This was my first marathon. Hills were fine. I trained for them and, with the exception of the last one at mile 20, they were not too bad. Gatorade was available at mile 4 and then not again until mile 18. All stations were out - water was availale but we needed electrolytes. I had to stop at a gas station around mile 13 and buy some! Fans were great. Wonderful support.

Unfortunately Baltimore's inaugural marathon was poorly thought out and poorly organized. The course was hilly (not rolling hills) throughout. This was unfortunate because many of the runners were from the Baltimore/DC area and many were first time marathoners. I have one piece of advice for the first-timers: don't worry, it doesn't get much worse. The expo was poorly organized. Instead of picking up a packet, one had to get the number, chip, scan the chip, and get the shirt separately. There weren't enough spot-a-pots along the course (severe shortage). At the finish line no one announced the finishers. Also at the finish line the only food given out was small bags of chips and pretzels - that's right - no bagels, bananas, oranges, NOTHING! I was disgusted with this. Baltimore has much more scenic routes and it is unfortunate that this route was chosen. In particular, the last several miles when traffic is hostile and people are driving aggressively right in the next lane on Martin Luther King Blvd. needs to be rethought. One thing that was wonderful was the water stations and the people at those stations. That was the best organized part of the race. Hopefully Baltimore will seriously consider some major changes for next year in both the organization and the course. As a Baltimore resident, I would love to see this city develop a first-rate marathon. The potential is there.

This marathon was tough in 2001 in part due to the unseasonably warm temperatures. The hills started at mile 4 and didn't quit until mile 23, and even though there were some downhill stretches in between, the numerous waves of hills just beat my legs to death. I trained on the very hills in which the race was run, but the combination of hills and heat did me in on race day. The course weaved through some beautiful neighborhoods and parks in many places. Only miles 11-14 and 23-26 could be considered plain. Unfortunately, most runners were too beat to notice or enjoy the nice neighborhoods on most of the course. The good part was the strong support of the crowds, from mile one to mile twenty-six. The only real negatives were the heat (unavoidable), the traffic (some runners were even halted for crossing car traffic at some intersections, but that can be fixed) and the ceaseless hills. Perhaps the organizers could rethink the route and send people around Federal Hill, Fort McHenry, along the waterfront and through the city, instead of a big loop of hills around the city. For an inaugural event, it was run extremely well.

Being my first marathon, I don't have others to compare it to... but the course was very challenging hill-wise & there wasn't enough to eat. The finish was very chaotic & ran out of healthy food!!! I couldn't find a banana or bagel anywhere, but i was offered many bags of potato chips... not my idea of post-race refueling. Also, my husband couldn't get to the finish b/c there was a bottle neck of foot traffic- runners & spectators were confined to one small entrance. I was disappointed that he couldn't get there to see it.

I thought the race went well for the first time event. Organization was good, but needed more free food available to the runners after they finish (especially needed bread products). The course was nice and challenging with a great tour of the city. Fans were awesome, cheering all the runners on. Water stops were well staffed and there were plenty of smiling faces. The finish area was great, with the lap around PSI Net stadium and the fans ligned along the last 1/2 mile screaming their heads off. Looking forward to running this again next year and will be prepared for the 13 miles of uphill climbs.

The hills were extremely difficult. I train in Washington where it is generally flat and was just not prepared for the hills through mile 16. By mile 18, i was beat and the downhills didn't help much at that point. But all that being said, crowd support was great, a very scenic course, and very well organized. Just do a lot of hill training if you plan on running this race.

The organizers and volunteers for this inaugural marathon did a splendid job. It seemed obvious to me that a lot of careful planning went into every phase of the race, from the pre-race packet pickup and check-in to the post-race awards party. Energetic fan support was everywhere along this beautiful and scenic course. Now, about those hills! Flat for the first three miles or so, then it seemed I was running uphill until mile 24. There were many ups and downs, but after a while those ups (however minor) seemed like mountains! Oh well, part of the fun (and geography) of Baltimore. I'd run it again.

Thanks to all involved!!

This race has a very hilly course. The first 16 miles are a series of rolling hills which amount to a climb for most of the distance. Very long hill at mile 21. Of 5218 finishers, only 27% broke 4 hours. It was quite warm with no cloud cover. It might pay to move this race into November. The course is not to be taken lightly.

Organization at the registration/packet pick-up was poor. Runners were wandering around trying to find the next stop in the process. Runners Expo was mixed in with the registration area to add to confusion.

The on course organization was fair. First few mile markers should have been elevated. They sat on the ground, and were obscured by spectators and other runners. The first few water stops should have been set up on both sides of the street. They were set up on one side only causing confusion and congestion as people tried to get in and out of the water stops. Add to that some people getting water and immediately stopping to walk and drink in the water stop area, and you had problems in those first few water stops. Once the pack thinned out they were very good.

Traffic tie-ups in the city due to the race seemed to be pretty bad. I felt sorry for the cops trying to deal with it. Also, there were several runners down that I was aware of due to the heat and course. I wouldn't be surprised to see some tweaking of the course to take it away from some of the busier intersections, and to take some of the hills out.

The meal after the race was nothing to write home about. A couple of pieces of fruit, a bottle of water, and a bag of chips. No other drinks were available as far as I could tell. For $60 I expected more. I think the race organizers need to spend less money on the post race party and more on runner amenities at the finish line.

Overall, this race has potential. The scenery early is very nice, and the facilities are pretty good. I can see a tough year ahead for the staff to iron out some of the glitches. The course makes it a poor choice for first timers.

The course could not have been mapped out by experienced race planners! (ie, the hills and the neighborhoods it took you through). It needs to be re-worked. This race should have taken runners through much nicer parts of the city. Organizers should incorporate Federal Hill over Patterson Park, Charles Village over Druid Hill, and St. Paul or Charles Street over Howard St. and MLK Blvd. This race took runners through the worst of Baltimore! The organization needs improvement. Runners finishing after the 4:30:00 mark found the main food vendor loading up the truck. There was no food at the end for runners after this time, only water! The race promoted that there would be bands along the course to motivate the runners, there were none! Water stops were fully staffed and the encouragement and excitement of these folks should not go unnoticed! The fans and the police did a wonderful job making all runners feel like the toast of the town.
Organizers: The foundation is there, get this right for next year!

I felt well-trained for a marathon and felt that a sub-4:00 hour time was very achievable having run 1:44 half-marathons over the previous few months. However, this course physically and mentally beat me with the hills which seemed never ending...long up hills and short down hills until mile 18 seemed like they would never end as well as miles 20 - 21...but by that time I was mentally and physically beat by the hills, although I ran the half in 1:50...unfortunately the 2nd half got me at 2:40...I know I was trained better than that...I believe the course organizers wil have to review the topography of the course if they want people to come back. For a first marathon, the organization and spectators were top notch! The logistics of starting and stopping at Ravens Stadium and being only blocks from the Inner Harbor and hotels was great!