Let's start by saying the course isn't easy. It rolls and has a couple hills but I don't think anyone hides that. Even with those hills, when you are in town, you've got great crowds and when you are out of town, the scenery helps keep you going.

The fans are great. I've done much bigger raes with far fewer fans and was repeatedly thanked by the fans for running their race.

At the water stops, the workers all seemed to be genuinely happy to be there and there was always plenty of fluid ready for us. I loved that they all wore signs saying if they had water of sportsdrink. The little things were done well. Oh, and by the way, there were plenty of facilities and signs telling you what was coming up next. A lot of care is taken with this race in making it well done. How many other places have free, convenient and plentiful parking on race day?

Lastly, and you will see lots of comments elsewhere but I think the whole race is a reflection of the Race Director. When you sign up, he sends you a personal note. When you finish, he is there to shake every marathoners hand. In between, he has a lot of great volunteers and police that help make it a great race. It is almost impossible anymore to find someone committed to that level of service.

This morning was my 9th running of the Akron Marathon and this race just gets better each year - awesome give-aways, flawless organization and a very caring staff. Granted the course is tough, but the stadium finish makes up for it. I am so glad to be part of this race since year #1 and look forward to the 10th running next September!

A top notch event from the expo the day before to the finish inside of the ball park. Course similar to other marathons I have run. Great support throughout the course. Nice to follow the blue line from start to finish.

This was my first marathon and I was really surprised with the overall organization, the course and the fans. Yes, the hills are pretty tough - I cramped up in the second half after having my personal best in the first half. It was painful, but I finished.

The bands and the fans were great. One church group happened to play my favorite song near the end of the route - a great pick-me-up on a not-so-good run. Only complaint - watch out for the GU packets. One volunteer was opening them up before handing them out. I did not know and stored it for later... what a mess!

Read the information packet you are given, review the map and go to the expo. Doing that, I did not have any problems after the race - found everything I needed and moved through pretty quickly.
As a side note - my kids loved the fun run. They had some great stuff for the kids to do while I was running and got a "real" medal. Best of all, it was free.

Akron is okay if you aren't concerned about a fast finishing time. The inclines from miles 15 - 21 will eliminate any chance for a PR. Also, miles 3 - 8 have numerous ups and downs. There are several flat/downhill miles in Akron so there might be more difficult marathon courses out there.

This seems to be a race with the emphasis on the half marathon and the 5-person relay, with a full marathon added to it. At the starting line about 70% of the runners were entered in either the half marathon or relay. There is nothing wrong with that. But many runners might only be running one marathon in the fall and may want to BQ or obtain a PR; they won't want to waste that effort on a slow course. If that's you, then the half marathon in Akron would be a great fitness test before attempting an October marathon.

I have run 7 marathons since September, and this is still the most well run of the bunch. I have run larger fielded races (Columbus and Philly) as well as smaller-sized races (like Akron), and a small Cincy half marathon. Akron is still the most well organized of the bunch. The Brooks jacket is a great treat for the marathon runners, while the half and relay runners get a tech shirt that is nicer than what runners of the full get at major events. This will certainly be a race I return to next year.

This race was an unexected surprise. It was so well organized, with a good course, great volunteers and great stuff. I loved the Brooks jacket and headband!

Ran the 2010 Akron Marathon. Was hoping to BQ but knew that was probably unrealistic considering the course. Around mile 16 my quads started to cramp from all of the hills. It was painful from there on out. That being said, this is a very well-organized event with tremendous fan support. Everything about the race is organized and well thought out. Really appreciated the frequent aid stations, including 4 completely separate GU stations. I don't recommend the shuttle from the hotel since you have to catch that at 4:50 a.m. Better to drive yourself down there and find a place to park. I stayed at the Courtyard Marriot (not a good breakfast - no bananas?!).

I love small marathons and this was one was exceptionally well done. There were some hills but no more than advertised. Loved having the blue line available the day before to get familiar with parts of the course. Great finish, running into the stadium with Jim's handshake. Friendly town, and an unexpected plus was the constant crowd support everywhere except the towpath. Love the jacket more than the one I paid $90 for in Boston. Names on the bibs were a nice touch, too. Also the Saturday run was a big plus for those of us who had a bit of a drive home.

And to the guy who pressed a chocolate GU into my hand around mile 9 that I used for runner who went down with low blood sugar at about mile 15: Thank you.

Thanks for a great experience.

The Akron Marathon is fantastic and I definitely recommend adding this one to your "must race" marathon list. The course is challenging; however it is very scenic and well designed. There are a series of rolling hills between Miles 14 to 18 and a pretty significant climb at Mile 21. The rest of the course is relatively flat and and the final two miles are mostly on a downhill grade. Running through the University of Akron campus and along the towpaths was awesome! The volunteer support is amazing - all of the folks were very cheerful and supportive. Running into the baseball stadium at the end was an incredible experience, especially with the stands packed with cheering fans! The race gifts are among the best around - a Brooks running jacket and winter headband for all finishers. The only slight disappointment was with the hotel bus system - the post-race process was not well organized and it took a couple of hours to get back to the hotel. I recommend driving to the race start to avoid this issue. All in all, an outstanding race experience!!