This was a fantastic event. The host hotel was wonderful, reasonable and close. There was an abundance of free parking at the start. The weather was perfect. I did not mind the industrial out-and-back area that others counted as a negative. I found plenty of spectators along there and it was great to see the leaders pass by. I was feeling great at 17 and became humbled by the winding hills of the park. I highly recommend this marathon!

First time Harrisburg runner. Great organization, from the website updates to the EXPO. Thought the EXPO lacked variety regarding vendors, but the volunteers there were knowledgeable and friendly. Course had a fair amount of hills. Very few that were major hills, but enough small little ones at the right time can wear you down physically & mentally. The hairpin turn and strong uphill, followed by 2nd hairpin turn, before the bridge at the end took away any momentum that was built up. Additionally, some neighborhoods didn't have many spectators and the part/loop around HACC was running out there without much support. This race did offer plentiful opportunities for a 'race support' person to help out runners. The run by the river was scenic and calming.

I've only run Richmond and Harrisburg, but my wife is a marathoner and I have been to and volunteered at many. I was expecting no crowd support and was pleasantly surprised to find I never went a mile without crowd support. Crowd support was 100x better than at Richmond, a marathon with 5x the field. Other than some hills at miles 18-19, flat as a pancake. Great organization, great water/gel/Gatorade stops. Lots of porta-potties too. Miles well marked, some with clocks. Finally, where else can you enter for $45 a week before the race and get a $30+ wind jacket as your souvenir shirt?

Beautiful day, just a bit chilly. I went out too fast and was paying for it by the time I hit the hills at mile 17.5. The volunteers were terrific. Course was pretty well marked. Others have said it is lonely, and indeed it is. Especially if you are in the back where I was. Really good and enjoyable race.

Let me first start by saying, 'Thank you,' to all of the volunteers and the race director. I had a great experience and I am still excited about the event. This was my second time running in Harrisburg and I liked the new start area, it made City Island the place to be re-energized as we looped passed all of the fans. My wife was able to cheer for me more than once during the event and it was very convenient for a meeting place after the race. The race was organized very well and the volunteers had a lot of energy. I train alone, so the lack of spectator support wasn't bothersome, I actually enjoyed the peaceful time alone. The other runners were also very friendly. A special 'Thank you' to Susie from N.J., if you read this, I hope you had a great race too. The volunteers at the race finish were especially friendly and helpful, I really appreciated the post race message. To be honest, I am having a difficult time thinking of anything negative about the race and the overall experience. The packet pick-up was smooth for the morning of the race and there was plenty of food for all of the finishers at the end. There were parts of the course that did very quiet and Wildwood park is very challenging for a hilly section late in the race, but it added some beautiful natural scenery after the industrial park setting. In summary, the course, the organization, and the volunteers were all fantastic and I would definitely do this marathon again for another year. I would also recommend it to others and suggest that they do some hill work to get used to running hills when you are already tired. Thank you again Harrisburg for another great marathon experience two years in a row.

The city was mostly beautiful. Some parts were creepy and lonely in the beginning. Along the water, it was very nice and flat. The park was beautiful, but the hills sucked. It was a gorgeous day, with perfect marathon weather. I got a PR, so I will remember this one forever. I ran the Chicago Marathon 4 weeks prior, so I wasn't expecting much - so the PR was a pleasant surprise.

It gets hilly in the park and I found the industrial area gets a bit lonely, but it's well organized even through freezing cold, windy conditions.

My wife and I traveled from Australia and finished the NYC Marathon the week prior. I decided to run another marathon. I am glad to experience, visit and support the town of Harrisburg and the running of a great event on such a testing day.

A well organized event, especially the food and drink available at the finish - amazing!!

To all the volunteers and spectators on course: Thank you! A very tough day out.

A unique US running experience that I will never forget.

This was my first marathon and never again - since, I have run Marine Corps., and what a difference!

I was all alone the ENTIRE time. There was no place for spectators and you will need them at some points. Miles 18-20 are ALL HILLS... and you are def. gassed at this point if this is your first marathon experience.

I will reiterate the fact that at the END of my race I was asking... "Where do I go?" Yeah, it was horrible.

However, it was very well organized. The volunteers were really nice and I loved the small-city feel to it. Also, it was great to have space at the end of the race to walk around, grab food, etc. The host hotel was great - really quiet, reasonable, and easily access to the start line.

BUT I will never do this again.

This was my first marathon, and I registered for it on the Friday before the race when the weather forecast for race day was still good. Imagine my chagrin when every time I looked out of the window on Saturday night the rain was coming down in sheets. Nevertheless, I had a great time at this race and I'm eager to come back to improve my time when the weather is better.

Big pluses for this race were the beautiful, varied course and the dedicated volunteers.

Minuses centered around the pasta dinner the night before - different types of food frequently ran out during the evening and the speakers were sub-par. The first speaker gave out some bad advice on hydration and it seemed that the second speaker (a trainer for one of the US Olympic teams) decided to adapt a travelogue into a "motivational" speech. The only problem was that it wasn't motivational. The last thing that runners need to hear before a race is "have you prepared adequately," which seemed to be his primary message.

One more point, which is neither positive nor negative, but should be mentioned: There is really no expo for this race, only a sign-up for the race and pasta dinner.

All things considered, I would definitely recommend this race as a Boston qualifier for someone who wants to run an interesting course with a minimum of fuss.