Pros: flat, mostly shaded course; hundreds of caring volunteers; well placed/stocked aid stations; great parking, start/finish line; best shirt; extremely well organized; friendly race director; supportive pace runners; showers available; bag storage; great food; great city...
Cons: Cannot think of one
Thanks to everyone involved - this was a very positive experience; I want to be there again in 2006.

Despite having a really bad day personally, I have to say, 'GREAT JOB!' While the race was small and there were not alot of spectators, the volunteers more than made up for it. No only were they there long after most runners had finished, they were as energetic five hours after the start as they were in the begining. I know. I was there. A special thanks to the man who ran several hundred yards with me in the last mile wearing jeans and a button-down, offering words of encouragement. (Not to mention a great shirt and medal.)

WELL DONE!

I have to agree with D.R. about the course. It was beautiful for the first 15 or so miles, then it became monotonous; the trees and the river all looked the same. I am a social girl, so since there weren't a lot of runners, this may have played into my 'boredom' factor. Although there were few spectators (Don warned me up front that it was not spectator friendly), the volunteers were very upbeat. I wasn't real crazy about the sports drink, and the volunteers were calling it Gatorade, but it wasn't.

Now, let me say... I will WEAR my shirt! Finally, marathon directors are getting the fact that we would rather get a shirt that we can wear running. The logo is simple and eye-catching. The 'medal' is very unique, and I can prop it up on my desk at work for everyone to see.

Now about the director. Don is one the most personable directors you will ever meet! He was greeting runners at the expo and he was still at the finish at 6:00 hours to shake my hand as I crossed the finish line. I'm not a beer drinker, so I didn't have any for him, but he certainly deserved it! Thanks Don!

Fairly good route, great weather, fairly good aid stations, well organized, and good post-race food/support, but they need to include the chip in the packet.

We had the good fortune of wonderful weather to complement the beautiful fall day, with golden leaves falling on this nice course winding along the river. Great starting spot at a really nice YMCA - you can stay warm before the race. This was the opposite of running the Chicago Marathon. Few spectators (but very supportive), most of the run is away from the downtown; you aren't running in the moving human sardine can for this one. This is about running - you and the road. The aid stations were set up very well; in fact I can't really complain about anything. It was just a really nice race, and I personally had more fun in the Grand Rapids Marathon than I did in Chicago a few weeks before. Don't get me wrong - Chicago was good too, this was just a very nice race, and better for running. Excellent chili and other snacks at the end of the race. Kudos to the race organizers and the many very nice volunteers! I'll do this one again.

The day was blessed with perfect weather: Cool (40's) at the start and a mild, low-60's high. Although from Chicago, I have never been to Grand Rapids. I was pleasantly surprised it is a very nice city, bigger than expected. The downtown is very clean and has a lot to offer.

For being only in the 2nd year, the race was well done. The course is the main downside of this event; there are too many out-and-back segments. If you need spectators, they are sparse. This did not affect me, for I ran with a pace group 3:29, which rocked. The celebrity theme pacers were a nice touch.
At the finish there were no massage tables, although medical did do a brief and great job when I asked for a massage.

The entry fee was a value - for $55 you received a nice long-sleeve wicking race shirt & a unique medal. One of the best features was an unheard of 4pm check-out from the Days Inn; runners were able to take their time after the event.

If your looking for a medium-sized fall marathon in the Midwest, this is a nice event. If I were not pursuing all 50 states, I would run this event again.

Overall grade: B.

Great host facility in the local YMCA. Course was nice if you like paved trails along the river. Excellent race shirts and posters given to participants. Very well organized and friendly volunteers. I would highly recommend this marathon.

Great weather. Course was pleasant. Most of it on paved trails in woods with great fall colors; miles 16-19ish through really boring industrial area. Paths sometimes narrow, but passing was never a problem. Got to be a tad monotonous at times. Volunteers were great, high energy bunch, having fun. Limited spectators. Good beer from area micro afterward, could have had as much as one desired. Chili afterward was like licking an ashtray (see also comments from last year posts); might be time to switch to chicken soup. Pretty fall colors, well organized; if you don't need the crowds it is one to try.

I liked when the MC said that there were no Kenyans in today's race. Great start. The only thing that I regretted, as I entered Grand Rapids, is that I forgot to buy a tequila bottle (in Chicago) for the race director. However, next year I will bring him a whole litter just for himself (so that he missinterprets the numbers and we all get PRs). The expectators were very well distributed and my question is, do you tell them where to stand or they just come out and cheer us? A lot of them took pictures of us despite the fact that we were not their relatives or celebrities like Khalid Kanouchi. I love the witch that gave me vaseline. The foliage was expectacular. The only problem is that you have cameramen in the final miles asking us to smile when we wanted to cry, to stop, to be carried on an ambulance. Marathons are hard, but we are like Quijotes. As my son and I were returning to Chicago, I was planning my next one. It will be Grand Rapids. Thank you.

This has got to be one of the best marathons in the country. Pretty much anything you need, this marathon has got. I was extremely impressed! The entire idea of celebrity pace teams is a lot of fun; there were lots of aids stations (which is very much appreciated) with Gu, the volunteers were very energetic and enthusiastic, the specators that were on the course were great, and the course is flat and not a double-loop (they were really creative in not making it a double-loop, which I really appreciated). I also appreciated getting a navy technical shirt rather than a white t-shirt. I really felt they bent over backwards to make it a positive experience. If you want to be treated like a champion and have a wonderful marathon experience, this marathon is it!
The only negative about the marathon is that they should do ChampionChips at the expo, rather than on race morning. If the race gets any larger, race-day ChampionChips could get to be a serious problem.
I plan to be back next year. Thanks Don!