Oklahoma City was top-notch in every way. I was very pleased with the hospitality, organization and enthusiasm of the people and volunteers!

The course seemed a little like rolling hills and it was quite scenic. OKC has a lot of beauty. I ended up getting a PR on this course which was exciting. The enthusiasm of the spectators helped me along! I would improve the starting line chaos though. Everyone crowded the entryway into the start corrals and I almost missed the gun going off because I couldn't get into the starting gate!

This is definitely a marathon that I would do again. Very challenging and memorable.

One of the few minor flaws this year seemed to be confusion over where to check in pre-race gear.

A friend of mine who has completed the event all eight times even admitted that was one of his only disappointments. We were to coordinate with a fellow runner to give him his race packet at the bag pick up, and none of the maps seemed to denote the spot correctly. We finally found the point by coincidence only minutes before the race start.

While I was running, I observed a runner with a plastic race goody/number bag in his hand who admitted he had to run with it until he linked up with the runner it belonged to because he couldn't locate the check-in.

The marathon itself was excellent. Support every two miles, motivated volunteers, plenty of re-hydrants and a lot of pretzels for salt.

Banners posted memorialize each victim from the 1995 domestic terror attack. The course passes upscale neighbors with large mansions, the capitol, and more rural portions of the city; and it's a great urban-rural mix within the confines of a major city.

Excellent variety of post-race food - and the only marathon I can remember where I received (two) shirts: one for entering and one for finishing! Also (two) hamburgers at the finish!

The medal is a nice depiction of a tree that memorializes the bombing victims, and the packet includes a ticket to the memorial museum.

I highly recommend this race.

Simply a wonderful marathon experience. The marathon starts in front of the OKC Memorial. I had visited the Memorial the day before and was still very emotional. There was a flag for each victim scattered about the course. The crowds were encouraging... even in the cold, windy weather! The aid stations were well stocked... everything was well organized! There was a 0430 start for walkers. It was a well-done event! Thanks, OK, for a fabulous marathon experience!

I've been waiting to run this race for 2 years and the wait was well worth it! I especially enjoyed the course layout as it takes you through many of Oklahoma City's highlights. I've only run 2 marathons and I find this race to be a challenge but not overly difficult. FAN/volunteer support and the water stations were right on the money - great job.

The overall organization was exceptional except for maybe the start area. Runners of all abilities just filled in from the front to the back. Separating the 5K runners/walkers was a very good idea and maybe there is a way to organize the rest based on ability? Also, get rid of the pace "flip cards" at the mile markers - many were not being kept current.

The above items were minor, in my opinion. The course, overall organization, focus on why we were there - 168 lives lost in 1995, and the support make this a "must" for any runner. I will always make it a point to be a part of this experience every year.

I think the people of Oklahoma City should be commended for the outstanding job they do for the Memorial Marathon. All along the race people were constantly thanking you for running in the marathon. I wore my finisher medal back to my hotel, and everyone who saw me thanked me for running in the marathon. The hospitality of the OKC people cannot be beat.

The marathon is very well organized and fully prepared for all situations. All your running needs were fully met on the course. The course offered water, Gatorade, pretzels, oranges, bananas, and Gu. No runner would ever have to go without what they needed on the course.

My only suggestion would be to have the marathon people start 30 minutes ahead of the other races; it was just too crowded.

Congratulations on a well-run marathon!

I echo the comments about the high quality of this race. The medical support (which thankfully I did not need) was extraordinary. The people were friendly. The expo was well-run. Two areas for improvement (also echoed by others): (1) Please rank by chip time. Why rank by gun time when you have the chips (and pay the cost of renting them and the timing system)? (2) Please have a separate corral or lanes (example: the left lane of the starting area) or bib color for walkers. Having walkers line up in the middle of runners poses a hazard to walkers and runners of all paces. I have walked two marathons, and would never have dreamed of lining up with the runners. If a separate corral or bib number is inadvisable, please consider more forcefully emphasizing that walkers should line up in the appropriate spot in the corral.

The rain stopped and the race was perfect for me, as I ran a personal best. I thought the course was very fair and thank the good Lord for a north wind rather than a south wind! The finisher's shirt is a very cool gift... especially since it says, "FINISHER," in big, white, letters across the back! Thanks to OKC for the marathon. And every time I go to the memorial, it is emotional.

This will be the marathon to which I will compare all others from now on. What an incredible experience. It's the first marathon I've run that was for a cause. I'll never forget the 168 seconds of silence before the start, the Saturday evening service at First Church, visiting the memorial and museum, seeing the banners along the course with the names of the victims, and the rush of emotion upon crossing the finish line. The course itself was great; just enough hills to make it interesting, and a nice downhill finish. It was raining at the start, but that stopped early. The wind always seemed to be a headwind until mile 14, when it finally was a great tailwind as I ran along the lake. That tailwind was the difference maker in being able to run a negative split.

Because of the reason for this marathon, I feel like I have no right to complain about anything, but two things that need to be improved: First, separate the full marathoners from all other participants at the start. It took eight minutes to cross the start line. Second, have a dozen people at the end of the finish-chute on bended knee, ready to cut the timing chip off your shoe. I walked right past who seemed to be the ONE person taking chips off shoes, because he was having a leisure discussion with a buddy and not paying attention to runners. When I walked back to him, I had to lift my shoe up to the chair he was sitting in so he could cut off the chip. Lifting my feet anymore than 1 inch off the ground was the last thing I wanted to do after running 26.2!

This event stands out because of the volunteers. Friendly, warm, polite and hospitable are how I would describe the Oklahomans I met over the weekend. You can't help but be moved by this event. The happiness I felt from being a part of it will be with me for a long time. Mile markers were hard to find after mile 7, asking those around with GPS was the only way to know where you were. I don't understand why results weren't done by chip time. When we took out the slower runners who finished ahead in the final results, I had jumped ahead by a lot. This made sense since it took 8 minutes to reach the start line. Finish time based starting corrals (ex: Nashville Marathon) would also help to avoid getting around slower runners. Overall I think hardcore runners might be frustrated, but it was well worth the time and effort for this amateur. The expo was well run and information in the goody bag was very helpful. The church with the pancake breakfast really showed the true class and spirit we encountered on race weekend. In summary, a few technical points could be improved upon, but everything else was superb.

Well organized marathon. Very windy, cool and rainy (all beyond organizer control). Course was well marked and well manned. I would have liked a sports drink choice other than lemon lime PowerAde (grape, fruit punch, etc.) during the run. Plenty of fluid and other items on each stop. Water stops were numerous and enthusiastic. Finish line was great (a second shirt is not bad either). Finish line food/fluid was plentiful, enough for an army.

I guess my biggest gripe would be the expo. Much of the items were priced at retail or slightly below. I guess I was expecting it to be similar to other expos I had been to which had sales of 50% or better on a lot of the merchandise. Only one booth I saw had significant sale items. It would also be nice to get shirt, number, chip, and activation at the same place rather than 3 different places at the expo.

All in all, great marathon, so-so expo.