Organization was excellent and this was a good race. Parking at the start was easy. A real highlight was running past the half marathon start; these runners provided more encouragement than you can imagine, so if you can get to the halfway point by 1 hour and 45 minutes in, this is a benefit that you will not experience in almost any other race. The finish was also excellent - running through Camden Yards to the football stadium. I would recommend this race.

The organization and course are good. The climate was excellent, not too warm or too cold. Separating the marathon, 5K, and half-marathon made the start good, but it made the finish area crowded, and I waited the food and drink in line for more than 10 minutes. I finally gave up.

The course is a little hilly, but not excessively (comparable to but easier than Boston). It is a very scenic tour of beautiful sectons of Baltimore, and you start and finish at the baseball park. There is lots of support on the course and the shirt is good too - a long-sleeved Under Armour.

The only downside is that the half marathon runners are merged into the marathon and everybody finishes together. As the marathon runners are fading, it gives the impression that those who only did the half are the better runners. They do mitigate that illusion, though, by giving the marathon entrants a patch for their singlet that reads "FULL."

As a race director myself, I know how much goes into organizing a race. Just a couple of comments.

I was impressed with signage at the expo and the start of the marathon telling us where we needed to go to do certain things. However, after I finished, I could not for the life of me find the baggage tents. There was no signage (yes, there were the mats on the ground, which were GREAT in the beginning before there were lots of people, but impossible to see in the mobs of the finish area). We needed something up high to direct us the the baggage tents. Same for the family reunion area. I was unable to find my bag (which had my phone) to call my friend... and I could not find the reunion area to see if she was there. I eventually found both, but only after circling around a few times and asking many people in booths who did not know the answer. A runner finally pointed me in the right direction.

I am positive you have a reason for it (?), but the half starting in the middle of the full - really? I was dodging half marathoners from when we merged at mile 16 to the end, passing most of them and moving laterally to do it (which takes extra time). Not something that is easy to manage in the late miles of the marathon. No matter where you start them (1:45, 2 hours, etc. after the start of the marathon) SOMEONE will be doing this, I imagine. Can't we all start at the same time like other marathons/half marathons do?

Overall great race - lots of people, too crowded for my taste but a nice race. I didn't wait in the extremely long food lines afterward - couldn't stand the crowds. I was so frustrated from not being able to find my baggage and my friend (reunion area) that when I finally bumped into her (coincidentally) in the middle of the crowd, we just left.

Easy parking on race morning, lots of hotels not far away, big expo, great spectator support, adequate water and Gatorade stops, and so much food on the course!

Hilly course, but we all knew that based on the elevation charts that are published on the website.

Thanks for your efforts!

This was my first Baltimore Marathon, but 11th marathon overall.

First, the expo was average. There was plenty of parking and access was easy. The layout was strange, where you had to walk to one end to get your bib and the other end to get your shirt. I prefer to take care of business first and then wander around the booths, so that was just annoying to me.

The course was actually fun, despite the hills. We went through varied neighborhoods and the changing terrain was fun. You just had to be trained for it.

The spectators were great! There were some sparse areas but I like to get some spectator down time. Crossing the half marathoners was great as they were a big group cheering marathoners on. I passed by right when they were starting. The organizers truly rectified the congestion previous years' reviews have commented on. They were happy and chirpy at mile 15, which was nice to have on course.

I thought the water stops every 2 miles were perfect for the first 16 miles, but after that, with the wind and sunny conditions, I was left thirsty. Two gel stops along the course were great too!

The finish area was too crowded. I, too, after yelling, "Full," received a "half" medal, but this was quickly corrected (I knew to check before leaving). However, I can see how tired runners may not pay attention to that and would easily get the wrong medal. They should have a different finish chute for half and full.

Writings on the ground to provide directions were of no use. They were fine at the start when <5000 people were around, but at the finish, with a field of >22000, they could not be seen. There was also a long line to leave the runners area. That could definitely be improved.

Many positives:
1.pre-registration updates and website very helpful
2. great city to visit - easy to get around
3. plenty of hotels near the start/finish
4. marathon course was point-to-point, my favorite
5. lots of volunteers, water stops, food, gels, and bananas
6. shirt and medal were awesome - some of the best I've seen in a while!

Negatives:
1. Biggest complaint was the finish line and post-race
2. I had to ask 3 volunteers handing out medals before I was given the appropriate marathon medal
3. The food line was ridiculous, as all the halfe and full runners arrived at the same time, so everybody had to stand and wait in line. Food was limited
4. More lines... I really wanted that beer that I earned, but gave up and went back to the hotel once I saw the lines again
5. Few porta-potties on the course; I was OK but was with runners who were trying to find some.
6. Marathoners are a minority, as the half was more than double the size of the marathon. Once we merged it was even more distressing. It was very difficult getting a good pace. I felt like I was running a marathon while most runners were either relay or halfers. Just my opinion. Because of that I would never consider this a premium marathon.

Overall, though, the race was fine and I would recommend it for 50 Staters.

For those who love Baltimore, as I do, the course is great; however, it was WAY TOO CROWDED! Even at Mile 20 the runners were completely hemmed in and constantly trying to dodge around other runners. It was like crossing the starting line for 26 miles. Even worse, at the finish, in the 'Celebration Village' there was a huge, scarcely moving line for food. The beer line was equally impossible for anyone who had just run a hard marathon. It was miserable! There was one narrow exit for which a lot of waiting was required just to get out.

This is the 3rd time I've participated in the BRF. I ran the 1st leg of the marathon relay in '07 and '08. This year, I ran the FULL marathon! The course itself was challenging, but I didn't feel that the hills were all that bad. I've run lots of hills in other races (mainly half marathons) that were much steeper, especially in Howard and Baltimore Counties. This was my first full marathon, so I decided not to set a time goal, but to just take it slow and finish feeling good, feeling strong. I accomplished that in this race. The water/Gatorade stations were well-managed, and the volunteers were friendly. The expo was awesome, though I would've liked to see all of the packet pick-up stations together, instead of spread out as they were. I personally had a wonderful time - no major complaints - and I will, in all likelihood, participate again in the future!

The hills can be tough if you don't train for them. The weather was really good - some may have felt it was too windy, but it really helped to cool you down as the day started to heat up.

I've run this event the last four years and I have to say this may have been the worst of the four, but, it would not stop me from running this event again.

At several water stops you had to get your own off the table or you had to wait for them to get it ready - and I finished around the 3:50 mark. The volunteers who were there were wonderful (as always). They just needed a few more manning the water stops.

The Geico Pace Groups and the cheering sections were awesome. The event rewards the school group with the votes for the loudest cheers with $3K... a really cool thing to do.

Having all runners on one route was distracting. Helpers were great. The city delightful. The route was fun. The finish must be improved... too many people and no place to exit.