This race is old-school marathoning at its best. No hyped up bands and noise; just the serenity of a national park with wildlife and runners about. The course is absolutely beautiful and run at an excellent time of the year when the trees are just filled with color. The course is very fair and the only real grade or hill is around the 14th and (again) 23rd mile markers. I thought the hill was fairly easy so don't be afraid of the elevation chart that the track club posts. It's not as bad as it looked so that was a pleasant surprise - and I'm a flat-lander from the Midwest.

There aren't many spectators, which is why the spectator rating is low - and I'm OK with that. The volunteers were awesome. My only suggestion is to separate the water and PowerAde better. I got handed PowerAde a couple of times when I asked for water but I understand it's a long day for volunteers too. There's something in PowerAde that makes me sick, so I can't drink it. Thank you to all the volunteers and Oakwood Baptist Church for being such wonderful hosts. What a great job y'all did.

Kudos to the race director and nearly all the volunteers. This was the best run marathon I have completed. I arrived at 9:30pm the night before the race and was still able to pick up my race packet. I liked how there was a small booklet outlining all key information about the race (e.g., course map, best places to view runners, estimated time of arrivals, and a brief history of the area we would be running!). I did find having to pick up my chip the morning of the race odd and cumbersome, but this ended up going smoothly for me even though I would have preferred to get it the night before.

Since the race goes through a national park (i.e., you do not run through neighborhoods), fan support is limited. BUT, my wife and daughter saw me 5 times on this course. During the San Francisco and Charlottesville marathons, my wife saw me a total of 0 times during the race! The fans that are out there supporting you are great. Another thing I liked about this race is that there were no half-marathoners. Hence, you run with marathoners the whole way which allows you keep your pace and maintain longer running partners. Typically during a marathon, I find myself running alone after the half-way point. Not so for this race, I ran with a guy named Stan for the entire race (by the way, great job on finishing your first marathon Stan!).

Well laid out course (you do two loops along a mostly flat terrain), beautiful time of the year (trees are gorgeous), and perfect weather! The medal was great along with the post-race meal. There are three things that bugged me that does not deter from my overall excellent experience: 1) the kids at one of the aid stations were completely inappropriate and should have been reprimanded by one of the adults working at the same aid station (e.g., one kid held out water for me and another kid came up to him and knocked it out of his hand and gave me some water. Mind you that this was around mile 23); 2) although the shirt was really really nice, it was also short in the sleeves for me; and 3) there were no free massages at the end of the race. Kudos to the race organizers. I highly recommend this marathon.

This was my first marathon so I can't compare it to another one, but I can't think of anything that would have made it better. The pre-race packet pickup went smooth and I was in and out of the meeting room in minutes. I had a couple of emails a week or so out giving locations and times plus general info. That may be the norm or not but either way was helpful. The starting point was a little off any main roads but was easy to find - the directions were easy enough to follow. The organizers and support personnel were fantastic and the shirt was way more than I expected given that this was a small marathon (long-sleeve white tech shirt with the logo on front and sponsors on back). I also received my bib number in a frame since I was a first-time marathoner. The course was beautiful and compared to what I had prepared for, flat. There were a few hills, but you could walk them and not lose too much time. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that it's a double loop. When you're finished with the first one, you already know what's coming for the second half. That may be good or bad depending on how much the scenery change helps you through the run. I thought it was interesting enough for a second time around. Not many spectators, but that's understandable given the location. I am very pleased that I chose this race as my first. Can't wait till next year; looks like I'm hooked.

For my first marathon I chose this one because it's close to where I grew up in North Georgia and I didn't want to deal with the crowds of a mega-marathon. The scenery was picturesque and the weather was perfect (low 40's to 50's). I didn't have to worry about running around crowds, but there were just enough runners so that I always had someone to pace with. They had plenty of help and water/PowerAde at each aid station. For the $35 fee it was more than worth it: I got a well organized race, a long-sleeve Asics tech tee, a nice medal, tons of after race food, and they even framed my number for me. I'm definitely doing this one again!

First marathon: Absolutely a wonderful experience. Course was hilly enough to be challenging yet still manageable. The last hill on mile 23 was a heart-breaker for me. I will definitely be back next year.

Picture perfect weather, great medal at the finish, great organization. Thanks to all the volunteers and police.

I was a little nervous about running this marathon. My last two have been big marathons with a lot of people. This race was wonderful! Very well organized, beautiful course, wonderful volunteers and so much more.

The course is a double loop (I was worried about this) but you completely get lost in the beauty and can easily break it up between the times you can see your family. It is also wonderful to be able to drive to the start line and get to the race 30 minutes before with no worries about lines and traffic.

Great shirt, great medal, and wonderful hospitality by the church and the organizers! I will definitely be back.

It doesn't hurt to set a PR! Mostly flat, with some short hills.

My dad used to take me to the battlefield to play as a child so this was a perfect choice for my first marathon. The course was awesome. The volunteers were great and kept me going. I liked being able to see my husband at various spectator spots on the course. T-shirts, medal, and award for first-time finishers were all a "10."

This race is a MUST run!!! I can't wait for '08!

I have run several big-city marathons and they definitely have been fun and exciting. This past year I decided I wanted to run some local marathons that were close to home - Tybee Island in Feb. and Chickamauga. The best thing in my opinion is that there are a lot fewer distractions when it comes to the logistics of race day - running a marathon is a challenge in itself and it refreshing to just have to worry about running. Chickamauga is very organized, with a scenic course, and you really feel a connection to the spectators that come out there to support you. The medal, technical shirt, and great food afterwards makes this a very nice race, which I plan to run again in the future.

This was a beautiful marathon course at the perfect time of year. A definite "must-do" for everyone. What the race lacked in number of spectators, they made up for with gusto! The water/aid stations were abundant and well-stocked and the race volunteers were very friendly and helpful. This will be an annual event for me. Where else can you run with a herd of deer AND 400 other people? Great time, great course, great hospitality.