Never having done a trail race, I picked this one because of the comments. It was a great choice. The trails are not technical; they're flat, packed dirt, with some crushed stone. Because I messed up with my logistics for my return flight, I ended up taking an early start and had to walk in the dark. Not a bad thing when you have a four-loop course - the first loop in the dark almost doesn't exist.

Best thing was the GREAT SUPPORT. Starting at packet pick up, I got the information I needed about the early start, advice on local good food and taking the hotel shuttle so I wouldn't have to worry about finding the start area. Too easy. Pace leader to help us around in the dark, well supplied and cheerfully tended aid stations, and a FANTASTIC finish area. The course loops around the finish area so you can hear and see what is going on (as you pass it 3 times). Nice medal, tech shirt, socks, hat... and good post-race food. Wish I had brought my camera for a photo of the sign "Alligator Habitat"; I didn't see any, which is fine.

I did the trail challenge this year for the first time. I am a walker, and was made to feel welcome at all times. Everything was very well organized, from the start with pre-race coffee on Saturday morning for the half marathon to the finish line food on Sunday after the full marathon. The aid stations were well stocked and had plenty of friendly volunteers! Awesome to see the kids out there cheering us on.

I really appreciated the informative emails with specific directions about parking, packet pickup, etc. Nice runner schwag... a hat, a nice women's specific technical shirt and a pair of socks to boot! All prepackaged in a nice drawstring bag! Loved the seeded race bibs. I can't wait to see the flowers that sprout from my marathon efforts!

What a wonderful race! Great organization with excellent emails and instructions. I felt like the race director was a close friend. Prompt start, easy access and parking, plenty of opportunities for package pickup, so what's not to like? This year, I've run Disney (magical setting), Austin (fantastic fans), and now Seabrook with its fantastic and magical runners. Virtually everyone entered was super-nice. The best race etiquette I've ever seen, whether 5K or 26.2. The four-loop course, with its two-way traffic in some places, means you see the other runners a lot, and I came to know and look forward to seeing many of them.

While everyone was supportive, I have to mention specially Erik, who, although he was turning in a demon time, always had a nice encouragement for me as we passed. He made me feel special, even though I was struggling with the unusually strong headwind and bad knees, which had not recovered from Austin and which were not ready for the trail nature of the course. I'll train for it specifically next year. I also enjoyed seeing Beth each time in her princess crown with her angelic smile who reminded me so much of my daughter. She too always had a kind word and a smile, and she finished well over an hour quicker than me. It was great to watch the good runners work this challenging course! The goody bag beat Disney by several miles, and the medal is the really neat, too.

Anyway, I feel like a train hit me (Monday after) but I can't get the smile off my face from how much fun it was.

Since I am new at this, I did not understand the difference between a road race and a trail race. I just assumed it would be like running Memorial Park, but please be aware that the surface can be challenging if you have not trained for it or if your knees have a pre-existing condition. It got to me by the end of the first lap, but I was able to adjust, decrease my expectations, and get to the finish. I would do this race again, and it is a welcome change from the usual races in so many nice ways.

As a road warrior, I was a little concerned about running a trial marathon, especially one described as basically 4 X 10K loops (give or take). I shouldn't have worried. This is an awesome little race. Friendly and well organized. The trial is mostly on soft material similar to the infield on a baseball field. It was dry despite days of heavy rain and it was soft enough to spare the legs but firm enough to run comfortably in street shoes. It is totally flat and is a fast course. I did the trial challenge, which involved running the half on Sat and the full on Sunday. Despite running 6 loops, I was never bored and really liked seeing the runners over and over. It was fun to watch the elites at work. I felt like I was meeting friends over and over and we cheered each other on. The medals are very good and all have a St. Patrick's Day theme. Three medals are given for the trial challenge (one for the half, one for the whole and one for doing both). They were designed with great care and a degree of detail, which is sadly lacking from many larger marathons. The goody bag had cool socks, a hat and a high quality shirt. The aid stations were well supplied and did not run out of anything, even later in the race. A great marathon and a lot of fun to boot!! I highly recommend it.

The weather was perfect - 50 degrees with no wind. Even with the previous rains, the trails were in great shape. There is a little bit of everything in this race: Woods, marsh, oceanfront. The 4th loop was difficult, but running a marathon is never easy. Everything was done to accommodate the runners. The Brooks shirt in the goody bag was top-notch this year.

From start to finish, the race is very well organized. Easy sign-up; very convenient packet pickup. Course monitors and water stations were all out there where they need to be. Mile markers are easy to follow even with 4 loops.

Great food and fun at the finish line. I'll be back next year.

I ran this race in 2009. I was very impressed with everything! The course is beautiful and easy on the legs. The organization was equal to any race I have ever run, including several large marathons and half marathons. I wouldn't change a thing!

This race is a trail run that takes you through the woods out to a beautiful area on Galveston Bay. The volunteers are awesome and the post-race party is one of the best, with lots of good food. You get lots of goodies for participating, and the medals are very nice. You can complete a half-marathon on Saturday and a full or half on Sunday, and you can earn 3 medals. Great race organization!

I ran the Trail Challenge event, which was the half marathon on Saturday and full marathon on Sunday. This events rewards the finisher with 3 medals. The half marathon comprised 2 loops and the full marathon featured 4 loops. It was better on your feet than street marathons. Only the first mile is on a street. The race was well organized and the post-race food was great: hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, drinks, bananas, oranges, etc. All aid stations were well stocked and the volunteers were very friendly. I have run this race since the inception and it's a great small marathon with easy flat trails. Goodies were a Dri-release shirt, Dri-release socks and a Dri-release-type hat emblazoned with their logo.

The four loops really bugged me; I was really hankering for some change of scenery at about mile 18. Also, all the food was gone when I finished.