This was my first marathon, and I was totally blown away. I had the time of my life. I felt the crowd support was extremely helpful, and the police made it seem there wasn't a vehicle in KY. The number of refreshment/energy stands was more then enough, and the volunteers had encouraging words. I even met some great runners during the course. Ross, if you're out there, thanks for helping me on my first marathon. I'm still on a high from such a great experience, and would highly recommend this marathon.

The only reason I gave the course four stars was because I did not like the climb for the bridge at the end of the race. I thought the hills in the parks were quite tolerable. I gave the spectators four stars for the lack of spectators after the half-marathon split. We were pleasantly suprised at the cleanliness of the downtown area. It's definitely a destination to consider other than specifically Derby time. Awesome organization. Seeing the horses on the track as we ran through Churchill Downs was a great lift and positive experience. Good job, Louisville!

This was my 112 marathon, so I think I have it down. The Saturday race is great; there is plenty of company when you combine the relay, half and marathon. The expo was ok, the pasta dinner was worth the $9, and the shirts where ok too.

The course was a tour through Louiville and we got to see the many different neighborhoods. The race started with hills and then really it was a very fast course from there.

NOW for the finish. I must say the beer sargent was out, as they took my one ticket for my one beer. Hell, I just ran a marathon and all the half marathoners got to it first; more attention for the distance runners is needed. As for the water stops... well, handing out 8 oz. plastic water bottles was a waste, not to mention that the caps ended up all over the streets. Other than that, I love LOUIS, and I would go back if I did not have a lot of running left to do.

First marathon - great experience! Course change made it tougher - did not really care for Churchill Downs and trucking up Second Street Bridge just to run a mile in Indiana was really, really taxing - nonetheless it was a change of scenery. The course was so beautiful and if it hadn't rained I believe that many more spectators would have been out. Those who did watch were wonderful and I appreciate the volunteers who were so helpful at the water stops. It was nice at times to run alone in the quiet where I could monitor my breathing better and just listen. I completed the course in 5 hours and although it was a little tough to watch traffic be ushered back and forth in the intersections before I arrived, it was nice to have the police stop the traffic so I could run through. I wasn't alone and usually always had at least two or three runners in front and in back of me that I could see. Excellent course!! Friendly police... though I would have liked the finish to be a little bit fuller. But hey, the mini-marathon still takes the cake in this town - maybe that will change as we get more people to participate. Keep coming!!!

This was my first Kentucky Derby Marathon. It was a light rain most of the race, but it kept you cool. Overall, it was a great race. I even PR'd.

Positives:
Workers were great. As I expected, the marathon was pretty empty after the half-marathon runners split off, but the few spectators were loud and encouraging.
The bus transportation was easily accessible. The website said to get in line by 0600, which I did, but there was hardly anyone at the start line at that time.

It was neat running through Churchill Downs. Going through the tunnels and watching the horses run around the track were impressive. I have never seen the race horses that close.

The water bottles were great for me, but some runners dropped the bottles and lids in the street rather than throwing them to the side and as a result, you had to watch where you stepped. One runner near me did a somersault after tripping on a bottle.

Going back and forth over the bridge at miles 23-24 was hard, but tolerable, because you knew you were close to the end.

Negatives:
Since we were coming in from out of town race-morning, it would have been nice to know that if you pick up your race packet on race-day, you don't get the Derby tickets or poster.

The bathroom situation at the beginning of the race was not planned very well. We started right next to a middle school, but were not allowed to go into the school to use the bathroom. There was one girls' bathroom open next to the school gym with two stalls and about a hundred women in line to use it. Of course, there was no line in the men's bathroom. The port-o-johns, it seemed, were about 1/2 mile from the start line with about a 15-minute wait to use them. Next year, have more port-o-johns and move them closer to the start line.

I was only able to drink at one PowerAde stop before the half marathon split with the marathon. There were two other PowerAde stops, but they were only on one side of the road with only one or two people handing out cups. I was past the PowerAde when I heard some yell the stop out. I would recommend carrying your own "ade" drink for the first 12 miles.

This is a very good race that has a lot going for it. I have run 21 marathons, including Boston 5X, Chicago 2X, NY, DC and smaller ones. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it, but know what you are getting into. I think the course is a little too hilly to be a PR or Boston Marathon course, and I would question crowd support in the 2nd half for those who need that.

Some things that I think the race organizers should think about: (1) remove the bridge at mile 22 - interesting novelty, running over the Ohio River, but after 20 miles it's not worth the added hills. Just give us something flat, even if it's a not-so-nice part of the city; (2) give us Gatorade Endurance Formula (not PowerAde); (3) build spectator support (somehow?) for the last 14 miles (stark drop-off after mile 12); (4) more porta-johns right at the start line - not 1/2 mile to the rear; (5) some kind of protein at the finish would be nice (yogurt or protein bar); (6) nice finisher's medal but try to get the sponsor's name off of it - my two cents would be it is actually counter-productive for the sponsor because it just makes the medal look cheap; (7) provide some kind of more user-friendly hotel information for out-of-towners - maybe it was just me but I had a hard time finding convenient hotel info on my usual websites, so I ended up just staying at the host hotel (no complaint there though).

I hate to sound negative because all-in-all I had a wonderful time in spite of the rain and the organizers really pulled off a lot of things well. Race-morning logistics, with buses (and for me, race morning packet pick-up), as well as baggage check, all went off without a hitch. A great course, I enjoyed seeing the city. I think a steady rain kept spectators down, but not the enthusiasm of those who were there. I will run this again in 2007.

This was my very first race. It was quite interesting. I actually was a walker but beat my time that I had practiced at home.

This was a good race with some minor difficulties that I have found in many similar races.

First of all the good things: The first half was scenic and a great course. The volunteers were great and I loved all the oranges they were passing out (should have been passed out in the 2nd half as well). The busses ran smoothly and got us to the start line with plenty of time to spare.

Things to improve on: The start is very crowded with having the half and full start together. A staggered start would be better with the half going off 30 minutes or so after the full. Also, and this is true for many races, it seems like the second half of the marathon course is not taken into consideration. We ran though very ugly areas and, except for the bridge, there was nothing to look at. Running near a highway is not my idea of fun. I think race directors need to take into account the second half of the marathon and make it just as exciting as the first.

Overall, this was a good run and worth doing. Loved the hills!! Thanks, Louisville, for showing up in the rain.

First of all, let me thank all of the race officials, fans, and city officials for coming out on such a miserable day. Temps were between 53-60, with constant drizzle - definitely dampening the turnout of supporters. My only other experience is Chicago - and this was a very different experience for me. I DID PR and BQ by 17 minutes (3:34ish in Chicago to 3:17ish here). This is a hilly course - both parks and the Second Street Bridge will slow you down - and keep you honest at the start and toward the end. My quads were crampy from halfway onward. After the mini breakoff there were only 900 runners, so support was sparse in the second half - okay for me on this day, but on another day maybe I need it. I LOVE the water bottles instead of paper cups. Thanks to the 3:20 pace team lead (never got the name) and pacer Jim. See you in Boston?

Course: Police - 5, Challenge - 5, Water Placement - 5, Interest (Churchhill Downs) - 5, Ability to PR - 3. Organization: Water Bottles 5, Transport 5, Porta-potties - 4, End of Run Support 3, Baggage Check 3, Medals, etc. 5. Spectators: Shouldn't grade due to the weather, but the 2nd half is sparse, so find a running partner to keep you company.

This was my third marathon, but my first in Louisville. Overall I was impressed, having had previous negative misconceptions about the race. After the mini-marathoners dropped off, there were still a decent number of marathoners running - just enough to keep you going but not too many to block your progress. "Running beans" (or whatever they were called) were handed out instead of Gu, which is fine, except I didn't have the energy to open and consume them (gel is easier). The fans don't compare to larger races, yet for the size they do a great job! The water stations never ran out of water or Gatorade and there were plenty of volunteers helping out. I ran the race with a friend and highly recommend this for this race. The hills weren't bad at all; there was a bridge to Indiana that had to be crossed before the finish line - an obvious low-point when all you want to do is finish and you have to run up and down a bridge to Indiana and back. High point of the race? RUNNING THROUGH CHURCHILL DOWNS!!!!! Amaaaaaazing!!!