This was my first marathon and I was not sure what to expect. The course was very peaceful looping through a battlefield. It was a little cool at the start of the race but ended up being perfect race weather. Some of the road was patchy so you needed to be careful to avoid injury. Water, Powerade, and fruit were plentiful. Overall, this was great experience. I would recommend this race for anyone who does not want to be overwhelmed with a lot of people.

Hilly course. But fair hills, nothing too awful. And for every uphill is a nice downhill. No steep hills.

This is a great race, if you like small club-managed races. Good aid stations located reasonably close together. Powerade and water... and most had fruit of some sort (which is beyond expectations, even in bigger races). Friendly volunteers. On-time start.

You don't get splits or clocks and you don't get rnr bands. But you also don't have to shuffle, shuffle, shuffle alongside 10,000 of your closest friends. The only 'I wish we had...' item was more potties. Sorry that I had to water the flowers of a spooky civil war battlefield, but there you go.

Very nice course, as others have mentioned. I didn't find the two loops to be boring at all, even though we did each one twice. The roads were open, but there was reasonable traffic control at the 2 (?) major intersections we had to cross. Very few spectators, but the ones that were there were loud.

Pizza afterwards. Any race that serves pizza gets extra credit. Also, all 1st time marathoners (which is not me, alas) got a special frame for their race number. Very classy move. The t-shirt is so-so, but fine for a club race. The medal is awesome. Really cool.

A race directed by runners. I'll do it again someday.

The Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon is one of those little 'gems' of a run that makes marathoning a pleasant pastime.

Set in the beautiful and historic Chickamauga Battlefield, you are surrounded by heavy forest, lush meadows, and historic monuments throughout the run. The lightly rolling hills are easily handled by those with even modest running ability. The fact that the course loops through the park twice is incidental; you'll see plenty of scenery you missed on the first loop.

The organizers do a good job with water and Powerade every two miles (no gels though). The southern charm of the water station staff is great.

With only about 400 runners you'll always be in sight of other runners, but never incumbered because of a tight crowd (most of the run is on a winding black top road through the park).

I would recommend this race!

Overall this was a good marathon. I had a little problem finding the start place (Mapquest gave me some funky directions to the church), but I was able to follow all of the cars from different GA counties going to the marathon.

The course was a double-loop going through the battlefield. It was very scenic. At times there was a breeze and then sometimes complete stillness. The course was hillier than expected. There is nothing major, but do expect many gradual uphills with gradual downhills. It does play on your quads.

Fans: My dad and other people at various points. It was cool for him to see me at various stages of the marathon because of the way the course was set up. Fans were scarce so bring your own fan base.

Beverages: THE PLASTIC CUPS SUCK! (PLEASE READ, RACE ORGANIZER). About 75% of the cups were plastic and would split when folding the top to drink... they need to get more paper ones. Also, I came in 3rd place and at one water point they had run out of everything except Mellow Yellow (?). What is up with that... I felt sorry for myself and the people behind me.

Post-race food: Pizza in the church sponsoring the race. Also had Gatorade.

Overall, nice small race through a beautiful course. Definitely would like to do it again.

This was my first marathon and they really made it special with a special 'award.' Friendly people, beautiful scenery - overall a great time. I plan on being back next year.

This was my 10th marathon and I want to thank the staff for making it an enjoyable one (even if my time was disappointing). Great race for nature-lovers who don't go for the big name races. Challenging course, worth doing!

Consistent with MarathonGuide.com comments of previous years, I found the 29th running of the Chickamauga Marathon a delight! The course was slow rolling with 2 double loops, all on asphalt within the battlefield setting. The colors were outstanding, temperatures in 50's and cloudy. Good support along the way (the park only let them place 2 potties) for the field of 400 and traffic control for the few times we had to cross real roads.

Definitely recommend this as a good first or fiftieth marathon. Will remember it among the top ones. The Chattanooga Track Club does an outstanding job to pull it off!

This was my first marathon in over 10 years. It was tucked away in an huge battle field area. There were cannons and monuments and the ghosts of many soldiers rooting us on. Also there were a few live spectators. Aid was great, food at the end satisfying. The ashphalt roads we ran on were not in good repair. Many irregular patches were present but this is only a minor problem. Carefully read the race directions and use MapQuest and if necessary call a friend who is already there if you can't find your way in. Altogether a positive experience and I got a P.R. by 1 minute!

This is my third marathon. The weather was just perfect for running (50-55 deg and a nice cool breeze) and the course was beautiful. Just watch out as there are some filled in potholes that make the streets uneven at certain parts.

I set a PR by 49 minutes!!!!!!!!!

I ran this marathon in 2002 and really enjoyed the experience. The course gets a five even though the last couple of miles are run on the side of a road. Organization would get a five except the directions to the start are a little iffy. Luckily most of the cars in that area in the morning are going to the race. Spectators are not the most numerous but they are among the - if not the best. The battlefield is gorgeous, especially at that time of the year. I generally do not like a double-looped course, but this one is good enough to do twice. If you are looking for a small-sized fall marathon and appreciate quality as much as quantity, I would strongly consider this race.