Having just had shoulder surgery on my right shoulder in March 2008, my training program had consisted of running 3 miles, 3 times per week, up until the weekend of the Mad City Marathon (as I was training for a 5K in the Twin Cities). I went out to Madison as a supporter and ended up signing up for and running the 1/2 marathon. WOW!!! Am I impressed!!! The fan support was awesome (although at times sparse but I didn't even notice that), the volunteers were incredible and the town supported this event with fervor. The expo was conveniently located and easy to maneuver, although it only allowed a smaller number of vendors. I loved every minute of the 13.1 miles that were routed through beautiful housing, the gorgeous U.W.-Madison campus and along the gorgeous lakes inside the town of Madison. Having just moved to the Twin Cities from flat Iowa (where hills are non-existent) two weeks prior, I began training in some hills in the Twin Cities, which came in handy because there definitely were some unexpected hills on the half marathon - especially right after running by Camp Randall (good choice organizers to send us by C.R.!!!).

I was pleasantly surprised, as I PR'd in my half marathon time as well. The beginning of the race was gorgeous as well, especially at the start line. The medal was very nice, as was the "stay green" tech shirt! The only problem would be lack of port-a-potties at the beginning of the race. All in all, if I'm ready next year, I would love to run the full marathon! This will be a great pre-training program for the Twin Cities Marathon this October. If your planning on running this race, don't miss the farmers' market near the liberal Wisconsin campus! We loved it!!! Good job Madison... you put on a class-act event!

This was my first visit to Madison. I chose it because of some training setbacks that wouldn't have allowed me to run an earlier marathon. Last year I trained for Music City and ended up with a severe sprain a week before. I was very eager to run this one, and overall I was very pleased. Let me say that I, too, would be in the group that considers this course hilly. The hill at mile 15 was one of the more serious ones. Although I trained on hills to a large extent, I think that I was a little unprepared for this course. A calf/Achilles problem caused me to have to take the last 10 days off up to the race. Once I got out there I was so eager to run that I burned myself out on the front end of the course a little. I've only been a runner for about 4 years and this was my first full marathon. Make sure you pace yourself for this one. The hills keep coming. I had to walk a lot the last couple of miles, and my quads seized up a little at mile 23, but I still finished in under 5 hours. Having said that, I still feel the course is doable for a first-timer. The terrain is very nice, and Madison just has a great, friendly feel to it. No real criticism except the lack of port-a-johns at the start. Just make sure you get to the starting line early. Anyway, spectators were good overall and the post-race support was great. I didn't take advantage of the post-race massage, but what a nice service to offer. The medics were outstanding. They really gave the runners a hard look over, making sure they were okay. Thanks, Madison, for a great first marathon. I'd recommend it for other runners and may do it again myself.

I have only positive comments about Madison - this is a gem of a marathon!

ORGANIZATION: The expo was small but compact, and there was no line at packet pickup. I think it's great that they had several "information" desks at the starting line on race day.

WEATHER: This is the wild card, especially for May, but the day turned out to be perfect - overcast and 50-60 degrees with a light breeze. That was not what was predicted, so we got lucky!

COURSE: It goes through the entire town, not just the dull parts like some marathons. Very scenic with parks, lakes, residential areas, and downtown storefronts. A few hills in parts, but it could have been worse.

WATER STATIONS/VOLUNTEERS: The water stations were spaced out well and attentively manned. I never had to get my own drink.

PACE TEAMS: If you're going to try a pace team, this is the race to do it since you don't have to dodge other runners and can actually run with a group. I went off with the 3:40 pace team and ended up qualifying for Boston!

SPECTATORS: Very supportive and friendly. One girl rode her bike next to me for a quarter mile at the end, cheering me on!

FINISH LINE: The food line was long, but moved fast; and there was a good variety of food (yogurt, pasta salad, bagels, banana, oranges).

One piece of advice is to stay at a hotel near the expo/finish line. We stayed at the Sheraton (very nice) and I could walk to the shuttles in the early a.m. that took us to the starting line.

This is a great race to try as your first or fortieth marathon!

This was my first-ever marathon, and what a blast! I've been meaning to do this all my life, and at the age of 49, I finally ran it. I couldn't have picked a better race - great scenery, varied terrain that was challenging but not murderous, and wonderful people who got me through the last stretch. I will be back next year.

Weather turned out to be pretty good - cool winds, not too sunny. The course probably averaged out to be fairly flat but there were some steep hills. Nothing too long, but they were sharp... and how about running over the pedestrian overpass towards the end? That was not fun at all. They could have put more porta-potties at the start and also along the route. For a smaller race though, it was very well organized and I would recommend it to anyone interested in it.

This was a very well-organized event. I felt supported the entire way and the course was varied and interesting. As an out-of-towner, I wished the expo was located downtown. Also, put me with those who say that this course has a fair amount of hills - not monsters, but enough to challenge you a bit. I enjoyed the restaurants downtown, especially Tutto's and Portabella. Either one is great for a filling pre-race meal.

My hometown race is the worst of the bunch. I've run the half and full marathon several times and I'm amazed at the crazy route. Madison is a beautiful place to run with great paths and great scenery, but this run is killed by speed humps, bad roads (cambered streets), loops around cones, circle walking bridges, 90-degree right turns, 90-degree left turns, bad mile markers, and more speed humps.

Then, to make matters worse, you have to pass half marathoners, walkers and others through several parts of the race.

To put a cherry on the cake, the food line was log-jammed with people, and marathoners couldn't get to the drink without waiting.

I'm very embarrassed for Madison because this should be a great place to run.

I ran the Madison Marathon this weekend, and recommend it strongly! I was struck by the beauty of the city, which the course well highlights. The spectators, officials and volunteers were supportive and friendly.

Having previously run "mega" marathons (with more than 15,000 runners), I enjoyed the smaller Madison course, which meanders frequently onto very pleasant and enjoyable running/bike trails.

The only things for participants to be aware of are: 1) For fairly lengthy stretches of the final half marathon the course runs through very beautiful and naturalistic arboretum areas - but difficult to reach for spectators, which naturally diminishes support in those locations; 2) Much of the course is run on roads that remain open to vehicular traffic (though with a ~6' lane for the runners marked by frequently ignored orange cones).

I enjoyed the race. Very nice course... hilly, but recovery has been good for me because I was able to change muscles.

The weather in late May makes this race very unpredictable but I'm glad I ran the marathon in 2008. Running through the beautiful neighborhoods, around campus and through the arboretum made for nice variety. Except for the stretch in the arboretum, the spectators were spread out nicely. A couple of the hills were steep, but overall, not a big issue.

The expo was on par with most marathons of this size. The finisher medal was very cheesy, and for the entrance fee they charge for the marathon, they could have spent a couple extra bucks. I never did find any food at the finish. I didn't look too hard but you shouldn't have to either.

Overall, it was a great experience and I'd recommend this marathon to anyone looking for a smaller marathon.