Thanks so much to the 50 States Marathon Club member who started this marathon - Steve Boone of Humble, TX, and also to the local race director Wayne Kursh for putting together a great race. Despite it turning out to be a warm day (race started at 7AM, earlier than that would be my recommendation), this race was overall an excellent one. So what if the course was 4 loops in an urban setting (partly along Wilmington, DE's beautifully improved waterfront park district, including a couple nice, too-short stretches of wooden boardwalk). The nice thing about a course like this is it allows you to pace yourself easily, and with it being pancake-flat except for maybe a 5-foot rise and drop in one neighborhood, you can be sure of good speed, if that?s what you?re doing it for (apparently most of the relay runners were doing it for speed, but it was easy to distinguish them with their relay bibs on their backs). And with 4 out&back loops along the same route, it also turns out to make for a more 'social' marathon, seeing most all the runners at least a couple times. With 4 water/Gatorade stops that you pass twice on each loop and 2 sets of porta-potties (although 1 set of 3 was put up by a local contractor, I believe), there's plenty of opportunity for hydration and body care. Small, but enthusiastic crowd support, and the volunteers and police support were outstanding.

Parking was more than ample, and there were easy entrance and exit routes to the course. This marathon may also have the distinction of being the only one that goes right next to an outlet mall, with a small crowd of curious, although supportive shoppers taking in the entertainment of watching marathoners run ?til they drop. And with 2 bands and 2 bagpipers, we had entertainment to keep in step with. Also nice to see the race organizers put up signs with most everybody?s names on them along the way, and hopefully they can keep this up as the marathon grows. (Not sure what happened between the time I finished and the time the other reviewer on this website finished at 4:41 ? there was plenty of food when I finished at 4:26. This shouldn?t be a problem next year.) The Dri-Release T-shirt was really nice, and the medal was well-designed.

This is definitely a great marathon to do if for no other reason than to meet some members of the 50 States Marathon Club who can be counted on being there in coming years. With this being the inaugural one for Delaware (not having a certified course at all since 1998), there were about 160 members of the club there catching up for their tallies, many with some very interesting histories and records under their belt. This apparently was a record gathering at a single event for the club members, who total about 660, with 150 who?ve run in all 50 states at least once. I had the privilege of talking to several in this race, and at other marathons before, and I?ll definitely join now with this being marathon #49, state #22. They?re a very interesting group of dedicated marathoners.

This race made each of the runners feel special. The four-loop course allowed for great support from the aid stations and the opportunity to see one's family, friends, and fellow runners. The volunteers were enthusiastic and stayed on the course until everyone completed the race. Wayne, Barb, and all the volunteers made the race a great success. At a time when most races are worried about the number of runners, this race catered to each individual and made them feel special. Excellent job; we're looking forward to next year's event.

Wayne Kursh and his band of volunteers did everything possible to make us feel welcome in Delaware. They added so many personal touches to the race: listing runners' total marathon stats online, having signs with runners' names along the course, wonderful volunteers cheering, etc. The course was flat & easy. The riverwalk was a great place to stage a race. Thanks to all for making the Delaware Marathon a success!

This is a four-lap race along a developed riverfront and through lower Wilmington neighborhoods. Lovely along the river, and not bad through the neighborhoods. This was an inaugural race is rightfully held early Sunday morning, and so not many spectators turned up, but the few who were there were very supportive. The race was exceptionally well-managed, with great food, an excellent t-shirt, gobs of free parking at the start and more than enough water and Gatorade stops. It's a bit late in the spring for a PR attempt, but if you want to get your Boston qualifier out of the way, or just missed it in your spring marathon, give this one a try.

Wayne,

Thanks to you, your wife and team for a great race, and to Steve and Paula for initiating the idea.
The course was flat with scenic views of the river, interesting old houses, and my faster (aren't they all)friends four times during the race.

The volunteers were a joy, and the Powerade still flowed even as we stragglers limped in.

Organization, friendliness and enthusiasm trump heat and humidity anyday.

My positive first impressions of this race were incredibly clouded by the complete lack of organziation at the finish. Race officials were not familiar with where to direct early marathon finishers to the finish line. Some finishers (including me) were actually directed by race officials with bullhorns through the original 'start' line only to realize after standing around that we needed to turn around and head back for the real the finish line. When you're desperately trying to break three hours (or 4 hours for that matter), every second counts. No one at the finish seemed to understand the significance of that. After 26 miles on a 4 loop course such as this, it's easy to be confused by the route and the number people, which is why it's imperative that race officials direct traffic appropriately.

The positives of this new race far outweigh the negatives!

- Aid station locations and volunteers were outstanding!
- Loop course had enough 'out and backs' to make it fun catching up with all the runners!
- Entertainment along the way was great... especially the band at the turn around (3rd mile I think!)
- Good crowd support for a smallish marathon - especially an inaugural marathon!
- Runner signs were placed along the way, making everyone feel special!

The only negatives -
- Heat and humidity
- Would have appreciated more Gatorade at more water stations!

Living in Wilmington, and used to the current racing scene, I was excited to see a marathon announced. I wasn't particularly excited about a 4 loop/out-and-back course, most of it stretching along industrial, desolate areas. Actually, running four loops wasn't so bad... it made the slower runners feel part of the race and it was somewhat motivating for the faster runners as they looped and passed some of the runners. Crowd support was limited, with most people at the start/finish area and some along the riverfront. I found it hard to get relaxed as there wasn't anything to take your mind off of running.

The race organization was great. I haven't participated in any race where you could email the race director and get same day responses. The water stops were well stocked and manned... and very frequent. Mid-May will always be hit or miss for weather, and although it was hot and humid, we were pretty lucky with overcast skies and some mist for the early hours. There is also a 4-person relay race. I was happy that the relay started 5 minutes after the marathon and that all relay particpants had a 'Relay' bib on there back. This year's event was put together sort of last minute with limited promotion and I'm sure it will grow into a good event. Remember, this is a small city in Delaware... not Chicago, New York or Boston.

This is a nice race. The course was pretty boring (4 loops). Medical assistance on the course would've been nice, at least sunblock. The post-race food ran out shortly after I finished, but then again I don't think they anticipated the kind of race day turnout they got. Aid stations were well spaced and plentiful. Spectators were average for a small marathon.

This race was the one if you needed Delaware. Thanks to the 50-staters, or this course would have been empty. Don't put Delaware on this list of places to see, but it's all about the people and never about the run.