Well organized event, nice expo, Bill Rogers was a plus. The concern coming into the marathon was the weather, as it is always a bit unpredicable in New England. Using a ten-day forecast, weather conditions for race day went all over the map. Eventually the wind controlled the race blowing from 15-25 mph constantly while in the mid to high 20's during the race. Drained the marathon runners in the last half.

The real heros, however, are the volunteers who year-after-year brave the conditions for 5-6 hours and provide outstanding support and encouragement! Thanks!! Good job Hyannis!

This was my 8th marathon, and I managed to set a PR.

Most of the other 2005 comments seem to be accurate, but I will add a few points.

Organization was fine and smooth, and I gave it 4 spectators for the enthusiastic volunteers as well as decent support for the first loop.

If you stay at the Sheraton Hotel, the start is right outside, which is very easy. The course was scenic, though the second loop doesn't not have nearly as many runners, but I never felt that I was alone. The volunteers were fantastic throughout the course, especially on the second loop.

You will never worry about it being too hot, as many times during other marathons that I did the temperatures spike up the day of the race. Of course, during winter in Cape Cod other bad weather could occur, but it didn't happen in 2005. The official temp was in the upper 20's and low 30's.

Plenty of race photos were also taken.

Again, it is small marathon (with a 1/2 marathon and a 10K) in February in New England. If you are looking for loud music, huge cheering crowds, loads of food and giveaways, then this is not your race. If you looking for a marathon with a 'local road race feel' that is scenic and at a different time of the year, then this is the race to do.

It was also neat to see Bill Rodgers at the start, with all of us!

I would not hesitate to do it again!

Thanks.

Two-loop course, through neighborhoods, along the ocean (very windy) and a mile or two on the highway (w/ cars). You run along with the half marathon and 10K runners, so be careful not to run too fast at miles 6/13. I felt the race was well organized; it was nice to be able to hang out in the hotel and enjoy the buffet/cash bar afterwards. Not much by way of spectators, but the volunteers were nice, devoted people. If you don't mind cold weather, it should be a good time.

Although I blew up at mile 18 and missed my mark by 20 min, the course, the spectators, the organizers and the day overall were fantastic. Great expo - I saw Bill R. a few times just talking to perfect strangers - what an asset to the sport. I'll be back.

Half the battle when organizing or running a marathon in February in New England is the unpredictable weather. I've run the half here on a day when visibility was zero because of cold rain and fog and came away saying, 'What Kennedy Compound?' This year, I still missed the Kennedy Compound, but that was because there was so much beauty - who cared? A beautiful course on a beautiful day, in spite of the wind. The organization is excellent considering there are so many things going on (marathon, relay, half, and 10k). The fans tend to hang at the hotel, but who could blame them with warmth, music, swimming, food and other races going on there. It's a good one to take the kids to for that reason. Thanks 'Paulie' for a good race!

The first lap was great, however, there were very few spectators on the second lap. Also the wind made it pretty tough on miles 5-9 and again on 18-22. The course was very scenic and well controlled.

(My 14th marathon, 9th venue.)

1) 13 mile course run twice. Pretty enough, but I like 26 different miles, hence the '3' above. A '4+' if you're running just the 1/2.
2) Small (~350 marathoners) joined by more 1/2ers and 10k-ers on the first loop. Got rather quiet the second time around, which was good too (ah, tranquility).
3) Primarily through New England town residential neighborhoods, quiet, safe, snow-covered, and pretty, with the highlights being a total of 4 passes by 2 really beautiful beaches and a quaint, picturesque lighthouse, though these portions were probably < 4 miles of the run. Also passed other modest but 'Americana'-type interesting places: JFK Memorial park, Korean War Mem. park, a couple of quaint shops.
3a) Brief interlude sharing highway with cars could make some runners nervous.
4) By some miracle the gentle hills on the first loop were far steeper on the second loop.
5) Blacktop pavement throughout.
6) Sufficient and friendly water/Gatorade tables, though some disappearing a bit if you're over 4:30ish.
7) Parking and other logistics easy.
8) Only one massager, but she was good.
9) Did not spot much in the way of medical assistance on the course, but plenty of volunteers with walkie-talkies dispersed at fairly regular intervals throughout the course.
10) Town hardly knew we were there, except for inevitable traffic issues.

All in all, a nice morning run in a pretty New England town on the shore. Thank you to the organizers for a pleasant visit to Hyannis, and to the generous spirit of the volunteers. I had a delightful and peaceful day, and I'm grateful.

Last December, my 16-year old son told me that he wanted to run a marathon. With advice from a running friend, I signed him up for the Hyannis Half Marathon. When we left our house early in the morning it was 13F. I hoped it would warm up by the time we arrived in Hyannis. It was still very cold when we parked the MINI. I am very thankful for the excellent driving directions. I am also thankful to the race organizers for making it so easy for a first-timer to participate. I had lots of motherly anxiety since my son was still recovering from a cold and had been unable to run all week.

My son has two vivid memories of the race. First he observed bystanders looking at the MINI instead of the racers. Secondly, at mile 8 he stepped into a deep pothole and splashed everyone around him and soaked his entire foot. Simon was exhausted at the finish line and I am grateful for the food and drink provided to help him regain his strength. I am very happy overall with the Hyannis event and hope to be present with Simon in 2006.

This is a great small time race in Cape Cod in February. The weather can be iffy, but in 2005, it was sunny and in the low to mid 30s, with some wind at your face. Ideal. Easy logistics at the start, works out great if you can stay at the Sheraton. Good communication with the race director that had settled a pre-race issue quickly.

We arrived late Saturday night, so we missed the pasta party. The day-of-race expo and the 10 am start time allowed plenty of time in the morning to pick up your race packet, have breakfast and grab extra merchandise if you wanted.

The course is fairly flat (there are some sneaky hills), with some scenic views of the water, the JFK memorial, and you run through some of the small classic Cape Cod towns. The marathon is a double loop course, well marked with many enthusiastic volunteers along the way. Plenty of water/Gatorade stations, and a special thanks to the lady handing out pretzel sticks, those were great! We saw Patti Catalano Dillon flying by us, and she shouted encouragement to us slow pokes, very inspiring!

Mercury Photo took tons of pictures as well. You get your name announced at the finish. Nice hardware also.

The Sheraton allowed late checkout, so you can shower/clean up afterwards.

Remember that it is a smaller race, the 2005 marathon field was capped out at 300 runners, and, a majority of the runners will run the half marathon, the 10-K, or the relay. With the course, there is plenty of company on the first loop, and on the second loop, you are not THAT isolated, there are always some other runners around. Spectators are sparse but vocal, and far fewer on the second loop.

The after-race buffet of 'cash bar and munchies' at the hotel was very disappointing (some popcorn and chips), just plan on getting a sandwich or something else nearby (Hyport Brewery or a deli), no big deal. The roads are not closed to traffic, but, other than a small stretch of Route 28, there not many cars to worry about.

Summary: It's New England in February. Weather can be anything. If you are looking for screaming crowds, bands, large post-race buffets, lots of hype and hoopla, do a big-city marathon. If you want a good, well organized, low-key race on a nice, fairly flat course with some hardy New Englanders, run Hyannis.

Pretty nice course although it does have many turns. I ran the second loop fairly isolated but didn't come close to getting lost. Good volunteers. One suggestion would be to have someone right after the halfway point barking out the current place of the marathoners. I had no idea where I was place-wise until I finished. There were many runners ahead of me early on and I didn't know how many turned off at the half and how many kept going for the full distance. Not a show stopper though, just a regular situation with multi-distance races.