The course is moderately hilly, but the race organization is terrible. There was no water at 2 key aid stations - one after the other.

For a city the size of Vancouver, it is disappointing to see that other marathons in BC are so much better organized - Okanagan, Victoria, etc. The start areas and pace grouping needs work, the aid stations need to be planned properly so that electrolytes don't run out BEFORE half of the field gets to an aid station, and most importantly, the organizers need to get rid of the corporate payouts from Ultima and Vector (Kellogg) at aid stations - these do not serve as useful on-course fuel for marathoners. Please, please take a lesson from the Okanagan Marathon and have aid stations every mile, with Gatorade or PowerAde. NO ULTIMA.

Post-race, having shirts that actually match the sizes specified would be nice. I have yet to meet someone who actually got a finisher's shirt that fit them (most are about 2 sizes bigger than labeled). Smaller events like STORMY (Squamish) and Summerfast (Vancouver) are able to provide participants with technical shirts from BoneDry and Blurr, and yet the entry fees are a fraction the cost of the VIM. Go figure...

I am disappointed to say that this is my hometown marathon, and yet I would rather run somewhere else.

The course otherwise is enjoyable - it's scenic and covers a lot of the city with great views. Spectators are friendly and encouraging throughout the course, although in greatest volume in the last 2 KM from Burrard Bridge to the finish.

Thanks to all the spectactors along the race - they make the difference. The course is challenging, but not so good if you are going for a PB. From Gastown to the end.... Great!! But the first 12-15K are not as great. The markers are really deficient, organization is so-so, but the people around on race-day and the last 30K make for a great marathon running day.

Organizers of the Vancouver marathon have a long way to go before being classified as a top marathon event.

1. Poor Mile Marking - either mile markers were missing on some of the miles or were in poor visible areas.

2. Expo - not much excitement. Location is okay but small number of booths and poor quality. Definitely doesn't get you pump for the big run.

3. Volunteers Need Better Training - I almost got hit by a car on the last 200 yards. Volunteer decided to let a car pass through the course.

4. Route - Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I struggle to understand why organizers have the marathon route pass through one of the worst areas in the cities. Watch for needles at 10 KM.

If you want to do a great West Coast marathon, I recommend Victoria in October.

This is by far my favorite marathon. Beautiful course, great weather conditions (except for the hail storm that lasted for 10 mins or so at mile 15), incredible support-was able to drop off several of my own sports bottles with my 'drink of choice' and a volunteer handed them to me at designated mile marks. Also, local bike club provided much needed support and cheering all along the course. Where else can a mid-pack marathoner get that kind of attention? Even called out my name when I crossed the finish line and provided great pace teams. I would run it again tomorrow!

Overall this was a nice race. The pre-race dinner is something that I would definitely recommend skipping and eating somewhere in town. As stated many times on this site, the course is not flat as the site will lead you to believe. The only big problem I have is that when we finished the only shirts that were left were XL. We are not fast but did finish in the cut-off time. I was OK with not getting the right shirt for the most part until I received an email that I could BUY a finisher shirt in my size. As if the amount we paid for the race wasn't enough. For that alone I will not be returning to the race.

A very enjoyable race, friendly people, great expo, beautiful course... the most FUN race I have completed yet!

This was the 2nd time I travelled 9,000 miles to get to this race. In 2005 I missed the steep hill in Stanley Park that had been elimnated, not because I'm a masochist, but because it gave character to the race. The substituted sections of the park were a bit annoying because of the sharp turns and zig-zagging.

Overall, however, the scenery is great, the organization and support to the runners is wonderful. The finish is awesome, because you get a long, gentle downhill after a bit of a hilly challenge at about mile 23. The organizers could do a better job of directing runners to the start and posting results. It would also be nice if they'd mail awards because I wasn't able to make the awards ceremony and thus forfeited my award. These are quibbles, because it's a great race in a fabulous city and I plan to be back next year.

The course was much less flat than was represented in the pre-race information. All those early turns made it difficult to avoid congestion while the runners of different speeds were getting sorted out. The watering stations on the course were well staffed and had what I wanted. For those who do not stop at all stations, however, it would help to identify each one with a numbered sign. It was a long way from the finish to the first post-race water! I got to the post-race food at about 11 am and found little except bagels to eat. Was I too late? I had some protein in the bag that I checked, but could not access it from the post-race recovery area. The volunteers and the spectators really helped me through this marathon!

My first marathon experience and I loved it. The hype of running with that many people and the fantastic fan and volunteer support was incredible. Good road closures. Awesome DJ! The water tables didn't seem evenly spaced, yuck Ultima! I found the lack of KM markers (or even mileage markers) very poor. The post-race food was amusing, due to lack of it and the blandness of it. But I came to run a 'destination' marathon with lots of fans and volunteers and they did not disappoint me. For me it was an incredible 1st and I would entertain doing it again next year.