I ran the 1/2 marathon on Saturday and had a blast. Running on the trail vs. the road was very comfortable and the course had drained pretty well after the rains from earlier in the week. A gentle breeze from the bay helped keep the conditions perfect. There are quite a few turns on the trail through the woods, which kept you on your toes, but the volunteers helped direct everyone on the right path. I hope they keep this new "tradition" of the additional 1/2 marathon on Saturday along with the full and 1/2 on Sunday.

The course is light on the body and spirit. The dirt trails have lots of tree cover, there are little wooden bridges and seeing the sun rise over the water is uplifting. I entered their new event - "Two-Day Challenge" (Saturday & Sunday), which involves back-to-back 1/2 marathons. The event was well organized and the grilled food at the after party was great. I will definitely run it again.

The organizers have made a tremendous effort to improve on everything this year. Different color number bibs for the half marathan runners, and enough food for all runners and their families. Speaking of food, you will never get this kind of spread and "small-town hospitality" at a big-time race. A really great scenic trail run on the Gulf Coast. My personal opinion, however, is it's better to run the half (two loops). A marathon consisting of 4 identical 6.5-mile loops is not for me.

I was attracted to this event by the challenge of running a half-marathon on Saturday followed by a marathon the next day. I was concerned that running a total of 6 loops on the same course would prove to be hard work. However, the changing vistas and beautiful scenery kept tedium at bay and the well-maintained trails were easy on the legs. The event was well-organized and the volunteers were friendly and helpful.

The course is scenic and a nice change from road races. The water stations were well stocked and organized. The post-race food was great and abundant!Runners were treated wonderfully, from the registration packets to the post-race party!

Overall, a good race. Well organized, plenty of food, drinks, etc.

What I'd like to see improved: (1) The price is expensive, similar to much larger events. There are few police officers to pay, and they make use entirely of public land/facilities, so the cost should be low. But you get nice, brand name running socks and a running hat, plus a technical shirt. Nice stuff, but not what I really need or want to pay for. (2) The trails are sometimes only wide enough for 2 people. Since this is multiple laps with 2-way traffic on the trails in places, runners often have to pass walkers and have to slow down and wait when the trail is narrow. (3) Virtually no spectators to speak of.

All in all, I'd return, as I did enjoy this race. But of course there are things that could be better.

In only four years this event has become the premier "little race" in Texas. That is, if you consider 1,000 participants little!

Amenities: Technical shirt, socks, hat, running log, food (huge amounts of food) and medals the size of Frisbees. AND, if you do a race of Saturday and Sunday you get a third Frisbee... uh... medal. Another writer mentioned running out of food; never happened to me and I've been there every year, finishing after the four-hour mark.

Support: This race is put on by runners for runners. Being a four-loop trail, you see other runners, volunteers and supporters quite often. The water stops are fully loaded with water, sports drink, fruit, cookies, salty snacks and wonderful people cheering for you. There are HAM radio operators in case you need help. You're never more than a mile or so from the next aid station.

Course: Four loops on dirt paths through marsh lands, past bayous and Galveston Bay. A little monotonous but easy on the legs; besides, the people are so friendly and supportive you forget you're doing loops anyway.

It's easy to get to with convenient, F-R-E-E parking. Did you hear that about Houston, Austin and Dallas? FREE PARKING!

The host hotel, Hampton Inn, was a fantastic place to stay. They even provided an early breakfast for runners.

F-R-E-E massages before and after the race. Could have stopped during the race to get one if I wanted to!

Food! Grilled chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, red beans and rice, fruit, chips, and more types of drinks than I can remember! All of this served up by the friendliest people you'll ever meet.

Trivia questions! That's right! Trivia questions were posted throughout the course on these in-ground signs. You'd read a question and the answer would be down the trail on another sign. The first loop I ignored them. Second loop I thought hmm, this might be fun. Third loop I was reading intently, getting aggravated because I'd forget to look for the answer. Fourth loop; I knew the answers. If you want to know the questions/answers, DO THE RACE!

Last but not least, proceeds from this event go to charity. Says a lot about the organizers!

This weekend of races has so many options for ALL - walkers, runners, halfers, wholers and relayers. Check out the menu and pick your race. From the informative emails before the race to the "$$$ goodie bag" to the high-tech shirts, it was well worth the trip. The race director and friendly, helpful people can't do enough to help you complete the challenge. There was food at the end, even for us slowpokes. Course is a 6-miles loop... love the sign that read, "Snake and Alligator Habitat." You can see everyone coming and going - cheering each other on - and the spectators can sit at one spot and see everything. There is a seaport town with the fun Kemah Boardwalk a few minutes away. If you do the 2-day challenge, you get three medals for two - biggest medals I've ever received. The Rivera Restaurant with the sunset view was just so nice to us. There are too many states to do, but I would sure come back to this one.

This race is very well organized by people who obviously care about runners and walkers. The trail is flat and runs through parkland, through a residential area and by Galveston Bay - very pretty views.

The marathon is over 4 loops, which I feared might get tedious, but actually was no problem, other than having to smell the food cooking as I ran past the finish line to start my final loop. In fact, being able to see the same runners many times because of the two-way sections of the course made it quite interesting.

Aid stations were outstanding - plenty of water and Gatorade, with fruit and pretzels and other stuff later in the race. Few spectators, but that was just fine with me.

Post-race food was excellent and plentiful, even for back-of-the-pack people like me. The race packet included a technical shirt AND a hat AND running socks.

It was just thoroughly good fun. It might not suit people who need throngs of noisy spectators and a rock band on every corner, but if, like me, you like smaller, friendly races with pretty courses, then this is one for you.

My husband and I ran this marathon last year and will be running it this year! Course is O.K. for a small race. One thing that my husband was not happy about was that we were promised food at finish and didn't get anything! He wanted to run Prickly Pear 50K in San Antonio, which is the same weekend. Just because they had great food at the finish for every one.

Suggestion: If you are going to allow non-runners to eat, you should make sure there is enough food for all runners. We both finished around 4 hours.