I ran this marathon yesterday - it was my "first," aside from the 2007 Chicago Marathon, which I didn't get to finish. I thought this race was great for a first-timer! I am a slow runner so I was really glad that I was able to start an hour earlier (at 7 a.m. instead of 8 a.m.). The aid stations were a lot more generous than in Chicago - Gu, bananas, chocolate, pretzels, oranges, you name it. And of course, tons of water and Gatorade. I thought the course had the perfect level of spectator support - they were there every couple of miles, which is fine for me. The course itself is very scenic, and I didn't even mind the waste water treatment plant - it didn't smell and it was interesting to see. Aside from one or two very small hills at the beginning (more like bumps really), the course is flat. The race director is fantastic. All in all, a perfect first-marathon experience!

There is nothing to talk about. It's the best. Flat course with very few hills, plenty of water stations with food, fruit and Gatorade, power gel, friendly and helpful volunteers, fantastic spectators, beautiful scenic route, and plenty of free beer at the finish line. What else you want to know? Try it and you won't be disappointed. Big thanks to all volunteers and everyone else who made it happen.

Thanks to everyone involved in the race yesterday! The course is fantastic, very similar to what I run on at home but more scenic. This is a race that I'd recommend to anyone who prefers running on a paved trail through parks and wooded areas to running amongst skyscrapers. The 4th different marathon that I've done, and the rest pale in comparison.

I picked Grand Rapids because it was on my 60th Birthday. Some of my running buddies who'd also run Chicago, came along to enjoy a really cool marathon. We got our wish. The weather was frosty at the start and stayed below 50.

The course is mainly on asphalt trails in the Grand Rapids metro-park system. Because there are many out-and-back loops there were a few spots where it was a bit congested. On the other hand, it was also fun seeing your buddies at multiple places on the course. That made up for the lack of spectators. My buddies emailed the race director to get me bib 60. Sweet. As instructed in the race directions, I dropped off a bottle of beer (Great Lakes Brewery Nosferatu Ale) for the race director.

Post race food included chili, hot dogs and free beer. Runners got a tasteful long sleeved technical T-shirt and a big, chunky medal.

It's a fast course. There were a few grades in the early miles but nothing hard. Our group scored two BQs, 4 PRs and 3 second best times.

The pace groups are well run and based on the times run by celebrities. I went with Will Ferrell's Sub-4's 3:56:12. I needed 4 hours to BQ on my BD, so this was a perfect time to shoot for. I beat Will by 8 seconds.

Highly recommended race.

Course was flat and scenic (along the river), but some of the paths got very crowded with 2-way traffic, which made pace adjustments necessary. Race was bigger than normal, which might have exasperated the problem.

RD did a great job of communicating with the participants - almost too much communication.

Overall, if you don't like big, fall marathons (Chicago/Detroit) definitely give this one a look for a BQ.

This was a well organized race, fairly well laid out, with great fan support. Temperature at or near start time was 31 F (brr). I observed frost on several caps or headbands. It was slow to warm up, with some fog around miles 5 to 7. Still, much of the trail along the Grand River was well shaded from the sun, and just plain cold - but would have been great for summer training runs. Most runners had long-sleeves/pant legs. From about mile 16 to 19 the terrain was elevated and away from the river bed and was sunny and warm. Temperature near mid-day way about 55 and was pleasant for running. But being in the sun made a remarkable difference. Lots of GU, pretzels, fruit, Gummy Bears, Oreos and the like. Thanks to Don and the team in Grand Rapids for still putting together a great marathon event.

This was my first marathon. I cannot think of a better place than Grand Rapids if you want a PR or you are trying to qualify for Boston.

Don is by far the most enthusiastic and energetic race director I have ever come across. His weekly motivational emails to participants were great, sense of humor within the website info was fun, and it is very obvious that he absolutely LOVES being the director of this race. Other race directors could definitely take a page out of his book.

I agree with some other posts that it would be nice to incorporate parts of downtown GR into the course (there are really interesting sections of town that would be great to run through). However, Grand Rapids has some pretty serious hills and I can appreciate Don's efforts to provide a flat course for those of us chasing PR's. I think I would prefer a few early hills and cool scenery if it meant taking out a little bit of the trail (it's somewhat uneven on parts and was difficult to find a flat portion to run on) and/or the Millenium Park loop or industrial park out-and-back. This is definitely nit-picking though; the course, as it is, is really nice. I enjoyed being able to see my friend three different times during the race on the out-and-backs and had no problem locating my family/friends at the finish.

GREAT THINGS ABOUT GR MARATHON:
1. Race director Don Kern.
2. Parking within steps of the start/finish.
3. AWESOME race shirt. Long-sleeve technical fabric with simple and tasteful design.
4. Brand new YMCA at the start - open and available to runners on race day.
5. Plenty of aid stations and three different GU handouts.
6. Large enough to not feel alone but small enough to have your own running space.
7. VERY clever pace groups!

I would highly recommend this race.

There isn't much you can do about the weather, but the race itself was first-class. I was really impressed by the Flickr photographers who took photos throughout the race and then posted them online on the marathon's website within a few hours of the finish. I assume these are amateur photographers. I had never seen that before. It's really unique.

This is my 8th marathon and second time running GR. It is very pretty. Love the paved trails. Very well organized. The race director is awesome. Last year and this year he has stood and greeted every runner in! The free DVD is a cool bonus to the race. The shirts are awesome and the medals are unique. It is a small marathon with a big heart!