fun avoiding moving traffic at points.

And yes, as the earlier runner points out, there's a Starbucks near the hotel. So it was shower and coffee, followed by burning rubber to get out of Albany. I did have a PR that day, but it was in the drive home. Glorified training run. If you looking for a nice school bus ride, course with ample downhills, and some QT with the Lord, then go for it.

This is a great race to run for a fast time and a fun experience. The surroundings were beautiful, the weather was great, and the organization was very good. I also liked how small the race was; with fewer competitors and spectators, I was able to zone out and just roll for long stretches. But then if I started getting discouraged, I would see some spectators often enough to give me encouragement. It was just the right mix. The course itself is just amazing, it felt so easy to maintain my pace. There weren't any particularly challenging hills, but there was just enough terrain to keep you from going stale. My only complaint is the awards ceremony, which was delayed for a long time. I had to get on the road to get back to school and I ended up sitting there for hours just to get a tiny trophy and to be told that the check would be in the mail. But all in all, the experience was awesome and was probably the best marathon I could have chosen for my marathon debut. I would recommend this race to anyone that doesn't depend on constant crowd support, but can enjoy the zen of hitting a rhythm and just rolling along.

MHRM is a great choice as an old fashioned, no frills, all-about-the-race marathon. You won't be cheered by thousands or browsing the expo all afternoon. You won't even have a chip on your shoe. As someone mentioned earlier, there wasn't a word in the local papers the next day. This is a club race, and it really feels like one. But if you're looking for a very fast course, easy logistics, and excellent organization, you can't do any better. I have also been at numerous races in which people lined up inappropriately at the start. Ironically for a race without timing chips, runners seemed to voluntarily line up where they belonged at MHRM. I wish there were more marathons like this.

They aren't kidding - it's flat and fast! I train almost all the time on 'rails to trails' - that helped a lot. I had a little physical blow-up at the end but would've busted 3:10 by a lot. One of the nicest views is at Mile 5, as you're about to get on the trail by the Mohawk. Breathtaking!

The expo fit somehow into a phone booth. The vendor had his goods on a luggage rack (so it seemed). Not complaining - because this way you can't get lost! And well-organized.

Good start, good officials around the course - they made sure to have flag-wavers on all the tricky turns. Miles 21-25, however, are very lonely.

This one gets a better rating than Steamtown! Go Albany!

The pros far outweigh the cons for this event. On the pro side:

Flat Course - In fact, the only significant topographical features are the downhills at 5 and 12.
Scenic course - The bike path portions are tranquil and conducive to enabling race day focus.
Support - The water stops were well stocked and amply manned. The volunteers were enthusiastic!
Spectators - Though few, they were animated and excited.
Starbucks - It was less than a block from the host hotel! Personally, a big deal for me!

On the con side:

Potties - There were three urinals and six stalls in the park at the start. Yes there were lots of trees, but I refuse to urinate in public. I feel runners need to act responsibly and respectfully at all times. There was one potty on the course that I saw / used; I think it was part of a construction project. Additionally, I ducked into a McDonalds at 20 and this added several minutes to my time. For next year, add potties at the start and along the course.
Finish - Please have a volunteer or two distributing water at the finish rather than rely on the stockpile in the food tent. That 20 yard walk after 26.2 can be excruciating.

On the quirky side:

Did we exist? - There was no coverage in the local paper or on the local TV news. Is the race a big deal in the area?
Hat - Nice lid; you know the embroidery on the brim was upside-down?

Thanks Albany for a wonderful experience; I would certainly recommend this race.

This is a good marathon for someone looking for a race with a small field and a fast course.

Everything was organized. The shirt is a nice technical fabric. It's long-sleeve. There's even a running hat for finishers. The post-race food could use a little more diversity but that's a very minor quibble.

The website isn't overly helpful with the exception of the spectator guide. That was very helpful and it allowed my wife to see me five times on the point-to-point course.

Just to clear something up that was mentioned below. There were mile markers for the first three miles. They were hard to see since they were spray-painted on the ground. But, they weren't easy to spot and I missed Mile 2.

I really enjoyed this marathon. I came into the race injured and having only run half marathons in preparation. However I managed to take 8 minutes off my previous best time and break 4 hours (3:54). Packet pick up good at the Crowne Plaza and buffet meal good value at $16. The bus to the start was on time and when we got to the start, where it was very cold, a friendly bus driver let me and a few others get back in & shelter in her vehicle until right before the start. Unusually there was a big queue for the men's toilets and not for the women's.
The course was mostly very flat. There were a couple of short steep descents which were uncomfortable, but in general the pleasant bike paths, with nice fall-color trees on either side were great for running on. Where the race went over roads the traffic was well managed, although not all the roads were closed.
Drink stations were in general good, although as mentioned by someone else the gatorade was too diluted. There was no mile marker until Mile 4 and they were hard to spot after that. Bigger and higher please!!
Crowd support, although small, was very enthusiastic (many thanks for the very detailed spectator guide to the route posted on the marathon website. This enabled my little gang to see me 4 times, which was great). The rousing cheers at the finish even pushed me to a sprint finish after I found myself slowing a lot in mile 25 and 26!
Was great with this small field to get a real sense of camaraderie with some of the other runners. By keeping up with 3 experienced runners who told me they were going to break 4 hours I reached my goal time pretty easily.

Very pleased I went ahead and decided to run this marathon. Thanks to all.

This is a great course to set a PR or qualify for Boston. The only uphills are early on, hardly noticeable. The aid stations were well stocked by enthusiastic volunteers. The course was mostly on a nice paved and tree-lined surface. Turns were well marked and the few streets on the course had great traffic control. The race hotel was ideally located just a few blocks from the finish line. The only negative is that the park at start line had only 1 set of bathrooms with quite a long line. Fortunately, it also had a lot of trees :-)

I entered this race because it was advertised as downhill and fast. I was not disappointed. There were long stretches of gradual downhills that I just flew down and allowed me to set a new PR (3:23:40). The initial view as we descended to the Mohawk River was breathtaking and most of the race was on bike paths along the rivers and very pretty. The race was well organized, the course was well marked, volunteers gave good directions at every major turn, the aid stations were well placed and well staffed, and the tech shirt is pretty cool.

I have 2 suggestions for improvements. The buses transporting runners from the hotel to the start were organized and on time. But they traveled together in a caravan resulting in 250-300 runners all arriving at once. The limited rest room facilities were overwhelmed & I waited in line for 27 minutes. Either let the buses leave one at a time as they fill up, or better yet, supplement the start with port-o-potties. The gatorade at every aid station was mixed very thinly. This may seem trivial, but it wasn't for me. Many runners plan their calorie intake during the race carefully including whether to drink water versus gatorade. I ended up light headed and short on sugar by mile 22 and faded down the stretch missing my BQ time by 3 minutes. If the missing port-o-potties or shortage of gatorade powder are funding issues, I would gladly pay more on the entry fee for next year. Notwithstanding my suggestions, this was a great race, I will be back.