First time to Wynne. Very friendly people in the town. Welcome signs were everywhere. Course had rolling hills, and was tougher than I imagined. Will definitely be back next year.

I loved the aid stations every mile! I would like an earlier start; it got warm towards the end.

This is one of the best races out of the 15 marathon I have done this year. Good aid stations placed a mile apart (with porta-potties). Nice, gentle course and friendly people. Chip timing and great food and organization. The medal was upgraded from last year. A jewel of a race, only 40 miles from Memphis. Let's get the word out!

Nice marathon for this time of year. Would be nice to start 7 a.m., as it got warm after 2 hours. Water stops every mile were great, but they need to have full cups of liquids. Shade is limited, and the road surface is curved, but post-race food and showers were wonderful. Also, they might want to hold the awards ceremony at 1 or 1:30 p.m.

I have run this marathon 3 times now and this year I was a little disappointed. The aid stations were not handing out the water, but leaving it on the tables for us to pick up ourselves. Twice on the course this happened to me. The aid stations need to be better trained, and if needed, reinforced after a couple hours to insure the water is being handed out, and not left on tables. I had not anticipated stopping at any aid station but was forced to stop to get the water myself.

Problems: Day's Inn needs to decide if they are running a hotel or a kennel. I saw 3 huge dogs in the parking lot, and guess what? They were in the room next to mine! Walls were paper thin. They barked and growled until 12:30 a.m., when I called desk to complain. The tub in the room would not drain at all! Messed up my shower.

Course: Terrible. Not FLAT ANYWHERE! I ran Boston in April and this is a much more difficult course. Worst course of the 14 marathons I have run. For the last 7 miles, volunteers were not helping runners with which way to go at all. I approached one intersection, and asked at an aid station, but they did not know where I should run. The police at the intersection offered me no assistance; they were too busy talking, and then proceeded to yell at me for not running outside of the cones. Like I was born knowing this! It was like a maze. If you lost sight of the person in front of you, you were screwed. For the last 6 miles, cars were whizzing by at 55 mph and there was no one watching them, and no shoulder to run on. I finished in 4:15 and you'd have thought it was the 7-hour point.

The medal is chintzy. Of course, the race was inexpensive, so this is probably to be expected. Charge more, and give a nicer medal. This course is too tough for a medal that looks like what you'd get at a 5K. Gigantic trophies for overall winners though, so maybe this race is more for the racing elite than the average marathoner.

I would not recommend this to anyone. If you want a nice, friendly, small-town race, run the Eisenhower Marathon in Abilene. It is light-years ahead of this one.

The good: Most volunteers were very friendly and the aid stations were well stocked. The announcer at the end was really good at cheering people in. They have bottled water at the finish line; a small, warm cup - half-full - is not enough.

Couple comments:

1.) Very warm and inviting residents. All seemed energetic about the race and support was pretty good.

2.) As a reminder, there are people who are not familiar with Wynne or the local landmarks. My suggestion is to have easy to read maps to get to race start; additionally, would be nice if race packet pick up location was visibly marked. I had a difficult time finding the packet pick up location and when I asked for a map to locate the race start, I was handed a cluttered county map that not easy to read. When I asked for further directions, I was told to go to the local church, turn right and find it near the high school. Seriously... there need to be more out-of-town user-friendly resources.

Overall: it was the attitude of the folks in Wynne that made this race enjoyable.

I really enjoyed running this marathon. I ran the half last year. The aide stations are wonderful and there was never a line at the porta pottys. I did not like having to run on a slanted shoulder on the way back. However, the course was fairly easy and would be great for any first time marathoners. The pre-race and post-race meals were wonderful. I picked up my packet at the pasta party the night before and did not know I had to pick up a timing chip the next morning. Last year when I ran the half we did not wear chips. Right before the gun went off I noticed all of the other runners having chips on their shoes and I began freaking out. However, I told one of the friendly aide stations and they were able to radio in and let the timing guy know my situation. My time was successfully clocked at the finish line without any problem. The only thing I did not like about the race was the not so great looking t-shirt and medal. The medal was the same exact medal given last year. I was planning on running this race again but I won't be running 26.2 miles for the same medal! Overall, a great race with wonderful southern hospitality.

This was a friendly, small town marathon. The course was well laid out, with the finish line at the H.S. football field. Organization was great, and worked well. The timing chips were passed out in the morning - unusual - but it worked fine. The pasta dinner, home-made potluck style, was great and was so much better than eating another meal out. Spectators were about as would be expected for a small town, but friendly volunteers made up for any difference. So many people thanked me for coming to run in their marathon - it really mattered to them that we were there.

It was a brisk start, being in the low 40's, but warmed to a comfortable temperature for running later in the morning. The course exited town and followed state or county roads - out and back. Runner support was outstanding for a small town. There were water stations with port-a-potties every mile, and the stations were stocked with an abundance of carb snacks and very friendly volunteers, who also cheered on the runners. Law enforcement did a great job of directing traffic, and keeping the runners safe. There was an uphill stretch from about mile 23 to 25 that was kind of tough for me - too close to the end.

One last note: Near the end - where I was running - one of the aid stations was closing up shop, as only 2 or 3 runners were left. So a sheriffs officer had Gatorade cups with water in them, and he was slowly driving down the wrong side of the road - where we were running - with his hand out the window, giving water to the last runners while he was driving. These local people were totally devoted to the marathon runners, for which I say a big 'Thank You!'.

This is a really nice, well organized, enjoyable race in a rural setting. Here are a few comments on each of the ratings categories.

Course: It is, as advertised on the website, a gently rolling course. As an out-and-back, it seemed to have more of a climb during the first half, then, obviously, more of a descent during the latter half. Honestly, though, the only uphill portion of any consequence (in my opinion) is around mile 24, and it is not long. One suggestion I would make concerns the short part of the course run on U.S. Hwy 63. If possible, place the cones a few feet into one traffic lane and divert traffic toward the other shoulder of the road. The shoulder we had to run on is quite slanted and I really felt it on the way back.

Organization: The organization of this race is as good as you'll find anywhere. The aid stations are well stocked every mile, with the pretzels and grapes adding a nice touch. Port-a pots can be found every mile as well. The packet had lots of goodies, including a nice pedometer. The pasta dinner is a must... a delicious home-cooked potluck.

Spectators: It is always hard to put a number on this rating. Since this is a rural race, there aren't a lot of spectators much of the way, outside of the volunteers. But they are quite friendly and enthusiastic, and put a lot of effort into their stations. The town really supports the race, as well.

All in all, I was extremely pleased we made the trip to Wynne. It's a nice race in a charming, friendly town.

Good job, Wynne. You really know how to do a marathon.