This was my first marathon and I'm so glad I chose this one! The race was well organized and the people were all very nice! The course was perfect; it was nice and flat for the most part, and so very beautiful! The weather was fabulous; it was a little windy at times but not too bad at all! I am looking forward to running again next year!

Very well put-on small race. Race finish was in the parking lot across from my hotel room! Can you say, "Convenient!?!" Course was a mix of roads, paved bike trails, bridge crossings, and a bit of running on dirt/gravel connectors that mostly ran along both side of the Columbia river. Not too many spectators, but those attending were boisterous. Some headwinds hit on some miles (9-11.5, 18-24), but not too bad. Aside from that, perfect weather and about the flattest marathon in WA. Don't expect an expo, but everything else was well done. Can't say enough about how much I loved being able to roll out of bed and stumble 100 yards to the start line on the road just outside of the hotel parking area! No porta-potties issues because I had my personal bathroom in my room! Plus, an automatic 2 p.m. late checkout (after the 1:15 p.m. awards ceremony)? Genius!!! Great small race to run at least once! Plus, a sub-3 PR!

I really do enjoy a well put together, small marathon. The weather and the course were perfect! I took the early start, and met some wonderful people along the way. This is definitely a race to bring your own cheering section, as there weren't many folks along the way. Even though I don't run much in cold weather, it was perfect for me, and I ended up feeling great, and with a PR!

The weather was a bit nippy, and if you started an hour early, you had no one to hand you the drinks at the first few aid stations, thus slowing you down, but the drinks were cold :-)

The course was flat except at the bridges, but I still ran 12 minutes under my best time at Seafair, so a PR is a PR and I loved the river view and the sun coming up over the water. The photographer was freezing but doing a great job of getting superb pics.

The director was a great guy and so helpful. This smaller event was a big time thumbs up. The medal was nice too, they do the medal runs in bulk, so change the design each time, but on years they don't change the medal design they change the ribbon color and put the year on it.

My only suggestion is add a porta potty at the relay points as I couldn't use the facilities each time I passed due to (non running yet) relay personnel using them which is frustrating when you are running 26.2 in the open pretty much.

It was just a perfect running day, but I've heard it's a flip of the coin on such as winds may not be your friend some years.

I will run this again and if you want to run a fast race that is well organized and just plain fun, run this marathon. I loved the volunteers and the organization, just plain superb!!!

The Tri Cities Marathon is a perfect small marathon. This is a Boston qualifier on a "flat and fast" course where all the necessities are plentiful (aid stations, bathrooms, food at the end, mile markers, etc.). It remains small enough for the director to personally send a T-shirt for those of us who signed up late.

For such a small race, the level of organization was amazing. The volunteers were wonderful and just about outnumbered the total number of entrants!

The race start was very chilly (about 45 minutes before the gun went off, I had seen 26 degrees). I was reasonably warmed up after 5 miles, when the sun started coming out. There was almost no wind.

Aside from a couple of short climbs around the bridges, the course is flat as a pancake. There were aid stations every ~2 miles and most every mile marked.

There were only a few spectators on the course, which seems normal to me considering the size of the race.

The low entrance fee of $55 was another plus for me.

Overall, I had a great experience and may just try to run this race again!

This was my first marathon and I had a great experience. I thought the race was well organized, the course was scenic, and the race shirt was very cool. It was a nice touch to have Miss Tri-Cities at the finish distributing the finisher's medals. It was also really fun to have your name and home town announced over the loud speakers as you approached the finish line. As others have observed, the weather this year was perfect for a long run (cool, no wind, clear skies). My only slight criticism: a few more porta-johns out on the course would have been helpful. Other then that, A+ grade - great marathon. Thank you organizers and volunteers for putting on a fantastic race!

First marathon for me. While I was a little nervous at first, I had a great time. Scenic, lots of aid/water stations, and the fans there were energetic. Will run this one again.

The weather was absolutely perfect: low 30s to start, mid 40s at the finish, sunny, and barely a breeze. Plenty of aid stations and friendly volunteers. The race starts and ends at the Shilo. Very nice rooms. Beautiful setting to run is along the river and cross the bridges. Most of the race on paved running trails. It was my first marathon, and it was great for my family to be able to follow along and take pictures/video. Not a lot of fan support, but that wasn't expected. I loved everything about this race.

What a great small-town marathon. If you are looking for a terrific course that is wonderfully organized and a whole lot of fun, this is a great one to try. I knocked almost 30 minutes off my first marathon. The weather was perfect and there were lots of great snacks afterwards.