Overall, a really nice race. Never heard of Sauvie Island before this - quite pretty and lots of fresh produce shops! Route flat, as promised, until the end. A bit of a hill and the last 1/2 mile on gravel, both of which I didn't like. Race started late based on crowds - perhaps an earlier start time would be better, as it got hot quick. Shirt and medal disappointing - shirt says "Foot Traffic Flat" - no year or indication of what kind of race or where it is. Medal also shows no year and shows 1/2 and full marathon together (I prefer separate medals for these separate races) and no mention of Sauvie Island, where the race took place. Fun post-race, with shortcake, hot dogs and a band.

It is a nice flat course, but putting a gravel road that has some hills at mile 13 is cruel. The gravel was small (like pea gravel), which made it similar to running in sand. It was a 89-degree day, which there is no control over, but making sure each aid stations had enough cups would have been nice. I used one off the ground. I noticed also that the first half of the course is nice and shaded, but the 2nd half is not. Why can't the direction of the race be reversed so that the runners get the shade later in the morning when it's warming - plus if the gravel road must stay, it would come first, not last. (I ran the half marathon.) They also ran out of medals, which is confusing, because of pre-registration. Strawberry shortcake was a nice touch.

I've participated in all five of these 4th of July races (mostly the half, I must admit), and usually every year the organization improves dramatically, as does the number of entrants. This year the race directors tried hard to address the issue of auto traffic (getting in and out of the location) and runner safety by making adjustments to the course. Unfortunately, the traffic was even worse than last year. It took us over one hour to exit the parking lot, and then stop-and-go traffic for another 15 minutes to get back to the main highway. Because of the congestion before the race, the starting time for the half-marathon was changed several times and announced by race officials (was supposed to start at 7:30, then they changed it to 7:45, then to 8:00, then back to 7:45 again!). Worst was the final mile of the course, which is advertised as flat and fast. This new addition to the course consisted of a mile of loose gravel with little rolling hills and corners that left you wondering where, oh where, the finish line would show up. Hard to do that final sprint in gravel on an uneven roadbed.

It was also hotter than the hinges out on the road where there was no shade. Seeing as how this is a benefit for the local firefighters, wouldn't it make sense for them to have their pumper truck misting the runners at about the 10-11 mile marker where it was quite hot? I saw several runners collapse from the heat yesterday.

I love the course, and as a local runner who likes the running store putting on the race, will continue to support it. However, good intentions on their part definitely didn't improve anything this year. I think it could be time to cap entries and keep things manageable.

I walked the half marathon and truly love being out on the island early. An earlier starting time for all would be very beneficial. I missed the singing at the start, as it seemed to set the pace for July 4th! This is the 3rd year that I have done the half marathon and am really tired of no medal at the finish and you always run out of shirts. Can't you figure it our yet? Order more! I was "mailed" a medal last year and received an empty envelope!!

Peaceful, rural setting for the race - and nearly as flat as advertised! A couple of late course changes resulted in most of the last mile being on gravel and about half of that slightly uphill - but all in all a very nice, flat course, that this year ran slower due to the heat. There were no pacers nor times posted along the route, but the volunteers throughout the course were excellent. However, the race continues to grow and the location isn't adapting enough. There were huge traffic delays getting both on the island for the race and off the island after the race. That probably needs to be addressed as it resulted in both the full and half-marathon starts being delayed about 15-20 minutes - not a good thing with the heat moving in (sunny and near 80 by 10). Parking near the start/finish area also did not support all the runners. After-race snacks were good, esp. the fresh strawberry shortcake and then either hot dogs or veggie sausages. This is a race that would be worth trying again with a temperature near 60 - but signing up for that requires more skill than I have yet. Still a good race and the views of Mt. St. Helen's, Mt. Hood and even Mt. Adams were inspiring along much of the course. (Note: I only ran the half, and can't imagine another 13 miles in the heat!)

I would agree with previous comments that this is a great half marathon - maybe not such a great full marathon unless you are very fast. The loop around the island is lovely - early morning mist, cool, horses grazing, the scent of berry fields - I even saw a bald eagle! The course is the flattest I have ever been on - I found that I really prefer a little variety but by mile 11 I was hoping for a speed bump or anything to give my leg muscles some change. For those of you out of the area, Foot Traffic is the name of a running store in the Portland area. The race is very low-key - those who plan ahead bring the family and a picnic lunch and stay in the park where the start/finish is to continue to celebrate the 4th of July. They also avoid the crush of cars trying to exit through the one-lane entrance. The strawberry shortcake fixed by the ladies of the local grange was a nice touch. Nice tech shirt for all participants. I think my medal had the right year - I'll have to look! I plan to do this race again - though just the half. It's a nice way to start the 4th. P.s. It is fast!

Ozzie from Oregon

I thought that this marathon was a lot of fun. This is a great marathon if you have family/friends that want to do more than wait to cheer for you. As long as children are not too young, they can ride alongside/ahead of their runner. This may not be as easy in the half marathon as the marathon due to the size of the half. Traffic is still able to travel the roads, so caution is advised. I ran this marathon without support from family/friends and it did get a little lonely on the second loop. Bring the family!

You can definitely PR at this race. I blew away my previous PR by almost 7 minutes set a month earlier.

This is a half marathon that has added a marathon. Treat it as such. It's such a nice course that gives you the opportunity to run in a very small, fast marathon. Coming up on the half marathoners... I dreaded this before I started to come up to them, but there is also a big benefit. From about mile 16 through the end, I was continuously passing people. This helped keep me motivated. You do however have to expect to get little respect (although a few will recognize you as a marathoner and give you some love). Being relatively fast, negotiating the aid stations was a new challenge to me.

If you want a fast course, nice scenery, and a pretty well organized race, this is a good race. If you want to get extra kudos because you are a marathoner and not a half marathoner, this might not be for you. The right expectations make this a great race.

Having read the comments regarding previous editions, I was prepared to dodge traffic and crowds of half-marathon walkers on the second loop, which was exactly what occurred. The sad thing is that this could be reduced 90% by having the half-marathon runners start with the full, and the walkers a few minutes later. Better to have congestion on the roads at 7 a.m. before the locals wake up. I was also surprised to learn that I had finished third in the women's division, as I was in second place at the start and no woman passed me.

First the good: I have run this course all three times it has been offered and I recommend it unreservedly to all marathon runners. It is a beautiful setting with views of Mt. Hood and St. Helens, the mighty Columbia and pastoral surroundings. I live close by but never tire of the beauty of this land. The early start time spares the marathoners the heat of the day, although it has not been very hot in recent years. Finally, it is a flat course, as the name says. This fact draws many Boston Marathon hopefuls, so the race is pretty fast. You can get your best time and run a perfect run, but unless you finish well under 4 hours, you won't place well (median time in 2006 was 3:52). This doesn't matter too much since there are no trophies. In talking to the organizers I realized how hard and selflessly they work to make this event a success. And of course the volunteers are very kind and generous. The proceeds go to the local firefighters, which is a very worthy cause in my opinion.

The not-so-good: I was alarmed to see a drop in the marathon field this year compared with last year. There are 10 times more 1/2 marathon runners, which makes this mostly a half marathon from the organizational point of view. Marathoners get no respect and most don't care because they are here to qualify for the Boston. Increasing the numbers seems a hopeless cause since for most people a marathon is hard to fit into their 4th of July plans. The consequence is that as a minority, and "not the fastest" marathoner, you shouldn't expect too much from the organization. They may run out of sugar water by the second loop because the 1/2 marathoners have gone through; you may have to breathe fumes at the end for a few minutes because there is a long line of cars waiting to leave (full of 1/2 marathoners - though to their credit, they will cheer you on); you will get a generic medal with no date or distinction from the 1/2 marathoners; and there may be other such annoyances. I mention these because, if expected and accepted, such small but potentially bothersome matters fizzle into insignificance.

The bad: Substantial improvements can be made in traffic control on the course. Though infrequent, there are vehicles in the running lane, and some not friendly at all.