I am planning to head back to the 2010 Charlottesville Marathon. I ran it with a cousin in 2007 (April 21 - it was his 40th birthday and 19th marathon).

We had fun in Charlottesville - Thomas Jefferson's home, and home to Dave Matthews' bar and a fun, scenic race.

There were plenty of great volunteers on the course and the scenery was amazing. I came from New York, and we had not had spring yet, so I loved the greenery. As I was dragging about halfway through, I enjoyed the views all around me. I used to run on hills but have since moved south to a flatter area, so this will be fun for me.

My friend Sue and I will be going back for a second year to run the Charlottesville Marathon. We ran in 2009 and had a great time. For Sue, this was her first race, and she felt the scenic nature of the course really helped make the time fly by.

We hope to spend a few extra days this year visiting some of the historic sites.

I have now completed 51 marathons in many different cities/towns, plus I read a lot of marathon websites and runners' comments. I can give honest opinions on races.

I love the university town of Charlottesville. I think that it is one of the prettiest towns in the US and it has a beautiful downtown. I hope to revisit someday.

I did the Charlottesville Marathon because of Runner's World and some runners comments.

This small race is very expensive (at $80) and you get a $7 short-sleeve tech shirt. There is no expo and you go into the shop to pick up your shirt and bib. That is it. Not even a bag to put the shirt in.

I walked around for half an hour on race day to find the baggage check and there is no music and no pep talk/warm-up on race morning. After the half-marathoners turn, there is a long stretch of road that marathoners have to run on; it has has one narrow lane each way and no shoulder. I will never forget it, but one runner was passing me and said, "Did you see that car almost hit the lady in front?" I did, and it was not pretty. The traffic on this road is scary, especially when you're returning and traffic picks up. There are no cones on these roads, and they're open to traffic. Believe me; someone could be hurt badly. Even some speeding bicyclists caused me to be afraid. No spectators in this race. The hills did not bother me since I was aware of them before the start.

A few runners said that this race is scenic. There are just a few parts that are ok, but with the traffic, you really cannot appreciate any scenery. If you want scenery, go to races like Adirondacks, Big Sur, Cape Cod, Bar Harbor, etc.

At the finish line, you get a cheap micro medal (the cheapest I have seen) with no date, as well as a piece of cold, thin, cheese pizza and a chocolate bar and water.

Believe me, I was very glad I finished this race without any injury. I will never do this race again - never. On my list of completed marathons, this ranks dead last. Apart from the volunteers, there is absolutely nothing good worth mentioning about this race. I do not believe there could be any marathon that is worse than this one. Do yourself a favor and skip this race. You can do better and will be glad you did.

This marathon lived up to all of the nationwide press I've read about it in magazines. It truly was the most scenic course, especially in April when all of the trees and flowers are in full bloom. The course itself is challenging, but I've visited Charlottesville many times and any town located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, should expect to be hilly. I did like that there was a dirt road for about four miles over halfway through the course to run on that displayed many breathtaking views of farmland and mountains. I also enjoyed the fact that the route was a big loop rather than out and back for the marathon.

The race was very well organized with packet pick-up in the same location as the start/finish for those runners getting in a day or two prior to the race. The volunteers were amazing and often a huge pick-me-up throughout the race at all of the conveniently located water stops. Even though the roads are not closed to public cars, there were MANY police officers throughout all the pivotal locations on the course to ensure our safety.

The race ends on the downtown mall right in the heart of the city. There was a live band playing at the finish line and a local radio station interviewing runners and updating the town on the progress of the race. They had plenty of water, Gatorade, fruit, etc., to grab. It was easy for my friends and family who came to support me, to walk up to get lunch after the race at one of the several restaurants.

The weather was absolutely perfect for running a long race. Low 50's at the start and it warmed up to the high 60's by about 11:00 that afternoon. There were a lot of spectators at the finish cheering everyone on so between them and the volunteers throughout the course it was easy to keep my focus. I am going to come back and run this marathon again this year to see if i can better my time. I'm looking forward to it!

This is just the type of marathon I was looking for: small-town marathon and a beautiful, challenging course. I thought the course was, in fact, "rolling," but most seem to think extremely hilly. Maybe the fact that I went relatively slowly, with no thoughts of a PR, allowed me to enjoy the course more. Also, I'm used to long runs on rural roads with no shoulders, so the traffic didn't bother me either. Finally, I thought the post-race festivities were fine. Again, I am easy to please. Downtown C'ville is a wonderful place to hang out and explore. I would highly recommend this race to someone looking for a more low-key marathon experience.

The course is the star. It has some of the most gorgeous scenery around. It was my first marathon, and I knew that the hills would be tough. I was thinking 3 goals: 4:30, 4:15 and unrealistically, 4:00. First advice: don't do the half; you turn around before the best part of the course. We hit a dirt road and, wow, what a great place to run. I hit the 13-mile-mark and looked at my watch for the first time. I was a shade over two hours in. Wow. I wondered if it might be possible to break four hours on my first time out. No, by mile 17 the relentless hills caught up to me and I started walking through the water stations.

The rest of the race I silently cussed the endless hills till Mile 25 when I knew it was a done deal, as I would have run on bloody stumps to finish. I was aware of the traffic but felt like the police were stopping it for me. I finished in 4:10 - not bad for a 49-year-old. I promptly fell down and was helped by medical staff immediately. They were great. There was nothing wrong with me; I just didn't have anything left at that moment.

A few cons: with this course, it could be a great race, but most of the community didn't seem to care. There were very few fans. The t-shirt was ugly, in my opinion, but who cares. I liked the medal because it was small enough that I put it on my key chain.

Overall I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I liked the small-town feel of it. Going to Monticello afterward (while wearing my medal) was a cool trip. I would recommend this race, but remember your hill training.

Okay, so I entered this as a first-time marathoner, and did my first as a freshman in college. I have no idea what in the world we picked this one for. You read the description as "rolling hills," and you assume that they will be ROLLING HILLS. No, I had not prepared for the COMPLETE extremes that the madman who organizes this race pits you against on the course. Thanks for the warning.... I won't be back, although I intend to run OTHER marathons. Don't expect much help after the race either.

I was in Charlottesville for the first marathon seven years ago, and wow, was that a tough course (plus it was raining). This year, I had a blast. I love this course - with the downtown and rural parts. I realized that we ran past great, historic sites when we toured on Sunday. I will be back in the future to have more fun and stay under 5 hours for a Saturday run. It's green (spring) and the views were great.

Cars on the road were distracting. The water stops were in the best spots, and the volunteers were great, friendly and motivating.

The ladies at the halfway point were wild, and very pink on this green day.

I run marathons for the trip and chance to hang with others runners, and this is a blast.

Yes, this race seems to have a lot going for it. The course was full of beautiful scenery, great views to the west of the mountains, and we even ran past Thomas Jefferson Rotunda.

Overall, my friends and I had a great time in Charlottesville. The race organizers do a great job putting on such a beautiful race.

I would think this has to be considered a "must do" event.

Charlottesville was my 43rd marathon (38th state). I have seen few courses as scenic, and the weather was great. The race was well organized and everyone was friendly. The volunteers were exceptional. My problem was inadequate training, particularly with respect to the hills. Prepare for the hills and you will love this marathon. As for race directors, they don't get much better than Francesca Conte.