I live about an hour away and this is my 3rd half marathon. In comparison to the marathons in the area this one was AMAZING! The sights were great, running by the cruise ships in the early morning was a neat experience and running through the famous South Beach was also pretty cool. I thought there were plenty of supporters and the volunteers were plentiful. The goody bag was good. The hat was a nice bonus! I can't wait to run it again next year!

I have run the Miami Half for the past three years. I love the race, the weather and the time of year. In '08, they ran out of medium race shirts at the expo. I chalked this up as a good thing that the race was getting big and they didn't expect such a large crowd... so imagine my surprise when I arrived at the expo this year and they were out of medium and large race shirts! I had signed up as one of the first 200 runners (a year in advance), and this lack of preparation is frustrating and, quite frankly, unacceptable. The organizers should order extra shirts and give the leftovers to charity if they have to! How can you make this mistake two years in a row?????? The expo also closes at 6 p.m. on Saturday (most booths are packing up at 5 p.m.). I saw so many runners walking in at this time that it seems like they should stay open a little longer and be better prepared. I will be back for my 4th next year because it is so beautiful. On the plus side, there are lots of water and Gatorade stops and the scenery is perfect for the half marathon. The late January date makes it perfect, since I like to run a full marathon in the fall and another in the spring. You'll love the race... just get to the expo early!

If you consider any marathon, it should be this one. I did the half-marathon in '08 and simply fell in love with the course. The weather couldn't have cooperated any better. I could always go for more fan support throughout the course, but I understand that not many people get up so early to cheer on runners. Will be returning for another one.

Four disappointments:

1. In our 2008 goody bag, we were given a 2007 hat.... Who wants to wear a hat from a race they didn't run???

2. I went online immediately (and for weeks afterwards) and there was no finisher merchandise... no hats, shirts, etc.

3. This was my 6th marathon and some cop misdirected me and cut off about 1.5 miles from my marathon.

4. For those of us in the 6- to 6.5-hour range (not uncommon in larger marathons), the last 13 miles were awfully quiet and lonely.... At least in New York there are lots of crowds and bands to keep you going.

This was my first full marathon. I ran my first half marathon in Miami. I love the city itself. I am a breast cancer survivor of eight years. I just wish that they would improve the food at the end of the race.

I have to say this year there was a choice between the half marathon in Phoenix or in Miami; I chose Miami due to a guarantee of better weather (Phoenix last 2007 was 29 degrees). The course was great, but I do have to say the last 2 miles were very difficult, with too many turns, and it seemed that the finish line was nowhere in sight. I knew I was close but just kept making turns. It's a great race and I've already signed up for next year. The shuttles should be included in the race fee and the causeway should be totally closed off to traffic; I don't want to have worry about someone driving off course and hitting a runner.

I was very disappointed in the post-race party, it was so disorganized. No one knew where to go or what to do. We arrived early and just kind of waited for someone to make a move. We heard the live music, but didn't see any food or beer. We saw someone up front below the band and we asked what the process was. We were given 2 beer tickets and had to fend for ourselves to find beer. The closest restaurant ran out of beer in fewer than 30 minutes; we were told to go to the other establishments. As for the food, what a joke; a line formed and we jumped right in not knowing what we were getting. We received a tiny sample of 6 or 7 noodles. If there was any other food, we didn't know about it.

After all that, we ended up at Hooters because we were starving. They didn't even know what was going on, and were totally unprepared. The waitress stated that they were busy like a Saturday night and the crowds were totally unexpected; I didn't get that... was there no communication from race organizers?

Need to work on the last few miles, close off traffic, provide free shuttle and improve 100% on the post-race party.

Second marathon. First Miami Marathon. I ran it the day before leaving on a cruise. What a way to recover while on a cruise ship! I didn't have to worry about my diet nor did I feel guilty for not running for a few days! The start of the race was awesome... with "Welcome to Miami" jamming on the speakers. The course was very nice and flat. No complaints about anything other than the fact that I ran the first 18 miles too hard because I felt great and the last 6 were difficult. But hey, if marathons were easy, everybody would do them. The spinning medal is very cool and unique. Packet pickup was easy and the expo was good. Overall, I really enjoyed this race.
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1 Corinthians 9:24
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

This was my first half marathon and it was a great experience. The weather was perfect and the sights unmatched. This was a wonderful introduction to the world of marathoning and I must admit, I'm hooked. I'm moving from the Miami area in a few months, but I hope to have the chance to come back and experience this race again... perhaps to run the full 26.2. This is a great first-timer's race... highly recommended to marathon novices.

I've run a few and I can say it's hard to find fault w/ MIA.

+ Really classy race; great support; fantastic course; interesting; perfect weather; good police support; really 1st-class event.

- (small details) Minor bottleneck before marathon corrals crossed the start line at the U-turn; could have used some food before mile 14; food at the end was not that great.

But these are small, small details compared to the overall great race put on.

This was our (wife & I) 4th trip to this 1/2 marathon race and each year we have a great time with new experiences. The course is great with good support and the race eExpo is the best I have seen. I can't wait until next year!