Rainy, windy and cool. Temp was only 5C this year, though I understand it was over 25 last time. I enjoyed the surface and the double out-and-back. Lots of sports drink/water stops (bring your own gel). Very nice medal.

I ran the half-marathon this day. While the flat, trail course was easy on the legs and knees, the number of runners doing both the half and full marathons on the out-and-back course made it very difficult to claim your own bit of space or pass without the risk of interfering with a runner coming the other way.

The course is an out and back AND out and back, for marathoners. The first time out and back was nice as it is quite scenic. The second wasn't so good and it got quite congested (as it is on a trail). The spectators had nowhere to really stand except at the start/finish and the organization wasn't good.

Since there are not too many other comments, I thought I'd put mine in even though I only ran the HALF. The race was well organized, with a good number of volunteers and good water/Gatorade stops. The course is a beautiful flat trail but it is an out-and-back which you have to do twice. (I only did the half: one loop). The half marathon starts 2:30 hours after the full, so if you are a slower runner, things can get very crowded when the half-marathon starts. I don't think this particular course could accommodate to many more participants in this format. Because it is on a trail, there were not a lot of spectators, but one benefit of the out-and-back, two-loop course is that the faster runners coming back are cheered by the slower ones going out. I would check out the course next year and run it if they had a single-loop course. Otherwise, will stick with the half.

This was my first time running this marathon and the third course they have had in as many years. This year's potential flooding of the Saint John River forced a last minute change to the course. However, they were able to accommodate it on the Trans Canada trial which is very flat and forgiving underfoot (small gravel). It is a two-loop course, which is not my favorite, but there are absolutely no hills. Unfortunately, the day it was run found temperatures in the low 20's (Celsius) with no clouds in the sky. It is a course without shade. These conditions resulted in slower times for everyone on what could definitely be considered a PB course. They need a few more marshalls along the course and better post-race food (there were subs this year - not my cup of tea after running 26 miles!). The race is a fundraiser for the local high school prom and the kids, although not overly numerous, made up for the numbers with their noise. There were lots of water/Gatorade stops and mileage (in miles) was very well marked. A very good effort for a small marathon. In addition, they were able to provide chip timing this year which is another step into the 'big leagues'. I would run this again, and hope for cooler temperatures next time.