It is a beautiful course and the 6:30 start was perfect. The several miles on gravel were great on the joints. There were plenty of hills - actually, there was very little flat terrain (pretty much what you would expect from a marathon run in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains).

HOWEVER: Dodging traffic from mile 17 until 23 while running on steep road shoulders was awful. Also, how in the world do you run out of Gatorade and bananas at the finish line?

The Charlottesville area and course are truly beautiful. I highly recommend this race to anyone. The hills are very challenging, but if you push through it, you'll be highly rewarded. The scenery is top-notch. I appreciated the thinner crowds in the marathon. I do wish there were more choices of food at the finish. At the end, it was a great experience. I trained in Charleston, SC and felt the course was everything I could have wanted to challenge myself. The spectators and volunteers that were out there do a marvelous job cheering and providing encouragement.

Of the 17 marathons I have run, including Boston and London-Flora, the beauty of this one is world-class. The rolling hills, blue mountains, and perfect weather make this marathon worth the trip. Sadly, the generic medal with no date, packet pick up in a local running store versus an exhibit hall, the seeming lack of sponsors (no official program; 3 sheets of paper stapled with a course map), the almost non-existent post eats and finally a slim pre-packet (only goody was the t-shirt) were all startling for a marathon. Charlottesville has everything it needs to make this world-class if they wanted to do it. I say, "Just do it."

I have run many marathons and half marathons... and this was among the best! Perfect scenery, perfect weather, spring at its peak... and yes, very hilly, yet for every uphill there was a downhill! To this flatlander, it was fabulous!

If you want a flat marathon, go to Virginia Beach and do the Shamrock. If you want to be challenged and distracted from your thoughts/pain, do this marathon. The scenery of Central Virginia is tough to match. Some have commented about the lack of spectators. True... but not a problem. I believe that shouting people would have polluted the tranquility of the breathtaking landscapes. Drive in an endurance event comes from your internal focus... yada, yada, yada. Anyways, the post-race is a great setting. Outstanding band: Trees on Fire. Finisher's medals? I don't really care what they look like. My kids hang them from nearby branches. Keep your number and the memories of the scenery. Highly recommended.

This race is lots of fun. I have run the past three years and it was really a nice change after New York and Boston. The weather was perfect and once the crowd thinned out, I was able to settle into my own pace, which never happens at some of the very large marathons. The course was a blast. After running this race the first time, I started thinking about moving from Richmond to Charlottesville. I have also run the Richmond Marathon, which is a great race, but I found the Charlottesville course much prettier. The organizers did a great job, and the post-race area was quite charming, right by the old downtown area - sort of like Richmond without the skyscrapers and traffic jams. I would strongly recommend this race... very refreshing.

This race proved to be a delight for our group from Maryland. Several of my running buddies had visited Charlottesville in the past to run the 10-miler and had raved about the race and the city. I had never been to Charlottesville and was very excited to see the area via foot power!

The race was a great experience. As many have mentioned in their posts, the scenic nature of this run really makes the 26.2 miles seem to fly by. Once we rested up after the race, several of us walked through the grounds of the University of Virginia and strolled along the same paths that Thomas Jefferson had laid out many years ago. What a terrific way to recover from a race.

Thanks to all who were involved for organizing this event and helping to make Charlottesville such a special memory.

I wanted to share a few comments regarding my experience at the 2007 Charlottesville Marathon. I drove up from FL to run this race and I had heard took place on a stunning course. Boy, was I happy I made the trip. The course winds through the Virginia countryside and past some breathtaking scenery. All in all, this was a great race and one that I hope to do again.

This race is about as challenging as they come. The hills are a true test and the lay out of the course is demanding from start to finish. I would recommend the race to other runners, but you need to train hard for this race.

Positives for the race are:
1) Gatorade and GU for replenishment
2) Aid stations were properly stationed throughout the course
3) Post-race massage
4) Size of the race was comfortable
5) 0630 start makes the drive home easier on Saturday
6) Roughly 6/7 miles on the dirt/packed road are good for the legs

Negatives for the race:
1) Same finisher's medal for the 1/2 marathon and marathon
2) Race shirt does not fit comfortably
3) The number of spectators is quite slim
4) Directions to find the running store for packet pick-up are unclear
5) One piece of pizza for the post-race chow

This was my first marathon and it was fantastic!

I am a 12-minute/mile runner and the views kept me very motivated. What kept it engaging was the mixture of scenery. You started in old town, went through a "mansion-style subdivision," ran by horses and training centers, through intimate neighborhoods, and then back into the city again.

I was a bit concerned about the "hills" but they were really not a major challenge. There were two long hills, but the views kept me happy. During miles 10-18, runners were able to have a flatter experience running a dirt road loop and then there were the hills again. Admittedly, I train at about 3,000 feet in Colorado, but I train on complete flats and I didn't think the hills were that challenging.

There was one point that had a confusing turn-around, but other than that the entire course was well marked. The volunteers were friendly and the refreshments were plentiful. I will say that there were not enough portable bathrooms at the start line. Additionally, once you got past mile 4, I believe, there were no more portable bathrooms. Runners seemed fine going into the woods to relieve themselves in nature.

I am a novice marathon runner, but I feel confident saying that this marathon is truly gorgeous. Plus, it was pretty small with only 1,300 runners total and only 300 in the marathon (there is a half-marathon).

Another thought is that if you want to stay in the city, book EARLY as we could not find an available hotel room (and rates started to rise quickly).

This is a great run. Go for it!