First off, I really liked the course for the Miami marathon. There were only a few miles that were not scenic but few cities can be continuously scenic for 26.2 miles. I thought there were enough port-o-potties at the start, bag check was really efficient (once you found it) and the aid stations were good (everyone crowded at the first table so I ran past to the 2nd or 3rd tables and had lots of room). The tshirts were great and gender specific and the medal was unique.

But I think the organization could improve. The expo was in south beach (not convenient for us staying near the start line) and finding parking anywhere near the venue was a nightmare. The expo was jam packed with people (I didn't even want to shop, just got my stuff and left). They need a bigger venue for the expo.

On the morning of the race, I had trouble finding the bag check. Then, I was assigned to a corral that didn't exist. I tried to find it by asking volunteers (no one knew where my corral 'AA' was) and I walked around for 15 minutes before the race but I couldn't find it. So as the gun went off I tucked behind Corral F and went with the flow. For the next 3 miles I was stuck behind a wall of people doing 11-12 minute miles, when my goal pace was 9 m.m. I can't tell you how happy I was when the half marathoners peeled off just before mile 13, I finally had room to run!

The finisher's area was disorganized. I wanted to walk around to stretch and I didn't realize that I couldn't get back into the food tent as I had left the area. I begged the security guard to let me back in but when I finally got to the food, I was disappointed because there was almost nothing to eat.

I don't think I will do this marathon again. It was not well organized and way too crowded. There are many early year marathons in Florida. I'd rather forego some of the hype and run a better organized, quieter race.

I was surprised how much the humidity affected me. It reduced me to a run/walk routine from very early in the race. Apart from that I thought the course was great: interesting and varied. Like other slower runners I was disappointed the good food was gone by the time I finished, and I was even more disappointed when I heard the MC saying about all the different nationalities 'But I'm not sure if there are any Australians here'. After all that hard work my efforts went unnoticed!

Perfect prescription for the northern winter blahs. Great pre-race time hangin' at the Marina the day before the race. Not a single person in a bad mood. 23 degrees back home put me in a great mood.

This was my 5th Miami and I, too, have seen the race grow from 4,000 runners to 20,000. I had no difficulties navigating my way thru the race crowd, then again, I was there for the long run marathon workout training for Boston and not a PR. The humidity at 6:00 am slowed me down more than the crowd. I found the slower pace for miles 1-3 actually helped me kick butt later in the race. This is a perfect negative split marathon. (The 1/2 marathoners can actually pace your first half faster if you so want it.)

I flew down with some friends who finished together with me. We knew we couldn't break 4:00 with the humidity so we let the slower pace of the 1/2 get us in a 2:08. All bets off for the second half as we nearly broke 2:00. Great fun.

No difficulties with the water stations if, like many big races, you just pick up a cup further down the table. Remember your salt tablets. Loved the course. Very scenic. Hey, there's no snow.

Great idea for a power weekend. You can arrive Friday night and fly back a few hours after the race on Sunday. Late checkouts were easliy available. Lots of flight options.

This race on my calendar every year for the ease of run, sunny weather, great fellow runners, awesome finish line and friendly traffic police.

I got the marathon bug this fall after watching my hometown Twin Cities marathon, and HAD to run one this winter to get it out of my system.

I chose Miami or Phoenix, and I'm glad I did. The hordes of half-marathoners (19,000 strong) slowed things down for the 6,000 marathoners, but for a first-timer like me that was good, I needed that. Plus, being with 25,000 runners at 6 on a humid morning is something I'll never forget. Yes, it was warm and humid, but it's Miami, what do you expect? I didn't have to check any gear!

The scenery on the course is great  cruise ships, South Beach, neighborhoods, Coconut Grove cafes, even a little industrial strip. Loved it! The finish was nice, except for the food, which was terrible. The half-marathons I've run put Miami to shame food-wise.

Aid stations were chaotic for the first half. I poured my own water twice. Yikes! And I drank more than a gallon because of the humidity.

I was surprised there were not more spectators, but I'm used to being a spectator at Twin Cities, where we (soon to be 'they') stand a few people deep in some places. Sharing the Miami route with cars was something I wasn't expecting either, but it wasn't too bad.

I finished my first marathon at 4:00:08. Haha! Of course, my goal was to break 4:00:00. So, off to Green Bay, then Twin Cities! But thanks Miami; I might be back.

Running the first half was fun with all the 1/2 marathoner's there. Kinda crowded so don't expect to break loose and PR.
2nd half was certainly pleasant route, but pretty quiet.
Finish was great with all the bleachers they brought in. Very enthusiastic crowd.
Holiday in was VERY supportive and a great location.
6:15 AM was 72 degrees and 89% humidity, so be prepared for that!
Great job overall by ING and Miami.

This was my first time running the ING Miami Marathon. Compared to the ten previous marathons I've run I would sincerely place Miami near the top.

The good:
1) It's Miami! I brought my wife and three kids with me and we made a mini-vacation out of it. Needless to say everyone had a blast. South Florida is just awesome!
2) The route was great. I was actually looking to run Miami back in 2003 or 2004 and one of the comments I came across was that part of the marathon route was through some rough parts of the city. Not anymore. The route, in my opinion, was super. Very scenic.
3) The corral'ed start was a great idea, particularly considering the large number of folks running. However, this aspect needs a few minor changes. More on that in a moment.
4) There were PLENTY of aid stations and port-o-potties. There again though, a few minor changes could be made here too. More on that in a moment.
5) Without question the best finisher's medal I've ever received.
6) The volunteers were great! Very spirited and always ready to pass on encouragement.
7) Did I mention that the race is in Miami?

The bad:
1) The corral'ed start needs a few changes. Echoing another runner's comment, with the present arrangement you end up juking and jiving walkers for the few miles. Very annoying. I was in corral C and right around mile 2 or 3 there was literally a blockade (of walkers) that spanned the entire width of the road. I have NEVER seen that before. My suggestion? Ask runners for their projected finish time during registration and then assign them to the corrals accordingly. Obviously walkers go in the very back. Furthermore, there were W-A-Y more half-marathoners than full-marathoners, which seems to be a universal norm. So...start the marathon 15-30 minutes before the half-marathon. This one is a no-brainer, yet no one ever does it. This would cut way back on congestion and make the aid stations much more efficient. Speaking of...

2) The aid stations were completely overwhelmed. If the race organizers were to do what I recommended in #1 then this wouldn't be an issue. Otherwise, they need to get more volunteers, which I can only imagine is no small feat.

3) The registration fee for this race wasn't cheap. That said, the included 'goodies' were a little disappointing. I've paid a lot less to receive a lot more. To be clear, I didn't run this race to receive medals, shirts, hats, etc., but...schwag is always a good thing.

4) Where were the pace groups?

The ugly:
1) The finish was an absolute mess. I don't even know where to start on this one nor how to fix it. There were A LOT of people to contend with, so maybe finishing the race in a park or larger venue would a good start. I don't know, the finish was just bad.

In closing, and despite the several cons I listed, this was a good race. To qualify that statement I'll point out that the 4:07 that it took me to do this race was my WORST time ever (thanks to warm, humid air!) ...but I'm still coming back next year! There are no 'deal-breakers' within my cons list, but they are things that need to get addressed if the race organizers ever want Miami to be considered amongst America's premier marathons.

What a great race, well organized with 25,000 runners. Most runners run the half and it makes it a little slow for the first half of the race running from side to side to get through the crowd, but on the back side it is wide open. Great race support and plenty of water/Gatoraide at all the aid stations. Wonderful run through a very scenic place, just soak in your environment and enjoy. Wonderful event and a fun, flat course.

Even though this was one of my worse times, I did like this marathon. The course was interesting and it was relatively flat with only slight hills on the bridges, but you shared portions of the course with cars which was sort of distracting. It was a little warm and humid in the upper 60's at the start, but the 6:10am start definitely helps. I wish Chicago Marathon would take a clue for the earlier start. Other negatives for me was the lack of crowd support, water stations and no food at the end. I have seen more crowds at much smaller marathons. Some of the water stations were unprepared for the masses of runners and I had to stop several times to get water from the table or wait until they could fill a cup. But most disappointing was to finish a marathon then only to get a bagel and a dry cookie. Maybe all the Half Marathon runners got all the good stuff. Miami is expensive enough for a tourist so the last thing I wanted to do was buy a hot dog at the end of marathon! T-shirt is very cool and they had a great medal which I proudly wore that evening.
I would recommend to runners especially if you can mix in a vacation in Miami Beach.

Nice flat course. Count on humidity if you're coming in from the north. The start is quite chaotic with a corral system that is completely mismanaged. 25,000 runners will do that...anyways. I was at the front of corral C, right behind the elite and was surrounded by folks who REALLY needed to be in their correct place. It sounds snobby, but I despise zig-zagging joggers doing their first half-marathon when I've trained my butt off to PR in a full. South Florida is not a runner's haven. Flashy neon shoes and pull-ups on South Beach seem to be the status quo. Great place to run if all you want to do is look at Palm trees. Sorry, just tired of mega-events looking to make lots of cash. Maybe next year they'll let in 30,000...

You have to love your hometown marathon. Perfect scenery, perfect elevation. A little crowded at the start, but after a few miles you are running in Nirvana.

So why did I give the organizaion a 1? I was running late and missed hearing Ryan Hall speak. I was left with a reality show reject and some guy who was an 'extreme marathoner'. I googled the guy and found out he is suspected if cheating during a 202 mile run. ING, you need to spread that speaking money around.