This is my 4th Chickamauga and 20th marathon over all. There is really not much to complain about this one. Since my last Chickamauga in 2009 there has been some improvement such as moving the packet pickup to a better location. This year's race started 5 or so minutes late because of last minute folks in line for bathroom stops, but certainly not a fault of the organizing folks.
The course is a double loop which makes the few hills a lot tougher the second time around. The volunteers are excellent as always.
The only improvement I could suggest would be setup the water stops consistent such as water in front and Poweraid in back. Each stop seemed different.
Overall just a great marathon.

The course was so lovely and scenic. I loved that they limited the number of runners: no dodging people and everyone crossed the starting line within a minute of each other. I was able to pick up my packet the morning of the race with no problems.

The course is rolling, but nothing too bad. It's flat for that area. There aren't big crowds, but it's peaceful and there were enough aid stations.

This was my first marathon. I'm glad I chose Chickamauga. The course is attractive with gently rolling hills. They give a framed certificate to first-time marathoners. My wife was a spectator and had a good time.

This was a really great race. The packet pickup was very smooth and efficient. Race shirt was a nice long sleeve tech shirt, with a small expo if you needed it. Race morning was OK, I got there early, and parked about a block from the starting line. Although they did have to delay the race start by 15 minutes since traffic was backed up near the gun time. The race starts with a real cannon blast, very cool. The course is wonderful. It's a nice mix of rolly polly hills. Nothing extreme or steep, but welcome nonetheless to keep it interesting. The course is on roads in the Chickamauga Battlefield, and mostly tree covered, and was two loops. The fall foliage was in full bloom, with mostly tree covered roads. Just fantastic running. Aid stations were plentiful and stocked with water, Powerade (various flavors), and bananas and apples, and a couple had Gu. Finish line festivities included drinks, soup, pizza, cookies and banana pudding, and was very plentiful. The medal changes every year, and commemorates one of the monuments in the park. The medal was customized for the date, along with a customized ribbon for the date. Overall, a fantastic marathon in the hills of northern Georgia.

Very well organized, pleasant atmosphere all around, very family friendly, can park within 100 yds of start and finish line. I had run Boston earlier in the year, and this is like the anti-Bostonno crowds, no cheering co-eds, no world records, just a PR-kind of course in beautiful scenery and a lot of camaraderie. I rate it my favorite marathon ever, partly because the weather was perfect and it allowed me to break 3 hrs for the first time in 18 years!

This was my first marathon and I can't imagine a better place to have run it. The Chickamauga park is awesome, especially in the fall. Weather was great... rather cold at the start, and on the warm side by the time I finished (4:34), but average temp throughout was just about perfect. The double loop course didn't bother me as much as some who have commented on it, although the hills seemed a lot steeper the second time around! I only gave the organization four stars because packet pickup was a bit disorganized and there wasn't much of an expo compared to what I have seen at other (non-marathon) races. But, the reception at the finish line (medal and framed bib number for a first-timer) was excellent! If you need throngs of cheering spectators to motivate you to do well, this is NOT the race for you. Long sections of the course have no spectators at all (though the few spectators out on the course were quite enthusiastic in their support of the runners). On the other hand, if (like me) you like a peaceful race in beautiful and historic surroundings with mainly the company of the other runners to enjoy, this would be an ideal race for you!

From the packed pick up to the race day events it was all well done and organized. It was great that they limit the number of runners, which allowed for the room and the solitude that this type of run deserved. I liked the rolling hills; I found it easy on the legs. The only complaint that I had about the marathon was that it was a double loop, so after the first loop of seeing tree after tree after tree, it did get somewhat repetitive if not boring. But overall an enjoyable run, and a great time was had by all.

The single best part of this race was being able to park 50 yards from the start/finish! Beautiful course, good organization, and not too crowded of a course. I hope this continues to be a small race, as I would certainly make this one an annual tradition. The only negative I could cite would be that the traffic on the open part of the course was way too fast considering the number of people running. Those areas could have used more course marshals.

I signed up for this marathon because of the high ratings in the Runner's World readers survey. I enjoy the smaller, low-key marathons and this one was among the best.

Packet pickup was a bit hectic, but that was understandable since I showed up right when they opened, along with everyone else and their mother. The race t-shirt was an awesome long-sleeve tech t. They also gave us a nice running hat.

Race morning, I showed up 90 minutes early because of some previous comments concerning parking. I had no problems whatsoever; they had police directing people to the infield parking area and we got there in no time. The lines for the port-o-lets were not bad at all.

The field limit is so small that I was able to line up exactly where I wanted at the start. The cannon blast starting the race was cool.

The course is beautiful. It was very well marked, with great volunteers. At one aid station, they even handed me cups that they had already put a "v" in to make them easier to drink on the run. Even though I train on flat ground, this marathon isn't terribly hilly. "Gently rolling" would describe most of it. I was able to PR this day.

I rated spectators a "3" simply because of the low numbers. The ones who were out there were highly enthusiastic.

Post-race party was great. They had pizza and a bunch of other food. We stuck around for the drawing for the $2K road bike (unfortunately I didn't win anything!). All in all, it was a well organized, fun marathon.

I chose this marathon because of the Runner's World recommendation of "Most Family Friendly Marathon," and it did NOT disappoint! I have two little ones who enjoyed the race amenities while their daddy was slowly (five hours!) running the marathon. We hit the aquarium and Children's Discovery Museum in Chattanooga as well.

The race itself was a marvel. Great signage, awesome medal, enthusiastic (if sparse) fan support, and a beautiful course. Many thanks to the director and volunteers for a GREAT race... see you next year!