It was my dream at age 12 to run in this race and now I've done it. To the elite, it's a fast course. For us slower folks, it is tough, and you've got to run it smart. I thought I was smart, and I fell apart early. Even still, it's THE marathon to run with great organization, amazing crowds, and awesome sights. The madness was enough that I probably won't do it again any time soon, but it was amazing to fulfill a dream.

All of the stories about this marathon are true... the course just kills your quads. I went into the race planning on slowing down my usual per mile marathon pace by about 20 - 25 seconds so I could enjoy the Boston experience and have something left in the tank towards the later part of the race. I ran my planned mile pace successfully through the first half of the race and my quads were still killing me by the 18-mile mark. If I could go back and alter my training, I would have done at least 4 separate interval sessions of downhill speed work. The crowd was awesome... couldn't ask for anything more. From an organization standpoint, the only thing I saw they needed to improve upon was the bus loading in the morning to take you to the athlete's village. Where as the NYC Marathon has several designated pick-up spots, Boston has everyone coming to one area (Boston Commons) in the morning to get on the buses. I got there about 6:30 a.m. and it took me about 30 minutes to get onto a bus. If I had gotten there around 6:45, it would have taken me close to an hour, I'm estimating, based upon the crowds I saw behind me. Still, though; it was Boston and I hope to get back there again someday.

Back for my seventh run of The Boston. The volunteers are great and it's got the very best expo! Crowds are amazing - they really carry you through. It's worth all the hard work to get there.

As so much has been written about Boston, I was surprised that no one (as far as I know) has warned about the road surface. Apart from a section of smooth asphalt around Wellesley, it is hard and often rough. I found it was that more than the downhill sections that blasted my quads. However, the upside is that, after the race, you will have no trouble getting seated in restaurants with steps down to them!

I've rated the spectators as only three stars because I found them too noisy - I was just starting to get brain fade from about mile 22 and the screaming bouncing around my skull made it worse.

However, minor criticisms - fantastic race with first-rate logistics.

The BAA has this dialed in! The army of volunteers, enthusiastic and proud to be part of this, is the best! The 26 miles of spectators in every community the race passes through are great! Boston is a fast course, as proven by the 2011 race. It is a straight-line, point-to-point, downhill course. Love it, right? Until the Newton hills throw you a curveball. Be ready, trust your training, start out slower than you think you should, and then throttle back a little more. Aim for negative splits and you will motor up Heartbreak while those guys who blasted by you early are falling apart. Even the finish was smooth. My wife saw me finish and buzzed to the meet up area while I was wrapped in a heat sheet, medaled, fed and grabbed my bag - no line for bag pick-up! Great! Stretch your legs with a stroll up to Boston Common, grab a Starbucks and get on the Green Line at Boylston with no waiting. Head out to the suburbs where you left your car and celebrate with a burger and a cold beer. Spend the rest of the day enjoying that ache in your legs, which comes from a superior effort on a course so rich in history. Congratulations, you are part of that now!

I have run this race the last 12 years. Every time I run, I always think as I finish the race that I will never run it again. The long wait before the race and the expo are horrific. Newton Hills are killers. But all of that said, it is a great experience, and for as long as I qualify, I will keep running. Everyone in Boston treats you well. Everyone in Boston is helpful and you can hear the screaming of the Wellesley girls a mile away. All of the kids along the course who want to give you the high-fives. It is a lot of fun and I would recommend it, in spite of some aggravations. I would also go to a Red Sox game when you come to town.

I ran a personal best of a half-hour faster. :)

The crowd support is inspiring, overwhelming.

Besides being a tough course, organization is always great, and so are the spectators!!! One single piece of advice to the organizers: in the expo, there should be chairs or places to sit, so runners can spend more time there, while having a place to sit or relax....

Boston is a great city, with many places to visit, many delicious restaurants, great people and an efficient metro system!

I first came to the Boston Marathon as a teenage spectator, in the 70's, to cheer on my uncle when 2,000 runners constituted a huge marathon. There is a mystique about this marathon - the long history, the memorable finishes, the great names that have run it, and the great names that continue to run it. This is the largest marathon I have ever participated in and the start was the best organized start I have ever been a part of. Strick enforcement of corral-by-time certainly made it so. I was always running with a crowd of runners but I would say that the course was never crowded.

If you want to run this marathon, train hard, especially for "Heartbreak Hill." I talked to many runners who had not trained much since they had qualified and I'm sure that their Boston experience was not as good as it could have been had they continued to train properly. The course is tougher than it would seem, on paper. I was just able to re-BQ here, and will certainly be back next year trying to do that time a little better.

Aid stations were well placed and on both sides of the course. There were cheering fans the whole 26.2 miles. The whole experience was very positive and the race was very well run, from packet pick up to post-race snacks and even free fare out of Boston on the subway.

I've only run a dozen or so marathons and have found that each is unique. I've read complaints about the course, the large crowd, the wait at the start, etc. Look, this is Boston. This is history. This is special. Love it, train for it, embrace it and you will be rewarded for having done so.