Although this course has some difficult hills, the crowd support and well manned aid stations made this a fun marathon. The organizers, race director and volunteers did an excellent job...my hat is off to you guys! I will be back to do this one again.

Without the heat, the hills might have not been so bad. The last 8 miles are not shaded, so we runners were cooked by the end. Maybe next year we will have better weather. The race organizers for this inaugural running of the Baltimore Marathon did a wonderful job. The spectators were amazing; I have never seen such enthusiasm from a marathon-naive city. Good job Baltimore and I'll pray for cooler weather next year.

Lots of rolling hills with the worst (and last) one coming at 21. Which is where my knee finally gave out costing me a PR (not to mention a mere finish). Even with this sour experience, I must still admit that this was a very well organized race and the fan support was unbelievable. Great job Baltimore

The course was hilly but not impossible. The crowd support was not shoulder to shoulder for 26 miles, but lots of folks out having fun, handing out cookies, candy, water and enthusiasm. I thought it was very festive and I found both the runners and support folks warm and friendly.

While some of the course was pretty plain (especially the last 3 miles), much of it found parks and even some much-appreciated shade trees. Extra kudos to the guy misting runners around mile 17.

I did see some runners bonking, but I never passed up a chance for fluids and finished fine. First time marathon for me, but I'm hooked. There's undoubtably faster courses to be found, but full support from the city and sponsors made for a memorable day.

I was very impressed by the whole show. As others have said its a pretty rolling and hilly course; not a P.R. sort of day. Could have used a few more porta-potties along the course; they were only in two locations that I recall. Also, put water on both sides of the road for the early water stops; it avoids course congestion that way. Baltimore is much prettier than I imagined. The course went through many interesting neighborhoods and, I thought, was very scenic (Ok, it's not Big Sur but it's nice.) Plus the people of Baltimore really turned out; I thought they were great.

I was pleasantly surprised with the Inaugural Comcast Baltimore Marathon. There were many more runners than I expected and many more spectators, too. The race was started appropriately with statements by city officials, including the Mayor, the singing of the national anthem and 'God Bless America,' and an invocation by a local pastor. The weather was beautiful, crisp and sunny, though it did heat up too much a little later in the morning. There was fan support throughout the race, with all the traditional shouts of 'C'mon, this is the LAST hill!' and 'Water just around the corner!' Lots of high-fiving younsters and barking dogs on leashes to cheer us along. The course wound through beautiful and diverse neighborhoods and really gave a flavor of why Baltimore is called 'Charm City.' The race volunteers were great -- helpful and encouraging. The US Army volunteer water stop wins the prize as the most organized and clean -- they kept the cups picked up and the running course clear. The race was challenging given the rolling terrain, though none of the hills were particularly steep -- they were just constant for the first 17-18 miles! And there seemed to be a lot of miles run on unforgiving concrete streets as opposed to the slightly more hospitable asphalt. On a scale of of 1 to 10, I would rate the Inaugural Comcast Baltimore Marathon at 8. Great job and I look forward to running this race every year for a new running tradition. Thanks to all the organizers, city officials, sponsors, volunteers, fans and fellow runners for a wonderful way to get to know your city better. - Steven Dorsey, Manassas, VA

This course is not your typical 'flat and fast' marathon. There are a lot of hills - not steep, but continuous rolling hills from mile 5 to 21. But that is what makes it interesting. The course is challenging - definitely not a BQ course for the average runner - but not impossibly so. It's an accomplishment when you are done. True, there were some logistical problems that need to be worked out. But for a first time marathon with 6500 people that's to be expected. There could be more food on the course, more than one GU stop, better signs for the start and the finish area (meeting areas, etc). I saw a number of medical personnel along the course. And I thought the route was fairly scenic for an urban marathon. The fans were great. All in all a very good event.
P.S. There is talk of redesigning the course next year to take out some of the hills.

Great organization, great spectators and volunteers - the city really came out in force, great police department! Unfortunately, I saw runners sprawled on the grass trying to gather themselves to continue, runners going up to relay busses begging to be taken back, and runners walking up hill after hill. The confirmation packet (which arrived only a week before - no time to change any training, anyway) told us: 'rolling...but the majority of the hills are not steep' and 'the last ten miles are a net downhill with two slight climbs...' Mile 20-21 was entirely uphill! I trained for hills, I thought, but ran on guts for the last hour - I wish I had known to do even more hill prep.

Also - I would love to be able to purchase race merchandise online. There doesn't seem to be any place to do that.

An excellent inaugural race that should get even better with time. Adding a scenic loop around Fort McHenry, while eliminating a few hills, might be an improvement. Some vaseline and food on the course would be a help, but the water stations were plentiful and the volunteers friendly. The 'net downhill' description of the last 9 miles was an interesting way to describe the continuing hills. Baltimore Police did an excellent job of protecting the course; and, they even cheered for us!

Good Course - Quite Hilly but nothing Severe - (of course after Nashville, Hatfield & McCoy, Salt Lake City & Schroon Lake any set of gently rolling hills would seem mild). Great Job of organization for a first time event. Saw little to improve upon except that numerous water stops are located on downhill sections of the course. With so many rolling hills it seems it would be better to adjust the water stops to allow runners to take advantage of their momentum on the downhills rather than have to slow down to refuel. Other than that - - no complaints. Good Support and Enthusiastic fans. (Confession: Due to a miscue I was not officially registered - after driving over an hour to get there I ran as a bandit - something I've never done before and don't condone.)