I won't repeat what everyone else has mentioned about this wonderful race. The positives are too numerous to mention. I have run 5 marathons, 2 of which are majors, and Houston is second to none. While surely the training played a large part of my PR, the course, volunteers, and especially the 3:30 pace leader, Peter, had much to do with it too. The guy was like a machine, hitting our splits on the head each mile.

There are a couple of bumps - one on 14, after you go under the bridge, and again on 23-24, when you hit a few rolling hills. These are not large hills, and not very noticeable.

I would run this again in a heartbeat, and Chicago is my hometown.

Some have mentioned the heat. I don't know what the temperature was, but we were kept abreast via the large signage. Maybe high 60's? There was a bit of a breeze and I personally had no problem with weather. I think the two years prior have been cooler, so I wouldn't dismiss this race due to temps.

And yes, the medal and finisher's shirt are terrific!

This was my 10th consecutive Houston Marathon, and I have to say that each and every year, it is the best race around. The organization from start to finish is stellar. A great course, which was flat and featured almost NO hills, lends itself to a fast time for me. This is a big-city marathon, but the attention to detail is something you see in small races. Unlike New York or Chicago, accessibility to various venues in Houston is a snap. I parked less than 1/4-mile from the finish and was able to exit downtown with NO problem. Another plus was the fact that the course was NOT clogged up by the throngs of walkers seen in previous years. Thanks to the marathon organizers for addressing this problem. Also, the fact that in the last few miles the half-marathoners and full marathoners were on separate sides of Allen Parkway made finishing much more enjoyable than other races (i.e. ING Georgia), which have both trying to ply the same roads in the last few miles. The weather, though a touch warm, was tolerable, but though those 40's would have been even better. The fact that Houston fills up MONTHS early speaks volumes about how GOOD the race is. Do yourself a favor and run Houston. You will see just how good a marathon can be.

As always, it was a great experience. It is very well organized, and the volunteers at the water/Gatorade stops were well organized and set up. Very efficient before and after the race as well. Nice breakfast after the race. Concrete almost all of the way, but it's better than running on some of our city's badly potholed streets. Well done! Can't wait for next year.

Maybe I should have run the full marathon due to all the comments about how great it was. I have run numerous full marathons, but for this race, I ran the 1/2 marathon with a friend.

Negatives: The start for the 1/2 marathon was unorganized, with runners in the front wave only able to get to their corral after someone checked their bib color and let them through one runner at a time. You could not come up another street because of the black fences along the front corral. There were also no pace groups on the 1/2 marathon side, so it was difficult to judge where to line up. It was frustrating that within the first 1 1/2 miles I was having to weave around WALKERS already.

Positives: Overall the course was flat as advertised, with plenty of water/Gatorade and great fan support; and those who didn't find the fresh fruit at the end must have had their eyes closed as they weaved through the tables and tables of bananas!! Also, awesome finisher's shirt, and I learned to go there before the food, as apparently in the past, they have run out of the sizes runners wanted.

Just as I finished this one, I was thinking that I would like to do it again. It is as flat of a course as you will ever find for this distance. And there was only a negligible amount of time needed to cross the starting line. Not bad for such a large field. Starting slowly is a good idea, and almost a requirement for room to run comes about when the halfers break off and begin their way back. It's a great race for beginners and veterans alike.

This was my 4th Houston Marathon and it continues to get better. The course gives a great view of the city, the fans are the best I have experienced in any marathon, and the organization is beyond compare.

Having the convention center for pre- and post-race activities really sets this race apart. It allows runners to get ready indoors with literally hundreds of port-a-cans and a convenient bag drop. It is also great at the end of the race to be able to stay inside and have a really nice breakfast. I have never had a better post-race experience. Usually you are handed a bagel and a banana in the finishing area when food is the last thing you want, but at Houston you can hang around for an hour or more before moving to the food area.

The only negative is that the streets were pretty rough in the first half (a lot of patches and uneven surfaces), and of course, you have to run on concrete.

As long as I can run, I will be doing Houston.

I went into this race a little apprehensive about the size of the field. I shouldn't have worried - this is one of the most well organized mega races I have ever participated in. NYC should take notes on how they do it in Houston!

The weather was perfect, but if it hadn't been? The runners get to wait inside of the convention center. Plenty of porta-johns inside there, and more at the start. The half and full have totally separate start areas, which was great. The two waves really helped ease congestion as well.

Great course that really shows off different areas of the city; spectators were out and cheering everywhere we went! Plenty of water and Gatorade on the course and again, plenty of porta-johns. I stopped twice and each time was able just to run into one, with no waiting in a line. The finish was amazing - again, no lines for anything!

HUGE finisher's medal, nice UnderArmour finisher's shirt (in M and W sizes), and a glass beer stein with race date and "finisher" written on it. OH, and three days later, the pictures are already posted.

I'll definitely be signing up early this year for the '10 race!

The course was as flat as advertised, but after 22 miles on mostly concrete surfaces even the little hills felt kind of hard. The organization was perfect. Fan support was great and hearing my name was a real encourager.

The post-race meal was great, although I would have liked fruit juice to be offered.

My only complaint would be the concrete roads.

This was my 3rd and best marathon experience. The expo was excellent. There were tons of running related items available. The packet pick-up was easy and the volunteer staff were extremely courteous and helpful. Race day was very organized and the race started without any complications. The course was spacious and well marked. There was never a time that you questioned if you had made a wrong turn. The spectators were fabulous. Every foot of every mile there were crowds of people lining the streets, giving encouragement to the runners. There were also plenty of water stations - fully stocked - and porto-johns. There were even large electronic signs that kept you up to date on the heat conditions. This was an excellent marathon experience, and I encourage everyone to travel to Houston for this race. It is well worth the time, money and training.

This was my second Houston Marathon (well, second marathon in general). The organization of the race was excellent from the packet pick-up at the expo, to the crowd support and the plentiful water/Gatorade stations at every 1.5 miles. The weather was perfect (although I wouldn't have minded maybe 5 degrees cooler in the sun towards the end). I have a short and easy name, so hearing the crowd constantly cheer me on, especially between mile 20 through the end, helped tremendously.

A couple of things that were missing were the Shot Block station at mile 20 and the fact that the official pictures at the end are taken before you receive your finisher's medal. I ran 26.2 miles, so it would've been nice to proudly show off my medal in my picture.

Other than that, it was a perfect race. I'll definitely be back next year!