I decided in November to enter the Mercedes Marathon, trained well, and finished with a PR by over 10 minutes. The event was extremely well organized. The course was OK; some areas of the course were on roads with rough and cracked pavement, and I saw an older man at mile 22 fall hard due to one of these cracks. Aside from that, it was an excellent event. Seemed that a lot of spectators left the 2-lap course roadside after the first lap. Also, we stayed at the other large hotel near the start (Tutwiler), and the hotel refused to grant late check-outs to runners. Major hassle to those runners Sunday morning. Organizers need to get this hotel in check! Overall: OK race, but great organization.

Great course that has few hills and lots of great volunteers.

We decided to stay in the host hotel this year so it would be an easy walk to the start. That was a mistake this year. The host hotel was also hosting the World of Wheels car show next door. There was no parking around the hotel and check-in was a mess. The hotel opened for breakfast only one hour before the start; it was not good and yet was very expensive.

This is a great marathon, but stay somewhere else.

The course is billed as fairly flat. There are a few short, steep inclines, but they were not long enough to cause too much pain. The route includes some roads in a warehouse district and past rundown businesses. Some of the streets were also in poor condition, with potholes. The organizers had placed a few orange cones to warn runners. Spectator support was poor at the start and then even less for the second loop for those running the full. Volunteers and police were generally great. I tried to high-five as many officers along the way. The after-race party was cool. I think the barbecue was a hit. However, I was hungry for more than one small sandwich and a bag of chips after running a marathon. Pluses of this race: generally great weather, fast course, Sheraton was so conveniently close, and we got a cool medal. Probably the best thing is the knowledge that part of my entrance fee was going to help kids with medical problems.

I loved the race. The course was OK; it covered many different parts of town. Organization was great! Expo was small, but OK. As part of a 50 state quest, it was a nice trip/race. Contrary to other comments, I found plenty to do in town. The snow in town seemed to slow it down some - probably not the norm for the area. Great weekend, affordable town, fun race. Only down side: some of the streets, especially in the first quarter of the loop, were a little rough from resurfacing.

Nice, easy, two-loop marathon route. Great crowd and volunteer support. Excellent for my first marathon even though I must admit to serious under-training. Looking forward to next year.

I stayed at the Sheraton, the host hotel, which was connected to the expo. This was all very convenient. Also the hotel is only a couple of minutes away from the start and finish. The expo was fast and easy and I actually spent about $100 there on running gear. The race was just average. I marked down the course because of the scenery. There was nothing to look at during this race. The course was not difficult. There seemed to be more dow hill than uphill. Double loop courses do not bother me if they are scenic, but I know Birmingham has to prettier than this course. This course made Birmingham look economically depressed, and it was depressing. The post-race party on the other hand was amazing: a huge viewing of the race, great food and drinks, and live music. The hardware was great, with the Mercedes logo. The t-shirt was pink for women and I loved it; the hat was great and the gloves were great. Now, just make a more scenic course that Southern Living Magazine would be proud of and you have yourself a world-class event in Birmingham.

I thought this was a great overall marathon. The course had small uphills, but long and plentiful downhills. It would be good for a first-timer, or for someone looking for a PR. The long-sleeved tech tee was nice and gender-specific! Medal is awesome. I LOVED the double loop; it was great knowing what to expect the second time around. It was like running on a course you'd already practiced on. I PR'd by 31 minutes! Thank you, downhills!!

I drove 12 hours each way, from Michigan, to run this marathon based on a friend's recommendations. If you like lots of crowd support, this is not for you. It is a small, double-loop marathon with sparse support in the second loop. However, the ample and well stocked water stops with PowerAde and GU along with other non-sanctioned stops that included donuts, cookies, gummy bears, cheerleaders, kids sprinkling the ground with confetti and silly spray to welcome you and a chance to dance with Elvis more than make up for the small crowds. There was also little weaving, lots of room on the streets, plenty of police support at all intersections and tons of good, old-fashioned Southern hospitality! The loop was scenic enough that doing it twice didn't bother me, as it usually would. Oh, the medal that resembles a Mercedes hood ornament and a very cool finisher's shirt were nice too. Also, it has very nice goody bags and a great post party!

I ran the Mercedes Marathon two days ago. It was an awesome experience! I LOVE the course. The uphills seemed tiny and the downhills long and plentiful. (I know, how is that possible?) I gained so much time on the downhills that I PR'd by 31 minutes over the Country Music Marathon I ran 10 months ago. Double loop worked for me; I liked knowing what to expect the 2nd time around. Packet pickup was great. I stayed at the Hampton Inn Tutweiler (from a recommendation on here) and it was PERFECT. Great location (1 block from start), great beds, and superb restaurant. The only issue was that pace groups were impossible to find. They needed brightly colored shirts or signs or something. A fast, fabulous marathon! Great for a 1st-timer or a PR!

Really enjoyed the race. My 2nd marathon finish, and in my home town. The whole race experience was very good. Spectator support was not quite as good as my first marathon, but it would be hard to top my first. Food was good, but I wish there had been more at the post-race party. Lots of good beer, though! Really like the finisher shirt and medal.