This was my 2nd time running this course. This year it was a much more scenic and faster course. The first half was mainly along the water. The second half ran through town, then down a long bike trail, and then back to the fairgrounds.

The start was very crowded. I started in the "B" Corral and passed numerous walkers during the first mile?? Please, if you are a walker, stay at the back of the pack.

There was one ginormous hill out of Back Bay - maybe 60 feet(?) - but it was very short and came at mile 9, so no big deal. There was another big overpass to conquer at mile 14 over the 405, but not too bad either. There were two other gradual elevation climbs - one around mile 11 and another at the end, coming out of the bike trail (which was tough when your gas tank is fast approaching empty). Weather was good (in the 60's when we started), but the humidity was a bit high. We had to run against a headwind on the bike trail for at least 4 miles. This was tough, but fortunately, it was not a windy day. Overall, a fairly fast course, and this was the first time I ran a sub-4 marathon.

Aid stations were well stocked with water and PowerAde. Great volunteers and nice crowd support in many places. No gels, but this was disclosed on their website, so I brought my own.

The only major area for improvement revolved around the porta-potties. There were not enough at the start line. By 6 a.m., it looked like a 30-minute (or longer) line had formed. They probably needed at least 4 times as many. Then there were only 2 per aid station. I saw long lines. I also saw numerous people as early as mile 3 duck into the bushes to take care of "business." I know we have new owners for this year's race, but maybe they can learn from last year, where there were plenty of facilities for use.

Overall, with the exception of the porta-potties, this was an enjoyable and much improved course. I hope to be back next year.

Like others have said, great first half! After that, it's a mixed bag. Plenty of course support, although no gels (I have my own favorites, anyway). Not too crowded! Pretty flat; the worst hills are only freeway overpasses (or about the same size as overpasses) - and there are only a few.

I ran my first marathon (OC) in January 2008 in the rain. It was uphill in the second half and wound around an old military base with limited spectators at the end. The new course (2009 race) was 100% better, with routing improvement and finish line. Spectators lined Mile 25 to the finish at the OC Fairgrounds. The race will continue to improve in 2010. And hopefully, my time will too.

I had a great time, but the porta-potties were a shame. Thousands of over-hydrated runners were all trying to squeeze into a tiny, chaotic circle of porta-potties. I was OK, but the girls were literally crying with nowhere to pee.

No gels or bars during the race.

The course was fun, but it got very tight in two sections, which slowed us down quite a bit. I will try it again next year if they promise to fix the porta-potties.

The race has gotten much better since I participated 2 years ago. The course now has characteristics of what a SoCal race should have. Also, it has seemingly better organization (with corrals at the start), and a separate race for the kids. I did see some fan support (granted, it is 6:30 on Sunday morning), but since I ran the half, I can't comment about the full marathon. Overall, it's vastly improved, and I will think about doing it again next year.

I ran the half. Great course. Beautiful weather. Spectacular scenery. Loved running Back Bay. Spectators were encouraging. Goal was to PR. On track until I had to wait 14 minutes for the porta-potty! Definitely need at least half a dozen at each mile. Exit from parking was terrible - needs to be much better organized so that it doesn't take 45 minutes to reach an exit.

In general, I really liked this course more than the previous one; and in general, the organization in terms of water stops, police control, and volunteers was great - but they really needed more porta-potties, especially at the start.

Also, the new course is somewhat constrained: a good portion of the first half of the course is on a bike lane and sidewalk or bike path, which is fairly narrow for the number of people running. There was one point on the course where the path crossed under the Pacific Coast Highway and the congestion was so bad that we actually came to a stop. I foresee real difficulties if a lot more people sign up for the race.

The first half of the course was awesome! The second half was much less interesting, but does it matter, after mile 16? Overall, great new course! It would be neat to get more spectators out there to cheer you on and have a beer garden at the finish line! : )

I was looking forward to this marathon for months. I decided to complete this one instead of the San Diego Rock and Roll, and boy am I disappointed. This has been by far the worst marathon EVER! Almost everything about it was disappointing. When I arrived at the fair grounds they charged me for parking ($5). Once at the expo, there were very few vendors, I basically walked the whole expo in 5 minutes. The goody bag was empty, with only a pack of gel shots - yuck! The shirt they gave out was the only decent item. On race day, they charged for parking AGAIN! I could not believe that, especially since they charged me an entrance fee of $107. The starting line was poorly organized. It was really difficult for me to get up to speed because there were way too many people, most doing the half-marathon. The water stations were not at every mile. The course was dull, with lots of hills. When passing by residential areas, there were some spectator cheering the runners, but overall the race felt really boring. I would not recommend it. Seriously.

The new course is a significant improvement, taking you seaside, through the nature preserve area, and over mostly quality roads. The support was exactly what was needed, with plenty of volunteers at stations, water and sport drink not running out, and good enthusiasm from the staff. Out of 8000+ runners, fewer than 1400 did the full 26.2, making the start/self-corral method a little dense. The things to know for next year: 1. Miles 20 through 25 are lonely, running alongside the aqueduct/golf course, with minimal support from staff or fans. Bicyclists out for Sunday rides also use this path, possibly causing dodge/collision situations. 2. Harbor Blvd. (Mile 25) was semi-open to cars, causing a few runners to stop upon PD direction. Not the place you want to stop for traffic, depending on the condition of your legs. 3. The overpass for the 405 between mile 20-21 is quite an elevation gain. I'm not saying that they should change the course to go around it; I'm saying to runners that this is a challenging climb. 4. The dirt portion through Fairview Park (mile 23-24) surprised me, since we'd been on paved path until then. All it takes is a little rain, and that becomes a major issue. That could be something to look at next year.

Overall, a good, new course. Major props to the organizers for their improvements, and I may be back next year, depending on the registration fee (this cost as much as an RnR Marathon). Maybe if we had more full-marathoners, the fee could come down? I recommend this marathon.