This is my third time running the OC Marathon. After changing the course each year, they finally created a route that was challenging, with great fan support. There were water stations at almost every mile and no students this year! The only negative is that it is not completely flat and fast, as advertised; but I still beat my PR by 30 minutes and almost qualified for Boston. The pace groups were also accurate according to my husband who was a fan and spectator at the finish line. I would definitely do it again.

Good marathon but the course isn't even near the ocean. Its just residential areas and a farm area in the second half. The weather was also horrible, since it rained and then there were winds. There were great pace groups, which helps a lot.

First time I have run Orange County and I was favourably impressed. Course gave us a good overview of most of the area, I'm sorry we didn't get to the beach; however, I imagine there are road closure issues. If I want to run along the beach, there are several choices, including Huntington Beach the next month, Big Sur in April, and Palos Verdes in May. OC never claimed to be a seaside race.

Start was OK, but corrals would be very nice. I felt the students added a lot of energy and excitement to the start, and although I found myself doing a lot of "On your left...on your right...," it wasn't any worse than other largish marathons. Once the split occurred at mile 8.5, we had all the room we could wish for.

I've never run on the freeway before and that was surreal, running down the highway in the misty rain. The bike path portion was very pretty, and seeing the areas that had been impacted by the wildfires was an eye-opener. I didn't think the gradient changes were overwhelming.

My only complaints are to do with the finish line. I had to ask a number of people where bag check was, and I had a hard time getting my bearings and finding my car after the bus dropped us off. Please remember that not all of us live in Orange County and we don't know the Fashion Island area. Perhaps provide a map of the parking lots so we could mark where our cars are and stuff it in our gear bags to refer to after the race?

Clocks at every mile were a very nice touch. I have no idea what the sports drink was (pink?), but no big deal. I'm old enough to remember when LAM made a big deal of having two - count-them-folks-TWO - aid stations with energy drink (1989). Plenty of gel and water available on the course. Overall, a good marathon; I may well be back if I want another early January race. It's certainly an incentive to keep training through the holiday season!

I would love 2 changes:

1. Have some sort of formal or informal corral system based upon pace to help avoid having the walkers and super slow runners clog the start for the first 1/2 mile. It is SO frustrating to waste energy avoiding the SRLA kids - and even worse, the walkers who start in the front. I cannot fathom why walkers (and semi-walker/joggers) would start near the front.

2. It would be great if the course could be changed to avoid the boring toll road and the mostly uphill grade from about 15 to about 23.

Overall, the conditions were great and it was a fun race.

Some parts of the course are very pretty and the weather was good for running. However, I was surprised that there were no bands and cheerleaders along the course at all. Also, the organizer should separate the half marathoners from the full marathoners by 30 minutes, like most other marathons. Since the paces for the half and full marathoners are very different, it is not right to have the two groups run together, especially in the first 8 miles of the course where some sections were kind of narrow.

Overall, the bathroom and water stations along the course were adequate. However, I was very surprised that there is no date on the marathon medal, which should be corrected in future races.

No souvenir shirts at the expo was the first disappointment. Why run a marathon if you can't have a t-shirt? (In all fairness they did give you a finisher's shirt but it didn't say "finisher" on it!) The kids were all over the course, but after the mile 8 1/2 split the full marathoners had the back side all to themselves. No food at the finish was also a real bummer but I guess the full marathoners are expected to finish at the same time as the halfers if they want something to eat. The finisher's medal was very disappointing; plenty of space to add the sponsors' names, but none for the date of the race!

Next year I'd like to see them at least start the marathoners 1 hour before the 1/2 and keep the sponsors' names on the giveaway shirts. Then I will consider running again.

Not much can be done by race directors regarding weather unless the race is moved to a different time of year. That being said, this year's course weather conditions were close to perfect.

Overcast gray skies with few if any rain drops and temps in the 50s probably aided more than one runner going for a fast time.

(By comparison last year's temps for 4-hour marathoners reached the high 70s.)

Early portions of the marathon were clogged with many Students Run LA (five or six abreast) - no concern to me, as I wasn't going for a peak performance. Nonetheless, I do agree with the postings that relate to this.

Water only up to the 8 mile point - thereafter an energy drink every other stop along with "double-espresso" Clif shots.

The finish was well organized, and the recovery area was relocated to the right, which eased congestion. It was controlled by volunteers, which prevented it from being overrun as with many other similar sized marathons I have competed in.

Oranges, cookies, tortilla chips, granola, etc. were included in the fare, and samples of shower gels and free soap bars were given out near the entrance.

The long-sleeve, white, cotton, race-logo'd t-shirt is a near replica of last year, and has a ton of advertising on the back.

The race packet included a little coin purse, and, the biggest perk of all: a free, nice pair of Avia shoes to the first 1,000 entered!

Unfortunately the price tag included with the shoes appears to be the admission of "Avia" (and "Nuta-lite") onto the race finisher's medal, and the omission of the date!!

First off, before anybody starts complaining, please don't blame the organizers for the weather (yes, we got a little bit of rain - that happens in SoCal in January and you can't expect the organizers to control it!). What I do find disappointing however is that the organizers don't seem to listen (or maybe care) about what real runners expect from a marathon. The start of this race is still way too crowded with 1,000 marathoners and 5,000 1/2 marathoners all starting together on only one side of the street. Throw that together with a lot of walkers and "RUN LA" kids all insisting on starting at the front of the pack, and it becomes a real mess.

Then there's the course, which is basically unchanged for the last three years and has you running down the 261 freeway, around a closed El Toro Marine Base and through an industrial park, all of which add up to a less than scenic course. Additionally, this is a point-to-point course and after finishing you have to ride a school bus 15 miles back to your car (a sure recipe for muscle cramps).

Short of these fact, the race itself is well run, with a good but small expo (I got a free pair of Avia's for being one of the first to register), a nice finisher's medal, the typical white cotton T-shirt, and the water stops are well stocked and professional (at least when I went through - I finished the marathon in 3:25).

I'll probably keep running this race as it fits into my schedule and serves as a nice final long run prior to the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach four weeks later, but if the organizers are really serious about putting on a first-class event, they are going to have to alter this boring course (have they forgotten that the Pacific Ocean is only a couple of miles away?).

This was a great races; however, the previous reporter was right on about the kids and the walkers. They are my only complaint. It was nice to see so many people from all over participating in such a big even but those darn kids were all over the place causing traffic jams and accidents. The SRLA kids are like this in general. I have seen them in action at various races. The walkers were just as bad. They needed to be in the back or on the side because the start was nothing further from a mess for those who were really running.

The student runners started so fast and ran between other runners, bumping elbows for the first few miles. Then they just stopped (tired), in front of steady-paced runners like me. They threw cups in front of my sneakers. Please do something with those student runners. I like idea that they can experience a long run, but they really could use some etiquette and common sense.

The bib pick-up was easy and fast. After-race food and shuttle were easy and fast.