This is my 10th marathon and by far the most boring. The medal, the t-shirt, the expo, and even the start and finish line were great. I was so excited to be able to grab a banana before the race! I was just very disappointed in the course - 26.2 miles, and there was nothing to distract you. My favorite thing about running all of these state marathons is taking photos along the course. I took 1 picture and that was at the start with John McCain. I think it would have been so much better if you actually ran through and saw the city!

The first thing many of us marathoners or half marathoners want to do when we get to a race is use the bathroom. I was in the half marathon, and at the start of a race for 25,000 people I could only find four or five portable facilities on about every third block. The lines were crazy!

Otherwise, the course was mostly flat, with some hills between miles 9-11, the music and cheerleaders were inspirational, and the aid stations were well stocked.

Great from start to finish. Rock 'n' Roll has the organization down pat. There were plenty of water stations and more bands than I recall from the San Diego version.

Fans were boisterous and plentiful. All around great event.

This is my third marathon, and by far the best. Crowd support was great, and the weather was perfect. My brother and I were dropped off at the starting line with no real traffic, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the starting village. The finish area was wonderful, with lots of food and plenty to drink.

I only have two complaints. First, some of the music at the concert was not appropriate for my young kids. Second, the directions for spectators were not accurate; it took over an hour for my family to get to the finish area because roads were closed that were not supposed to be (according to the directions).

Other than these two minor issues, the entire weekend was perfect. I highly recommend this marathon.

This was my first R 'n' R race, and it was a great winter marathon location. Perfect temps in the 50's, with cloud cover, and the course was super fast and very flat. The organization was great, down to the support on the course, aid stations not being at mile markers (so you can take splits) and clocks all along the course to show your time.

Highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a fast Boston qualifier with good support.

I've run this half marathon 5 times (in an attempt to break the 2-hour mark, which I finally did this year). I officially hate the course for the half - it takes you straight down a city street that is not pretty or scenic. WIth all the beauty around Phoenix, why are we running down a somewhat ghetto street for 7 miles? The organization is fantasic and the crowd is good; it's just a horrible course.

As a veteran of San Diego Rock 'n' Roll, the Arizona version rocks too. Love the deep blue tech shirts, the solid desert medal, the fantastic R'n'R organization. Roc Doc (the marathon doctor) gave a great runner's clinic. The course was flat, just as I like it. The bands were fantastic, and the cheerleaders were plentiful and encouraging. The weather was perfect. Senator John McCain even greeted the runners as the race began. For those on a budget, there is a nice hostel within walking distance of the course and also great light rail transportation to and from the airport for $1.75. The course passes many modern architectural state buildings and makes a nice tour through upscale Scottsdale and Tempe, home of ASU. The expo was expertly done. This marathon ranks as one of my most enjoyable of the 25 I have run.

This was my first marathon. I was very pleased at the smoothness and organization of the race. More excited to see that even the slowest runner like me was able to enjoy ALL of the bands, cheers groups and food at the finish line. Made me feel just as worthy as the first runner. (which was important to me and other slow runners). Thank you to the director to order enough food, medals and bands for the slow pokes! It was the best first-time experience ever. I will be back! Thank you, thank you.

I have run PF Chang's 5 out of 6 times, (2 fulls, the rest halfs) and can honestly say, I have not been a big fan due to the course. We have so many beautiful places to run here in the valley that organizers ignore, and instead, they route runners through less-than-dazzling surroundings. I was really happy to see the changes in the full marathon course this year, and especially loved going through downtown Scottsdale. Another big improvement was having the expo at the Convention Center. It was very nicely organized. I had my packet and t-shirt within 5 minutes of walking in. Nicely done! And lastly, you finally got rid of the cotton t-shirts and replaced them with technical... bravo! For the amount of money that is costs to enter, this should have been done a long time ago! I would still like to see better bands and improve some segments of the course. What about incorporating parts of our canal system? The last 4 miles were horrible! This is when most runners need all of the inspiration we can get, and instead, we were surrounded by dilapidated buildings and fields laden with trash. Nice.

This was my first full marathon, and I was shocked at how on target the band placement/water stations/gel stations/crowds of people were. Without each of those I would never have made it all the way through. The crowd kept me going, and all the volunteers REALLY made this experience as great as it was. I am so glad I did the marathon. Best thing I have done for myself!