This was my first marathon and it exceeded my expectations. The course was beautiful and the event was very well organized. Great aid stations and supporters. Highly recommended!

The flat course was great. What a beautiful city. It is no wonder so many people from all over are migrating to you community.

The vollunteers at the intersection and the volunteers at the aid stations were so enthusiastic and very supportive. I have run in larger marathons and the support from the larger amount of people on the sides of the road does not compare to the support I received in this smaller run. The volunteers/fans at the aid station at mile 24 serving the much needed Bud Light were my favorite. It was a good reason to take a few minutes and enjoy a nice beer and good company.

I did not take part in the 'pasta feed' or the pre-race tour but I thought the hotel staff were more than accommodating and the idea of being able to stay inside before and after the race was great. I loved the complimentary post-race food/beverages and the massage was worth the few dollars I paid.

I would highly recommend this run to anyone looking for a small, well run marathon.

Thanks again to the City of Boise the people of Idaho and all the volunteers.

A day for true runners, it rained 4 out of the 6 hours I was on the course. Cool 40's. This marathon can go from good to great by paying attention to a few details. The following remarks are given with great goodwill and in the vein of which do you want to hear first, the good or the bad? Here goes!

Glaring omission - no national anthem at the start. No apparent start-of-race video, photography or press. Need to strongly promote that! Very little photographic presence on course. No finish line photographic coverage for individual finishers or for a post-race picture. No finisher's medals bestowed at finish for late finishers. Had to hunt them down. No hot food for late finishers. No personal handout of awards for eligible late finishers or info on how and where to pick up an award later. Course jog off of Americana Blvd. not marked on the map or in the directions - low on the favorite surprise scale.

Now for the good! Beautiful course even in the dreary cold rain. Volunteers for intersections, traffic, support stops were superb! Bagpipes and banjo band on course, super. Great but minuscule spectators, weather. Spirit groups at two support tables with hula skirts and music along with handouts, great! Beer at mile 23+, super! Mylar wrap at finish, so good. Post-race beer hospitality, cheers. Excellent seminars and good expo. Great color write-up next day in local newspaper of some late finishers' triumphs. Kudos to the marathon director and staff. You have the possibility of a great one!

This was my first half-marathon, and I'm so glad I picked this one. The route was well marked and the volunteers were wonderful. It was a little congested getting the t-shirt at the end. I will be doing this one again next year.

The City Of Trees Marathon was great! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to run a fall marathon and can't afford to fly to Chicago or New York. :) The course was flat, yet challenging, and beautiful. The race was organized very well. The volunteers and spectators were attentive and enthusiastic. I will be back! Kudos to Boise for a great marathon! Thank you!

I ran this marathon in 2003 and 2004. I hope to do it again in 2005. It's a great, mostly flat course with just one little hill. The course goes through downtown, nice neighborhoods, and quiet areas. My only complaint about the course is that they keep you on the right side of the road the entire time and the roads are pretty cambered/crowned so by mile 18 or so you may get tired of your right leg always being 2 inches lower than your left.

My IT band seized up around mile 23 and I sort of limped the remaining 3 miles. Now here comes the good part - I cannot begin to count how many volunteers asked me if I was ok or if I needed help. Very nice folks.

As far as organization, my only complaint is at the last turn before the finish. It was a confusing jumble of marathoners go this way, 1/2 marathoners go that way. A volunteer told me to go straight and I told her 'no, I need to go that way (left)' and she insisted I needed to go straight until I stopped and told her I had just finished mile 26, so which way to the finish line, which I could see a few blocks away. But other than that one turn, the organization was great. The intersections were well patrolled. More porta-potties would be nice... A couple times I was thrilled to find a porta-potty but then it was occupied....

The bands in the downtown area are SO great.

Boise is a great town. Clean and friendly and everything is convenient.

Pasta dinner and guest speaker were great.

Five stars for 'fans' but this is really for the volunteers and race officials who were absolutely terrific; especially the ones along the course. There are few real 'fans' but who cares? I've never done a 'big' marathon, so I don't expect crowds along the course, the volunteers at the aid stations more than made up for any fans. The 'Girls on the Go' at mile 14 were my favorite.

The course is a nice winding trek through Boise, flat except for one small hill. The course would rate 5 stars except for the unexpected little out-and-back section just before the hill (this section wasn't shown on the course tour). I'm getting all psyched up for the hill and then this little detour shows up... not cool.

There would have been 5 stars for organization except for the course tour. Two 'guides' got on the bus who didn't know the route or where the aid/mileage locations were. I had to give them my printed directions from the website for them to know where to go... such a great organization in other areas can do better...

Post-race space blankets were greatly appreciated as was the food... Race hotel was nice, it was great to stay upstairs nice and warm until 5 minutes before the race... and then just a short jaunt to the start line.

I recommend this race to anyone looking for a small, well run marathon... just do the course tour by yourself.

My wife and I ran this one together. We were extremely impressed with all aspects of the event. Host hotel at the start and finish line...awesome. Easy packet pick-up. Adequate expo. Great pasta dinner with inspiring speaker. Ultra friendly volunteers (despite unexpected cold and fog). We knew we were at our kind of race when after we finished, showered and napped, we left the hotel to eat and found the race director still outside waiting for the last finisher...some nine plus hours after the start. An obvious gesture that each participant is important regardless of their stature or ability. Great Job TOC Marathon. We loved you guys.

This was my first marathon, and the excellent organization and spirited volunteer support made it very enjoyable. Of all of the races I've run in the past 25 years, this was one of the best in terms of organization and attentiveness to comfort and safety for all runners, including those of us at the back of the pack. Starting and finishing at a hotel, plenty of friendly volunteers all along the route, plus the good food at the end made this a wonderful experience for me. Thanks!

I couldn't believe how friendly all of the volunteers were at this race. Whether they were at an aid station or in the middle of an intersection, they all smiled and cheered on the runners. This race was very well organized - the course was clearly marked and having it start and finish right outside the host hotel was a real plus. The hotel allowed us a 3pm checkout so we were able to shower, relax, attend the awards ceremony and then leisurely pack up our stuff. We loved all the free beer, too!