I had originally signed up for the half-marathon, which they re-scheduled for the following weekend.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly:

The Good:
More than enough porto-potties. Since the marathon was not being run, there were fewer people than expected, so no lines. But even if the marathon had been run that day, there were enough units to keep the lines to a minimum.

Aid-Stations were plentiful and very well run. Kudos to the volunteers.

Course support by police. Awesome. There were more police keeping traffic at bay than there were spectators.

The Bad:
The course was boring and uninspiring. In the race literature, they evoke memories of the historic old west and the stage coaches that ran through this area. We had to run around a mega-mall parking lot, through an undeveloped business district, through very dull residential neighborhoods, on a bike path, and ended with a run through a high school parking lot. YAAAWWWNNN. Olathe does have some historically significant places, but we saw none of them. To make matters worse, in some of the residential parts the cones were so close to the side of the road that you could not run two people side-by-side.

The wind. Nothing the race people could control, but its late March/early April in Kansas. Wind is all but assured.

False advertising on the beer and smoothies? When I finish a race, the last thing I want to eat is something sweet to eat or drink. Give me something salty, or savory. They advertised free beer from a local brewery. On the course at mile 11.5, they had a sign stating this fact. When I finished the race, I bypassed the sweet items and headed straight for the beer table. To my great dismay, the vendor gave a very apologetic speech saying that Kansas rules prevent the serving of beer before 10 a.m. The race started at 7 a.m., so unless you were running a 2:30 -3:00 half, you either were not getting beer, or you had to wait in the windy, cold weather until 10 a.m. If you waited, then I see a 12-step program in your future. Grrrr. I did not get my beer. I also never did see the Smoothie King vendor that was advertised.

The Ugly:
Lack of spectators. As I mentioned above, there seemed to be more police than spectators on the course. Those that did show up were very much appreciated. This was the first race where I could honestly say that I thanked EVERY spectator from mile 2 - 12.

The medals. Very cheap looking. There were basically pre-printed stickers stuck to both sides of the medal.

Bottom Line: The entry fee for this race was $50-$80 for the half depending on how far out you registered. I definitely did not feel like I got my money's worth. I would do this race again ONLY as an expensive training run, and nothing more. I would give it a D+ or C- grade.

In the beginning I was disappointed the race was rescheduled. I understand now that the race directors had a very difficult decision to make and I believe they made the right decision.

The course was very well marked, with plenty of aid stations. The volunteers were awesome and I never had to wait more than a second to receive a drink at any of the aid stations. Hats off to the fabulous job the traffic officers did. Every intersection was controlled and I felt safe the entire time.

The course is very flat and fast. The course is a huge improvement from the old route.

Only thing I would recommend changing would be the medals. The medals are small and not that attractive. But, I personally run the races for the memories, not the medals. I will be back next year.

I ran the half-marathon. This was my eighth.

The favorable items include: great traffic control, perfect starting time, easy packet pickup, GU at mile 8 (not always for halfs), plenty of aid stations and porta-potties, and awesome pacers (almost) - the one I wanted was 10 minutes off pace (behind). The staff was very willing to respond to earlier emails I had in the months before the race.

Main complaints: I drove 4 hours (twice - once for the first and then the final race), got my packet and was watching TV in my hotel when I found out it was rescheduled (not more than 2 hours after I picked up the materials). I wish that they would have mentioned they were considering postponing when I got my materials. The shirt and medal were cheap. There was no food at the end. I'd like to know what my entry money went for. The clock was broken, so I didn't know my finishing time.

The weather really hurt what could have been an enjoyable time. First snow, then wind that drastically drained me. I know they had to make a difficult decision to postpone the race, which I feel was warranted, but those who came long distances had to shell out many extra dollars to enjoy this race, without many perks.

I have run many flat half-marathon courses, and those that think this is flat are definitely wrong!! The course is a challenging course with a few hills and many inclines.

At least now I can cross Kansas off of my list of states!!!

I ran the half marathon on 4/4/09. The course was very narrow - at some points it was less than 6' wide. It was very boring, and when I crossed the finish line, there was no water. I guess it was gone?

Last November I set a goal of running my first half marathon and chose Olathe. I loved it. With no previous experience, I found every step - from registration to packet pickup to the race itself - to be easy.

For what it is worth (from a newbie), here is what I liked.

- I have Type I diabetes and I had some questions. The organizers returned phone calls and answered my emails. Great responsiveness.

- I loved the new course. Much of the race ran through residential areas of Olathe. Unlike comments about previous courses, I didn't find the new course boring.

- Excellent traffic management, with volunteers or police at every intersection on the entire course. I didn't see a single car slow down a runner.

- The start was great. Since the full marathon was canceled due to bad weather on 3/28, parking was easy and close. Porta-potties were available in abundance. The Garmin location offered wind protection for my family as they waited for the race to start.

- The spectators were few but almost every volunteer offered encouragement and smiles. My favorite: the Bikers for Runners aid station. Something about Harley riders offering encouragement, handing out liquids and picking up the trash made me smile.

- The pacers from Runners Edge were abundant and encouraging.

- Call me goofy, but I loved hearing my name announced as I crossed the finish line. The runners, runners' family members and volunteers were cheering. Very fun.

So... in summary: I loved the event and I only have two negative comments. The t-shirt and medal are cheap. I know it is a cost issue, but I would have loved to get a better shirt that I could wear when I run.

I will run Olathe next year.

I moved to KS in February, and have run both the Olathe and KC Marathons. Both have an issue that I don't care for: a marathon course that merges with a half-marathon course to finish. If you are running sub-3 or thereabouts, you will be dodging and weaving walkers and joggers, often in pairs or small groups at that point, especially in the aid stations. This could be an easy fix (e.g., split the finish, which would be logistically more difficult for organizers; or split the road in half, and put marathon aid stations on left, half on the right). The course was fine, but definitely be prepared to suffer through the Kansas wind. The food at the finish was lacking. I know they were sponsored by Krispy Kreme, but when I asked for someone to open a box, the person said they were for sale! That was silly, to say the least. Finally, the massage line was long, filled with half-marathoners, so it would have been nice to split that line as well. I will run again; I hope they will iron out the kinks.

i actually ran in the half (my first ever) and everything about the race was very well organized it seemed to me... except one thing: There were only 2 porta-potties at the starting area for the half. With over 600 people there to run, that was huge problem. Also, the man on the PA system did nothing to help this by not explaining what to do about it. with the last shuttle getting there about a half hour before the race's start, I would expect that I wasn't alone in planning on using the bathroom before I ran.

Besides that major problem, everyone was very helpful and encouraging along the course, and i would definitely run this race again.

This was my 14th half marathon, and my take on it:

Packet pickup was fast and easy, and I loved the mall! We got a good deal on a hotel in Lenexa, which was a short drive to the start. There was plenty of parking and plenty of buses to take us to the halfway point where the half marathon began. But at that point, it was terrible. We were so cold waiting on the race start that our teeth chattered and we shook uncontrollably! We sought refuge from the bitter, fierce winds next to a building but it was of little help. Our "quads" were frozen from the start. There was no timing mat at the start... didn't like that. There were plenty of aid stations, porta-potties and water stops with friendly volunteers. The course was very boring, which, in conjunction with the brutal winds, made for a long race. Some of the roads were in bad shape, but traffic control was good. Post-race food was lacking - to say the least - but the massage was very good. The t-shirt was plain but the medal was ok... although, not everyone got the same medal for the half, which was weird.

I ran the half and thought I would add my two cents worth since I haven't seen any comments about it. Organization was good. Police and traffic control were excellent. Aid stations were great even though the wind and cold disoriented some volunteers who couldn't tell water from red Gatorade ;-). Having only two port-a-potties at the start was unforgivable. Having no place to get out of the cold and wind until the start was bad until some kind soul let us in the main building for 5 or 10 minutes. The post-race massage was like showers and dishwashers (a gift from God). Medals and T-shirts were ho-hum, but okay. If you are in the area, run it.

Course was pretty flat and could be fast without the wind. Plenty of water and Gatorade. Few fans, but no big deal for me. T-shirt was cruddy. Seriously 100% cotton? Post-race food: plain bagels and very green bananas. Not that I eat a lot after 26.2, but that was ridiculous. Pre-race bathrooms were very inadequate.