Watching Olympic Trials - Loved it!
Course - Good, but rough/potholed in places. Not exactly scenic. Waterstops - excellent, consistent signage, could put a bit more water/Gatorade in cups.
Expo, flow through Conv. Ctr. on race day, all very well done. Portapotties along side corrals, good
CORRALS - Only real concern. GOTTA have more corrals based on time, and allow people to get in closer to race start. Elite for women cutoff at 2:45 when any American who could run that, ran Saturday? Please!

Then putting anyone under 4:00 in Corral A - dangerous! I had to hit the brakes to avoid walkers (mis-)lined up behind elites, and then almost went down from a shove as people accordioned in behind. By MM1, though, it was possible to run ok at my pace (7:20), but anyone not right up front could have been hung up for several miles.

Forcing 2:30 marathoners (not me!) to line up 40 minutes before the start (& fight to hold their places) is ridiculous. Impossible to warm up, not even room to stretch.

Post race - medical crew was great, very helpful. A friend went down after the line, they were really quick to get to her. Spotter on a cherrypicker to check for people in trouble inside Conv. Ctr. - great process!

No problem getting bag and food, finding results, then getting out to watch later finishers. Well planned!

I don't know why the organizers say that this is a flat marathon. IS NOT. If you want to run it, train in hills, or you will be disappointed, it has fast time winners because like Boston, they know how to run the course.

In 2012 the course record was set for the men/women's full and half marathons. That is a great day to run. This was my 10th state (40 to go) and I set a PR over my time in the California International Marathon(a down hill course).
Course is flat with as few turns as is possible in a figure eight. The first miles were crowded. Well organized expo, pre-race, race, and post-race. Great fans and volunteers.

They do a good job in Houston for this race. The course is definitely a PR course and the only things that were not flat were man made. Weather on race day (and on the Saturday before for the trials) was perfect for a good race. (but the Monday after the race was 60+ at about the same time as the race would have started, so you would need to be lucky on the weather)

Highs and Lows

Expo was good for a big race, meaning there was lots of stuff but lots of people

They have speakers but most (but not all) seem to be on health realted issues from the sponsoring medical center

Watersops were great. Well marked and always had gatorade first / water second. The people working them were great and they would look at your bib and say your name and give encouragement. I like to mix water with my Gatorade. But the water stops were space 50-75 yards after the gatrorade stops which made mixing difficult

The half and full start at the same time, seperated by mostly medians for the first two miles thne combined before the half splits off just before mile 9. It makes the roads very crowded.

There were no Gels on the course (and they had not said there were going to be Gels.) Only marathon I have run in the last few years that did not offer them at some point on the course.

Crowds on the course were great. The town really gets behind the race.

The post race finish inside the Convnetion Center was great. Easy to get around an great to have a real breakfast afterwards.

Someone else commented on the roads...I agree, lots of concrete roads and multiple places were the roads were full of potholes.

Great orginization. Course was well marked for milage, water/gatorade, and medical. Fans were enthusiastic. Love having my first name on my bib. Course is rough on the legs. Started in the open corral an had to go around walkers after a half-mile. Olympic trials was a huge plus to the week end.

What an experience this year Houston! Getting to see the Olympic Trials on Saturday & then running in the open race on Sunday morning! It was truly a runner's dream weekend! So many pros to this race. Here are just a few -

PROS
- A great PR course with very few hills (I am just coming back from an injury, so I did not PR, but I believe I could on this course if completely healthy)

- THE BEST fan support! Everywhere you looked there were fans going nuts with hilarious posters

- Plenty of H2o, sports drink & medical tents throughout the race

- Helpful instruction booklet & well organized expo

To be fair, just a few CONS

- The finisher shirt was great (Under Armor - tech) but the initial shirt at packet pick up is a stiff cotton nightmare

- I did not do bag check, but my friend did & she said it was a long hike to get to the gear check & the line moved very slowly

- Should maybe include in the packet pick up a guide of 'Fun Things To Do In Houston'. I have never been to the city before & would've liked to have know about interesting sites to check out after the race.

Overall, it was a awesome experience. Nice work Houston Marathon!

Pros

Weather: Ideal (50s-lower 60s F, sunny, not windy)

Course/Organization: The course felt a little dense in the beginning, but thinned out quickly (I ran a 3:12). After the first 2 miles, I didn't need to do a lot of weaving. The course is mostly flat with a few extremely gentle rollers. Plenty of water/gatorade stops! (I PRed!) The course was not especially scenic, but is nicely laid out and perfectly handles the race size. Also, I appreciated the volunteers calling out paces at every 5K mark. The traffic around the convention center (start/finish) was not bad and road closures were really easy to navigate around.

Fans: Almost the entire course was lined with thick crowds of supportive fans; it was unbelievable!

Finish Line: Plenty of food (free hot breakfast), well-organized and easy to navigate, not overwhelmed with vendors trying to sell memorabilia (didn't see any)


Cons

Course: Lots of concrete and a few sections on poorly paved asphalt.

Organization: The restroom lines in front of the gear check area were ridiculously long because volunteers were directing everyone there, claiming that was the only option. A lot of us feared we'd miss the gate closure for our corrals, and almost did. There should have been better signage regarding the restrooms, as there were plenty beyond the gear check area.

Packet Pickup: Extremely crowded, though the lines moved quickly

I ran the 2012 Houston Marathon and had a great experience. Expo and packet pick up were well organized. Race day set up was seemless. Getting to wait in the GRB Convention Center before and after the race was a nice option. The 2012 course was mostly flat, hardly any hills to speak of. The first 1-7 miles was crowded until the 1/2 marathon split off, but it did not slow down my pace. The volunteers and crowd support were great. After the race we were all routed into the Convention Center. I had no issue finding my family. There were plenty of options for drinks and food.

Only negative was that the phone App did not work for anybody, iPhone or Android users. The website and email notifications worked fine but no one was able to get updates via the App.

Great race! I would do it again without hesitation!

Ran my 40th marathon at the 40th Anniversary of the Houston Marathon. If I knew they did such a great job, I would have been here a lot sooner!

Getting to watch the men's and women's Olympic Trials on Saturday served to pump me up even more for Sunday.

We awoke to perfect running weather. The course is fast and supported to perfection with friendly volunteers.

At the finish, runners walk into the Expo Center where they got a great medal (Shaped as the numeral 40) all the usual goodies AND were served a hot breakfast with plenty of seating to take a load off your aching feet and relax!

Oh yes, along the way at mile 19 President Bush Senior was shaking hands and cheering from a chair on the side of the road!

I can't say enough good things about this marathon experience. Only negative is, perhaps, that a lot of the marathon is run on concrete.

That didn't stop me from having a p.r. though!

It was great weather for a marathon! Missed opportunity for a good time! Texans' Sundays took more of my Sunday training time than expected. It was worth the sacrifice! Great turnout even though the Texans were playing at noon!