I did it, did it, did it! I also broke 6 hours! If you asked me at mile 20 if I had a chance, I would have said, "NO WAY." Wonderful aid stations! Lots of encouragement! Wish there was more shade in the latter stages. Got kind of hot in the last hour, but staying wet helped the cooling process. The blisters have healed. It was the best way to add Alabama! I would recommend adding the Champion Chip though.

This was a great race. The course was excellent (the hills were a surprise), the traffic control was great, and the water stops were wonderful. Well organized and for a great cause. I would highly recommend this race.

This was a so-so marathon. The scenery was ok. There were parts when you were on fairly busy roads, they had them blocked off, but I would just prefer to be running on smaller roads. However, I must say they did a great job directing traffic. There were cops at intersections and had everything under control. One more big thing... watch out for miles 12-18. The first 12 miles were pretty flat, then... wham. They weren't terrible, but when your legs are shot, they sort of are! And that is when it got windy, too. But, for a January marathon, the weather was good. I ran in short sleeves and shorts... what more can you ask for? The water stops were good and well manned. It was a decent marathon to run, don't get me wrong, but I would say there are better ones out there. ... and watch for those middle couple of miles!

And the pasta dinner wasn't very good. I ended up eating some more stuff later because I was still hungry and needed the fuel for the morning.

Coming from New York I had to get used to the "humps and lumps" (speed bumps)on many of the roads... and the hill by the firehouse at mile 18 on a 75-degree day was a challenge. Course ran through two colleges and past many mansions and moss trees. There were 384 finishers to the marathon and many for the half and relay teams. The water/sports drink stations were GREAT, with friendly people telling us, "You all are doing GREAT." Marathon, pasta dinner, and the finish line all within walking distance of each other. Oh, and the host hotel (Radisson). GREAT for us 50-state, out-of-towners. Directions floured on pavement as well as signs on poles, so you can't get lost if you are a back-of-the-pack marathoner. There is a 7-hour limit - very sweet. Plaques and medals made by The L'Arche community of handicapped people, which is the charity the race benefits. This is on Martin Luther King Weekend, so many of the shops and restaurants are closed. You should tour the USS Alabama - there's a free trolley.

L'Arche Mobile organizes and benefits from this race. I did not realize what this meant until I sat, very tired, winded, and nauseated from the heat, on a bench in the lovely park after the race and watched two ladies sitting across from me. The black lady was obviously handicapped and she was being spoonfed by an older white lady. This is L'Arche Mobile, a community of mentally handicapped adults and their caregivers who live together. Often it's the first time that these mentally handicapped people experience life outside an institution. I walked over to the ladies and congratulated them, telling them how much I was moved by their love and dedication. This also made me very grateful for my being able to run a marathon. There were others from this community who mingled with the runners. They made the wooden medallions and they made the awards, one of which I was fortunate to win. I will treasure it.

The temperature was hot (60 at the start and about 70 at the finish) and took its toll on this Yankee. The pre-race pasta dinner was the best I ever had and the post-race party was absolutely wonderful. I also enjoyed the route through the college campuses and under huge Spanish oaks draping the streets. But I will never forget the two ladies at the end.

Husband ran the full marathon, I ran the half. This may be the best marked course I've ever been on anywhere. Pretty scenery, cheerful volunteers, well controlled traffic, adequate number of well-stocked aid stations made the course pretty easy to navigate. The half is pretty flat, the marathon has some hills. The weather this year (2007) was really nice (60F and cloudy at the start, about 70F and sunny at the finish).

The pre-race dinner was fine, the post-race party had a lot more food and entertainment than most I've attended, and everything was included in a very reasonable entry fee.

The expo is small but they did have caps and other First Light Marathon logo'ed merchandise for sale, which is all I really wanted, so I thought it was fine.

They made us feel like they were glad we came.

About 385 marathon finishers...Balloon lady does 7 hour/16 minute/mile pace..
and she comes in last...
Full/Half/Relay/Racewalk...
Stay at host hotel Radisson Admiral and walk down the block to start and finish line...Bienville Square...within walking distance back to hotel.
74 degree...hottest of the 6 marathons so far...plenty of water and sports drinks to the last runner...
pre-post food nicely provided...
Yes, few well placed hills...college campus and local flavor of Mobile Alabama scenery...
L'Arche community...residents with disabilities make medals and framed awards to be cherished...L/S white T shirts with medal logos on front...
This is Martin Luther King weekend...some stores and eateries are closed...those open...friendly and very nice...
This is a good local race to benefit L'Arche and for 50 staters to claim Alabama.
Visit USS Alabama Battleship

The First Light Marathon is a relatively small race that does it's best to raise money for a good cause. The course is relatively flat for the first and last 6 miles. The middle part of the race has a number of hills that make it more interesting without killing you. It was an unusually warm day with a start in the upper 60's and a finish in the 70's. For a Minnesotan like me, this made it a little tougher, but as there were 17 water stops, I didn't end up with too many excuses.

Congratulations, Mobile.

I ran this race in 2002 and found that the race director and staff had done some positive "tweaking" since that time. It is a very beautiful course for an urban marathon, running mostly through prime residential areas and college campuses. Plenty of water and food on the course. Police were the best at keeping things safe and smooth. The course was a nice mixture of pancake-flat sections and modest hills. It would be a good course for a pretty fast time. Not a lot of crowds along the course, but lots of residents were out in their yard, sincerely cheering for each of us as we passed by! In 2007 we had a nice day, but it was warm. The course has a lot of shade on it so it was not too bad. The medals are handmade by the residents of the benefitting charity and presented to you by the same. Post-event food was much improved... I had all I could handle! I read the comments below about the stroller not being allowed. Usually races are pretty clear about that for the safety of everyone. I don't hold the race director responsible for anything that was explained clearly. Good job, Mobile!

Beautiful course, excellent organization. Very good support at the water stations, and the course was well marked.