I went into this race having heard only 2 things: 1) Callaway Gardens is beautiful and 2) there are minimal runners and very few fans on this course.

I was VERY pleasantly suprised! This marathon runs throughout Callaway Gardens along a 13.1-mile loop. The first 5 miles are fairly fast; then you start encountering some nice rollers with one memorable significant climb, followed by another moderate hill. This lasts for about miles 5-10, then leads into the remaining 3 miles being similar to the first 5 of the loop.

The marathon was what I would call a spiritual race, during which it's mostly you and maybe a few others winding and rolling down manicured bike trails and roads, but through the wooded gardens and fresh air.

I would also recommend this because it's a Boston qualifier that has similar terrain to the actual Boston Marathon.

Lastly, the ONLY complaint I would have would be that the aid stations were a little far apart and weakly manned. One at least every 2 miles with at least 2 people would have been nice, but that was the only issue I had.

Great course! Give it a shot!

The course itself it beautiful and rolling. The organization of the event left something to be desired. We arrived at the lodge and no one there could answer any questions about the marathon, and didn't even appear to know it was taking place. A little effort to recognize and support the participants would be nice. The race itself was underwhelming, and at times confusing; cones placed in the middle of a fork in the path were confusing! The water stops were well manned and friendly, but the feeling of the overall experience was that they didn't make it enough of an event and there are better races out there. I wouldn't come back again.

Finally the weather and the organization came together to make the 2007 Callaway Marathon a very good event. Temperatures in the low 40's with overcast sky and light breeze made for ideal running conditions. There was plenty of water and Gatorade (14 stations) and the course was well marked to guide runners on the winding road/path through the somewhat hilly Callaway Gardens. Hills at miles 5, 6, 7 & 8 and again at miles 19, 20, 21, & 22 on the two-loop course make this a modestly tough course. The expo was nonexistent, which is a negative. And no chip is used for timing, which makes it questionable how the event can be a Boston qualifier. A nice t-shirt and finishing medal, and fruit and energy bars at the finish welcome the runners. I ran this marathon in 1999 when the temperature was in the 70's with little water on the course. I said I'd never run it again, but I'm glad I came back to run it this year. The Callaway Marathon is a good local event.

-Cecil Cheves

The only thing keeping this race from receiving four stars on the course is the double loop. The course is beautiful as it winds through Callaway Gardens. There is always something to look at or distract you when needed; however, traveling in your same footsteps can be a bit of a downer, especially when you want an element of surprise. Overall, I think this is a great low-key race. Organization was great and volunteers excellent. No spectators on the course, but who needs them when the scenery is so beautiful. The weather and organizational problems from 2005 appear to be a distant memory. I think I would label this race a hidden gem.

A nice course through Callaway Gardens - there were very very few spectators on the course, but that doesn't bother me. The course was rolling in some parts, but where you go up, you gotta go back down, so it wasn't difficult. Nice weather, friendly volunteers, well organized... I can't think of anything bad about the race. A definite small-town race.

I was also very reluctant to run this race after reading about last year's debacle. Despite the cold steady rain, the race experience was fine. The number of participants is quite small and the vast majority seem to run the half marathon. The course is definitely challenging, but quite scenic. At times, I just tried to focus on the scenery when climbing yet another hill. If you are looking for the "big time" marathon experience, this is not the race for you. However, if you are looking for marathon without all the hoopla, bells and whistles, this is certainly the race for you.

I am so glad I ran this race. I was a little nervous going into this marathon after reading all the comments from last year. It was an amazing run. The water stops were great, the volunteers at the stops were so nice, and the course was gorgeous. Yes, there are hills, but they are the nice rolling type. Just enough so you don't get bored. It's a smaller race, so you don't have all the spectators out there on the course. It didn't matter. Just take in the beauty of the course and it goes by so much faster. I was a little worried about a loop course, thinking I would get bored the second time around, but I saw stuff on the second loop that I didn't see the first time and the second loop went by so fast. I would recommend this to anyone. Just don't go into it comparing it to the big races. This is a small, sweet race with the potential of becoming a big race. Thank you for a great run!

I did not actually run this race but I did observe it from a qualified runners view. I was there to support my wife who was running her 1st marathon. To start off there was an ice storm the day before the event. Ice is NOT snow!! It is 100 times more dangerous than snow. My wife and I live on the north side of Atlanta where the storm hit pretty bad. Called the race director's number several times the day before the race to see if there was any news as to cancellation. Only got a message telling us they had left for Callaway. No way to get ahold of anyone who should have had info. Called Callaway Garden, no info from them either. Wife and I decided to chance it and drove 3 hours (normally a 1.5-hour drive). Got to Callaway and the expo was no expo at all!! Got up the next morning only to find out the race was postponed and maybe to be cancelled.

Race was started 2 hours late and the course was changed at the last minute because of trees down on the course. Whoever measured the new course did a lousy job because they added almost 2.5 miles to it. The mileage was not marked and many of the turns not clearly marked either. My wife actually ended up making a wrong turn and running 10 minutes in the wrong direction (see post from K.C.)! The race clock malfunctioned sometime after the start and the director ended up using his wristwatch/stopwatch. His timekeeper kept coming up and asking what peoples' times were because she wasn't paying attention when racers crossed the finish line.

The post-race food and drink was lousy!! By the time my wife finished all they had was warm water and green bananas. The post-race massage staff packed up and left about an hour before the majority of runners finished. I never once saw any type of medical support staff anywhere around in case of emergencies, which was a big possibilty given the weather and course conditions!

Yes, the weather was bad and it did screw a lot of things up. Regardless, it should be expected and planned for when a race is scheduled in the dead of winter. The race director needed a better way of getting in touch with him. This race is touted as a Boston Marathon qualifier. How one could claim that I don't know, given the poor organization of this event.

The Hughston Clinic/Callaway Gardens Half Marathon/Marathon was a terrible experience for me. I say this as a very experienced distance runner with 31 years experience and over 250 completed distance races. I am most concerned about the very poor organization; and it had nothing to do with the weather!. There was a two-plus hour delay to clear off limbs from the course; yet the limbs had been on the ground for 24 hours when the clean-up began. I drove a considerable distance to participate in the race, yet no one with the Callaway Resort could give me any information by phone about potential delays, problems, etc. I called well in advance. Because I had another commitment later in the day, I could not stay through the delay to compete. I requested a refund which was flatly denied by the race official.

This is a terrible event! It is badly run, poorly organized and is not runner friendly. Their mistakes are too numerous to count. They were quick to take my money but gave me nothing in return but a committed desire to never waste my time there again. Stay away runners! There are plenty of quality events in the State of Georgia. If enough serious runners will hold the line on poor races such as this, maybe a quality event will take its place. I sure hope so.

Ice in GA. Race course had to be changed and start delayed. Distance accidently extended with the change. I was actually the LAST FINISHER. Found there to be plenty of water on the course. Most water stops were still manned even thought the volunteers had been there for 9 hours or so since the race was supposed to begin. The race director and staff were kind to allow me plenty of time to finish. This hills were tougher than I anticipated. I should have trained more for them. Don't hold the race director responsible for the bad weather.