The Miami Marathon is a race with great potential. Right now, though, it's really more about the half-marathon, which is on a stunningly beautiful course.

I ran the full, and at mile 13, I realized that not too many of us were there for the full: 3,800 out of the 18,000 continued on. The next 13 miles were not nearly as breathtaking but still very nice; it wasn't until mile 22 that things got a little rough. The runners are exposed to the sun as we start across a bridge toward the turnaround at mile 23. The problem is that you have two lanes of traffic bumper-to-bumper next to you from here on in! I had a school bus full of kids and fumes next to me for a mile and a half.

I have a feeling, though, that this marathon's organizers will solve this problem too, and I predict that this will grow into a premier event. The half is already as good as any out there.

I also want to suggest a staggered start, as I started in my correct corral and couldn't break ten-minute miles due to the walkers who started up front. The tech t-shirt is awesome, and the medal may be the best in the biz.

Do this one to enjoy a great getaway in a very friendly city!

The course is hard to beat, especially when traveling from a cold Ohio. Every part of the course offers something interesting to see.

The people in the city were very helpful and encouraging along the course.

Wave starts would be helpful to some as the marathon and half have a big number of participants.

The expo needs more space and less expensive parking.

Overall, this is a "destination" race for out-of-towners and will only grow and improve.

I was anxious about this race - coming from the North, but the weather cooperated for us and it was not too hot until the end. Everything was done well for the race - the medals are awesome, by the way. We took the shuttles over from the convention center and back, and that also worked out great for us. The cheering sections and all of the high school bands and others on the course were very enthusiastic throughout the course. I do have to agree with the others' comments: with the half-marathons making up 11,000 of the runners and only 3,000 in the marathon, it would have made sense to let the full marathons start 10-15 minutes earlier to get out of the mass of people. I would recommend this race to everyone.

This was easily the best marathon that I have run yet. The race shirt is great; it's made from high quality tech material. The course was awesome - very scenic and almost entirely shaded from the sun. The water stops were well manned and were very friendly. The cheering zone for the fans was strategically located and was a great thing to pass through at 10.5 miles. The finisher's medal is easily the best I have ever seen. I don't think that there is a marathon in the world who can compete with Miami's finisher's medal. The after-race awards ceremony was simple and to the point, exactly how it should be.

My only two negatives are very small complaints.
1) The grates on the bridges are quite difficult to run across. I was able to use the sidewalks on all but one bridge, so it wasn't a huge deal;
however, I can see where the grates could be an injury waiting to happen.

2) Why do slower runners insist on lining up towards the front? I was in corral "C" and was lined up behind people who were aiming for a 3:45 marathon. I don't blame this on race management as much as I blame it on people being dishonest. I really have ZERO respect for the people who cut into a corral that they do not belong in.

All in all, Miami was a great experience and one I will never forget. I hope to be back next year, if the economy is willing.

I am coming off of running NYC in November, and while this race in no way comes close to the crowd support that NYC boasts, a lot of the people I talked to after the race had no idea that a race was even held in Miami that day. I felt that there was way more support for the half-marathoners than for the full marathoners, but they did compose 2/3 of the field. Still, you, as the runner, are ultimately the one who has to dig deep and get yourself through - not the crowds.

With that said, I loved this course and will run it again. This is a great race to pair with a vacation and utter relaxation.

This is a really nice marathon. The route features the greatest hits of the Miami/Beach sites. The organization is buttoned up. And the medal is some serious bling! They seem to understand what makes a good experience for runners. They do that stuff well and don't bother with the rest. Some big-city marathons are overdone, or just poorly done. Miami splits the difference. I would travel here again for this event.

A few low (but not too low) points. The pasta dinner at the Hard Rock was very weak. Small room, dull pasta and no pre-event excitement. Second, Miami really has not embraced this event yet. Very small crowds in pockets and no media attention (except on the traffic reports). The expo was sleepy. Felt like runners showed up to grab their numbers and get out. Few people at the booths or lectures.

Hey, none of those are the reason to run a marathon. They have a great route; it's well organized and features a nifty medal at the end. Now that is a good weekend.

I've run this race every year so far and it has improved every year. The organization is great, the course has improved over the past 2 years and the race has grown tremendously. I would like to suggest for next year that the half-marathoners start 15 minutes after the full. After a couple of bad years, I trained for this race and was going to use it for a Boston qualifier. However, I had to start at the back with half-marathoners in front of me. It was extremely crowded for the first 13 miles. With 15,000-plus runners now on narrow streets, a staggered start would be a big plus!

I found it interesting that there was actually someone who stated that the goody bag was great. I got an empty, plastic goody bag with a ugly, cheap painter's hat inside and nothing else but a bunch of paperwork for other events and advertisements. I wonder what was in their goody bag.

The event has a great course, improved over last year for the half. The water stations were not properly manned from mile 3-6. No water was ready for the slower runners; I saw people actually grabbing a jug and pouring their own water. Everyone looked confused and exhausted. I think they needed more help or someone to be organized. In contrast, the Boy Scout troops were organized and the roses water station was the best. The food at the end was sorry - some stale bagels and bananas. What happened to the oranges or other goodies from the years past? Guess it is the economy. The expo was a sorry sight also. Not many corporate sponsors this year, I guess. The course was well marked for the half.

Oh, the worst thing I must mention: They ran out of medals for the half marathoners... incredible.

This was my fourth marathon. The course is beautiful! It was a great run. The bridges aren't too big, so they didn't hurt my time. I will definitely do this race next year.

I was truly disappointed. This is the fifth (5th) time that I have run the ING in Miami. At the finish line I was informed that they had run out of medals for the half. Unbelievable. How does that happen? There were actually fewer finishers than the projected 15,000, yet they did not have enough medals. Also I found that the water stations from Mile 3 through 9 were inadequate. I ended up having to pour water myself or skipping the water station because the water was not ready. The groups were overwhelmed and disorganized. Also I feel that there should be water at least starting at Mile 2. The hat this year was a very sad piece of garbage. I immediately threw it away. What happened to the nice mesh hats? The marathon costs enough, and buying in bulk would make a nice hat affordable. Last year, they gave me a 2007 hat for a 2008 race. The shirt was also just ugly, cheap, and ill-fitting.

The positives included a nice course. I loved the Publix mile; it was much nicer than what we had last year (looping around the golf course, etc.). A shorter loop through downtown was nice. The police need to understand not to stop a huge group of runners right before the finish. I got stopped while they let about a minute of traffic through. At that time my legs cramped up. Not good. The music was good. The fire boat was a sight to see. The area around the Omni was full or energy. The food at the finish line was minimal - just bananas and bagels and warm water. But the worst was the no medal situation. They said they would take our numbers and mail us one. Not acceptable. I heard later that they were then giving out full marathon medals to finishers of the half. They were totally disorganized at the finish and I just walked away with no medal. Sad, sad. Lots of disappointed finishers.