A superb, small race obviously organized by experienced runners. The course was a double loop through a beautiful National Battlefield setting on a perfect racing day. Great medal, nice shirt and good post race setting.
I heartily recommend this race.

My first marathon in Georgia and it was a terrific experience. A wonderful course in a beautiful setting. Very flat for Georgia...some rolling hills, enough to keep it interesting. Loved the park setting. Highly recommend this race.

THE GOOD: You can park about 200 yards from the start/finish line. (I suggest that you show up about 1.5 hours early for a great parking spot.) The organization was great. Loved the running gloves. I appreciated that they gave free registration to NY Marathon runners who couldn't run a week earlier. The bike first aid volunteers were without a doubt the best I have ever seen for my many marathons.

THE (MINOR) CHALLENGE: Call me old school, but I would prefer a cotton t-shirt, which I am more likely to wear (when not running). I have enough technical t-shirts, and the one given had long sleeves that are too loose and baggy.

I first heard about this race in RunnersWorld a few years ago, and I scoffed at how some marathon in rural Georgia with a silly name was named one of the top marathons in the country, but now I get it. The course is beautiful, and the race has a very laid back, small town feel. Organization is superb, and even without having my family there, I liked how family-oriented the whole event was. Medal is nice, but nothing special. I really like the shirt, because of the fit and thicker material, but it's just a generic tech shirt. It's a bit challenging, lots of hills and turns, but I ran it faster than my average time. Also got some nice gloves with race logo (why haven't other races thought of this?). If I was ever in the area, I would run it again and bring the family. This race gets a lot of hype in the running community, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it met my expectations.

Excellent race put together by Chattanooga running club. The course is 'wavy' but not bad. Water/GU/Poweraid stops are enough for the course as well. If you're looking for crowd support, this isn't your race, but the water stops and the family buses are enough to keep you going.

I loved everything about the 2012 Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon. The course was beautiful and the organization was stellar. The post-race treats of soup and pizza were nice touches.

The course was fantastic! Small, shaded, tree-line roads that snaked around the battlefield. It was also peak time for autumn colors and the weather was perfect! The cannon start was a nice touch too.

I have run quite few marathons and this is the first I have encountered with mobile first aid cyclists. I was in need of Vasoline for my chaffing but didn't want to stop. The cyclist left the bike and ran alongside me while I applied the Vasoline. Wow!

Only complaint: need better control of the morning traffic - it was a free-for-all.

I really enjoyed this race. The course is beautiful: rolling hills on a gorgeous fall day on an historic battlefield. The course is fairly hilly and a bit challenging, but definitely doable, even if you are a flatlander. I would try to do as much hill training as possible though. The shuttle bus system worked very well and my family was able to see me at several points during the race.

However, spectators on the course are limited compared to many urban marathons. Everyone was very friendly and the race was fairly well organized. Parking is somewhat limited and traffic is congested as the start time approaches. They had to delay the race a bit to allow for everyone to get to the start. However, there was a heated tent and it was only a minor inconvenience.

I recommend this race for anyone looking for a fast time in a beautiful setting.

It was my first time doing a double-loop course, something that initially made me hesitant to sign up, but it proved to be a non-issue. The familiarity seemed to help the second time through. Coming from the flatlands, the hills had been a concern, but they were mostly rollers, and what goes up does indeed come down. Weather was ideal, as I'm sure it usually is the first part of November. Not a PR, but I was less than a minute from my first BQ (it helps to get older).

I give high marks to the organization for the same reason others might give low marks: the delay of the start. While I was there in plenty of time, I would have been sorely disappointed if I had been one of the folks stuck in traffic. Kudos for the organization not being a simply a by-the-book group and instead being willing to change things on the fly to benefit more people. The fact that there was a heated tent made the wait a little easier. That said, if you're driving to the race, be sure to get an early start.

The cannon boom was a great way to start the race. It was mistakenly fired off to start wheelchair racers, but no problem: The re-enactors quickly reloaded and off it went again. And then some four hours later, just as I was sampling the delicious soup, it was fired again. Whoo-hoo! Three booms!

This was my 18th marathon in my 13th state. The setting for this race was lovely, but the organization was awful. Overall, a disappointing experience given the past positive reviews.

Pros:
- pretty setting with lots to look at, including monuments, signs with battle information and fall colors
- course was hilly enough to be interesting but not so bad as to be torturous
- plenty of shade from the trees to protect runners from the sun
- nice medal, long sleeve tech shirt and running belt
- race day packet pickup available

Cons:
- shuttle buses from the hotels dropped runners off over an hour before the start, leaving them to stand in the frosty grass with freezing temperatures and little shelter
- though we were already freezing, the race was delayed 20 minutes because of traffic problems in town
- there's only one way into the park, so traffic was backed up for miles
- spectator shuttle was run on southern time, meaning whenever the driver felt like it. Family was left stranded at a shuttle stop because the buses never came around again or maybe the driver was taking his time
- twisty course meant you could run extra distance if you didn't run the tangents
- cars on the course in the second loop made it impossible to run the tangents without being run over
- post race food consisted of Oreos, pizza and water
- race directors didn't reply to email query several days before the race

Unless you're a civil war buff, I wouldn't recommend this race. There are other Georgia races in areas with better restaurant/hotel/sightseeing options that would have more to offer.