I ran my first marathon quite a while ago (12 years), but found that not much has changed when it comes to running marathons. Weather was a factor this year, but next year it will be run in March when it's much cooler. Having names on race bibs helped us all to encourage each other along the way. Kudos to race management for that marvelous touch.

Hats off to the City of Little Rock for this inaugural event. Let me get straight to the high and lows.

HIGHS

1. Enthusiastic Spectators (even though there were few of them).
2. First half of the course was scenic and had enough turns that kept it interesting.
3. Plenty of water, gatorade, etc. available on the course.
4. Post-race party was good. Plenty of food, beverages, etc.
5. Two t-shirts, one at packet pick-up and one for finishers.
6. One of the coolest finishers medals.
7. The press was everywhere.

LOWS
1. Few spectators (but very enthusiastic).
2. Very humid conditions. About one mile into the race I was sweating profusely.
3. Last half of the course left a little to be desired. There was a long out-and-back along a straight road/park trail from about mile 14 to mile 24. It was unshaded and the sun peeked out a few times to heat things up a little.
4. Hilly course. You definitely felt the hills at miles 24.5 through 25.5. I would compare hills to the Country Music Marathon.
5. Too few port-o-johns at the start. (Most first time races have this problem and end up correcting it)

I believe they are moving the race to March next year, which should help with the heat and humidity. I think if you are trying to PR, there would be easier courses.

I would recommend this race for anyone wanting to race smaller venue.

Thanks Little Rock for putting on a memorable event.

Although the course was very hilly, I enjoyed my experience at the LR Marathon. For the people that registered early, they put their first name on the bib number so spectators could cheer for you ('Go Jim' or 'Looking good Jane'). That was a very nice touch, especially in the last part of the race. The race started 10 minutes late because of problems with the championship equipment. Overall, for their first marathon, they did a very good job.

Oustanding marathon for a first-time runner. Can't wait until 2004!

Warm and hilly, but great fun!! Well organized with good crowd support!

Sure, it was hot, humid, and hilly (this is Little Rock, after all). But it was also a welcoming, well organized, enthusiastic event. Runners got a good thumbnail tour of the city, seeing NLR, Central High, and the Governor's Mansion, among other points of interest. Volunteers were uniformly helpful and eager. The Mayor of NLR turned out in a cherry picker to welcome runners to his side of the river, a cornball touch, but it shows how much the city worked to make this event succeed. There were some nice touches, like blue Gatorade instead of that nasty yellow, a big medal, and two shirts. Be warned there were many more relayers than full marathoners, which allowed for more participation, but also meant getting passed a lot at the end by fresh runners.
Two things I'd work on: having clocks and people calling out times at the mile splits (sometimes the splits were located a bit after the times were given), and, if pacers are to be offered, to give them stricter marching orders on even pacing.

Hey, and next year it will be held in March, so only the hills will be a problem!

This was my fourth marathon and the spectators were awesome. First rate coordination on the aid stations and relay exchange points. The only negative point is really just my personal preference. Part of the run is an out and back and I just don't like covering ground that I've already seen. I was inspired by the riverfront and historic Central High School as well as the impressive Capitol Building. There are a few challenging hills but they are mostly in the first half of the race. There is one last steep hill right after you hit the 25 mile mark, but it's more psychological at that point. Once you make the turn off of Cross St toward the finish line, it's time to look good for the cameras!! I definitely plan on running this again.

I ran the 1st Little Rock marathon today and thought that the folks put on a great race. It was a bit warm today but there was plenty of water and Gatorade available, and they kept the course open for 8 hours so everyone would finish.
The medal is huge! It probably affected my gas mileage on the drive home!
Fun race, not too hilly, nice crowd.

I'm training with one of the groups for the Little Rock Marathon and the organizors of the marathon really care about our training. The weekly updates and training information are great touches!