I ran the half-marathon this year, having run the full in 2000. This race keeps getting better. Having the Brown Convention Center to start and finish in is a big plus. Unlike other cities, you do not have to take buses to the start line, or stand outside for long periods of time before the race starts. The beverage support is good. Lots of music and hoopla on course. The crowds are loud. Lots of hotels downtown that are an easy walk to the race. The expo is very large; I have been disappointed in other expos having been to Houston first. Recommend for all runners.

After having run 2 Houston Marathons in the past two years, and then gone on to run two other marathons elsewhere, I was even more impressed with how well-run the Houston Marathon was. The organization was absolutely wonderful, with an easy registration process and lots of information given out. We have a huge expo before the marathon with lots of vendors - more than the other marathons I've been.

The road was a bit bumpy at times due to the road construction in Houston, but I found out that the road condition is not necessarily better elsewhere. The route was nice, as was the scenery; of course, you can't cover all the landmarks in Houston due to the size of the city, but they made a good effort at covering a lot of the attractions.

Water stations are plentiful, and so is first aid. The crowd is WONDERFUL, with lots of radio and music blasting everywhere, as well as Elvis and belly dancers. Weather had been great, starting the 40's and finishing in the 60's.

In short, the Houston Marathon is a medium-sized marathon with about 4,000 marathoners and 5,000 half-marathoners and 5K'ers, so it didn't get too crowded. The course is also relatively flat, with a few overpasses and underpasses here and there.

I think that the Houston Marathon is wonderful, and I intend to keep on running it. I am especially looking forward to the 2004 Houston Marathon, as it will be the weekend before Super Bowl 2004 in Houston. Let's go run the Super Bowl Houston Marathon!

Jan. 2003 was my 3rd Houston and 5th overall marathon. The organization keeps getting better and better. Great race day conditions this year - PERFECT racing weather - clear blue skies and 37 F temps. Wonderful. Ran my 5th consecutive PR in Houston.

This having been my 8th Houston and 23rd overall it just keeps getting better and better. Los Angeles and Philadelphia to name two could learn some lessons from this one.
Austin might be a faster course but Houston is the premier Marathon in Texas.
Even through four sponsor changes since 95 there has been no change of efficiency.

I went to Houston to qualify for Boston after a near miss in Chicago, and I did so with plenty to spare. I loved being able to go inside the convention center in the morning to get out of the cold! The crowd support was awesome throughout the race, the air quality was better than expected, and the area around Rice University was really lovely (and flat!). Some of the other sections of town were a little bit scary; I'm glad I was there with a bunch of other people and some police escorts. I do have a couple of improvements to suggest: I didn't like the separate men's and women's start areas. I'd prefer to be seeded by time as I'm faster than most women and it took me a while to push my way through the crowd. The construction all around the city was also a problem as far as getting around and parking were concerned, but that's hardly the marathon organizers' fault. Overall, it's a very fast, must-do race.

My 6th Houston Marathon experience was magical! The marathon merchandise and the variety of vendors at the expo were great. It was a PR day with the weather at 37 degrees. The volunteers, organization, fans/hoopla, start/finish at the George R. Brown center, post-race party, t-shirt, certificate, medal, cup, athlete tracking system, and live TV coverage, all were superb. First-timers might want to know there are a few easy hills the first 6 miles, then flat until the last 4 miles when there are several moderate inclines. So, go out slower for the first 10K and save something for the end. This is a PR course if you don't go out too fast and you have good weather. Houston gets an A+ on this one. You can't improve on perfection.

Born and bred in Houston, I returned there from my home in Florida, the only runner from Jacksonville to do the Houston marathon this year. This being only my third marathon, I can only compare it to Disney and Chicago - two GREAT marathon cities! And I can say that Houston held her own! More spectators than I thought I'd see and more organization than I expected, since it was HP's first year as sponsor.
The convention center was a wonderful place to gather inside - full of all the amenities runners need, and warmth!
I'd love to 'go back home' again.

Three time runner with this marathon. 82, 85 and 2003. Each time its been a blast to run. It has always has been so organized and it always gets better. GREAT spectators - can't say enough about the tremendous support the city gives the runners. Running through 'Little Mexico' at 7:30am with the streest lined with bands, families, gettto blasters waking you up is the best! It seemed like there wasn't a mile that wasn't filled with spectators.
Perfect race from the start to the finish. I recommend it highly for someone's first.
I even ran it with the stomach flue and it still was awsome.

This was the perfect marathon for someone looking to PR. I have run Chicago twice before and although I loved each of my experiences there, it can't compare with Houston. What a difference it makes to have room to maneuver in the race and to feel like you won't destroy your goal if you have to stop and use the bathroom (as I did).
The race was very well organized and the fans were amazing. And the weather was perfect -- high 30's/40 at the start and about 55 when I finished at 11:30. It was great to stay warm inside the convention center before the race.

I only have 2 complaints. The first is that the runners have to climb about 20 stairs to go 'up and over' the finish line in order to exit the convention center. That is just cruel to people who have just run 26.2 miles! And the second complaint is that the t-shirts are low-quality. (my husband's has already ripped after the first washing) Maybe instead of giving 2 t-shirts (one for participating and one for finishing) they should just give one nice t-shirt that lasts!
All in all, this was an amazing race. We'll be back next year!

I have run 7 marathons and I must admit that the HP Houston Marathon is by far the most organized marathon I've run. In comparison to New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Portland (4 of my prior races)..the Houston Marathon surpasses all of them in my opinion. Although the Houston Marathon doesn't have the 'history' that the Boston Marathon has, the number of spectators of the NYC marathon, or the glitz and glamour of LA, in terms of organization, spectator support, and just overall friendliness ...Houston can't be beat. (in general) On top of all that, the air was actually fresh in Houston for once!