Expo is small, but all are friendly. I loved the early start. This year was COLD but dry. But, race directors can't change that. Loved the course. It is hilly, but takes you through many neighborhoods. This was my 24th marathon, and one of the most challenging. The spectators were wonderful.

The post-race area is nice and they have lots of stuff. I LOVE the short-sleeve, tech tee that fits true. The post-race BBQ was overhyped. It was cold and windy, so seating inside the library tight. They were poorly organized and stingy with the portions (I guess we could have gone back, but lines were long).

I would do this race again. I wouldn't necessarily do the BBQ again.

Believe all of the positive comments previously posted! Hard to find anything negative about the race. My wife and I had a wonderful weekend. Plenty of great places to eat in the River area. We stayed at the Legacy Hotel and would highly recommend it. Under $100 per night, no fee for parking, and within walking distance of all you need. Only one difficult hill (I am a flatlander from the Wichita area). But it is a doozy.

Pay attention to some of the previously posted negative comments. Some of them have merit, but Utopia doesn't have a marathon. I often think that's what it would take to please some people.

This scores high on the ultimate question: Would I do it again? Every year!

Little Rock was my first full marathon (at age 43) and I really enjoyed it. I trained for the hills so they weren't that big of a problem. I don't have another marathon to compare it to, but everything seemed to run very smoothly. I now want to do many more.

I will run this again. The whole experience was one to remember. Challenging course and the hills are huge. The expo was something left to be desired, but that's not what we were there for.

The course took us into North Little Rock, crossing the Arkansas River. That was pretty cool. We went through both downtown areas (Little Rock and North Little Rock). Both were nice to run through. Great volunteers as well. The 4-hour pacers were awesome. And the runners themselves were some of the most friendly I have ever run with. Awesome medal. People in the past complained about how big it was. I think that is just one more thing that makes this race so great. Run it!! Tell your friends to run it as well!

This was my first marathon and I was overwhelmed with the extent to which every detail was managed. I've been in competitve cycling for 11 years and I have never been to an event as well organized. There were two pacers in all of the pacer groups that I saw and they were incredibly helpful - getting water, supplying gels, anything needed. The volunteers out on course at each stop outnumbered any group I was running with and they were very supportive. The fan attendance was incredible downtown, nearly shoulder to shoulder for about half of the first 6 miles. After that, you wouldn't make it a half mile without seeing some group standing by the side cheering you on, playing music, or at least dressed interestingly to add a nice flavor to the day. The athletes' village at the end of the course had everything from fruit to candy, and of course the finisher's medal was something to behold. All of my friends were jealous when they saw it. I will definitely be back.

This is going to be the easiest marathon review I have ever written because I will not have to come up with a list of CONS.

First things first:

I would like to issue a sincere THANK YOU to the all of the people associated with this race... and I mean EVERYONE - the race staff, the volunteers, the good people of Little Rock, and anyone else I might have interacted with during my trip.

My biggest "Thank You" goes out to one particular lady associated with the race who helped me out tremendously by giving me and my family wristbands, allowing us entry into the Perks Tent/Village the night before the race when I met her at the hotel. You know who you are.

How about those volunteers?! They were plentiful in number, well-trained, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, kind, outgoing, and overall the most helpful and organized volunteers I have encountered since the Marine Corps Marathon in 2007. All of them were great! From the groups calling your name on the course, to the ones helping you find your way around before and after the race, to the folks at the well-stocked water/aid stations, these volunteers knew what they were doing!

Now let's talk about the course:

Great course!!! There were excellent uses of elevation changes throughout the course. I really felt like the course gave me a fantastic guided tour through the city of Little Rock. This tour was accompanied by the occasional history lesson as well. Within minutes of waving to the governor of Arkansas in front of the governor's mansion, I passed a large school. As I passed, a nice gentleman stated, Little Rock Central High School, founded in 1929. At least, I think that's what I heard. This was capped off with a high-five from Bart Yasso as I crossed the finish line as he called out my name and city of origin over the loudspeaker.

Good lord, you people set the bar so high that I'm not sure how you'll be able to top it next time around! Serious runners, running enthusiasts and newbies alike: Please take note that the group that organizes this event could write the book on how to do it correctly! I have nothing but fond memories of my marathon experience in Little Rock and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a positive marathon experience. Now Im scratching AR off my list of states but I would have no qualms about running this one a second time.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: I PRd by 5 minutes. BOO-YAH!!!

A++++!!!

This was my 6th Little Rock Marathon, and the great directors (Gina and Geneva) get it right year after year. From packet pickup to the after-run party, this is a marathon that you should not miss. You get to see almost all of Little Rock, and the course has a mixture of hills and flat areas. I disagree with the comment made about wasting money on the medal; this is one thing that makes this event great -the huge medals. The 5K medal is bigger than most marathons give, and let's face it, we want to show off after running 26.2 miles. I hope it gets bigger. I HIGHLY recommend this event.

This is one of the best races I have run. These people really kept in mind how the runner would feel. At all of the water stations they had plenty of water and Gatorade. After the halfway point, they had gels, fruit and snacks for us runners. At the finish line they had food as well and space blankets. The after-party was just as good as the race - plenty of food and liquor for all.

I think a lot of other race directors can learn from this race. They really kept the runner in mind every step of the race.

The overall organization of this race was excellent from the expo through the post-race dinner. The perks tent is a GREAT idea that more races should consider. The course is what you would expect in this part of the country. It is hilly. Be prepared for the last "bump" (HAHA) that you are about halfway up when you hit mile 25. The volunteers were friendly and loud. There were some lonesome spots but that is true of most marathons. Weather was perfect - no, I was not cold in my Gator running top. Would do it again.

Great marathon overall: great expo with lots of friendly, supportive people; HUGE medal (which broke in the airport); great race support with plenty of water stops; great, small-town race with lots of spectators.

The race needs better mile markers, $20 for the pre-race pasta is a little much, and the course at times was EXTREMELY hilly, especially at Mile 25.

Definitely recommend this for 50 staters or anyone else wanting to do a smaller marathon.