The marathon lived up to all my expectations. I have run a dozen marathons all over the country and this event was as good as any I have run.

The course is perfectly flat (must be the only 26 miles in West Virginia) and runs all around town, the university area and city parks. Seemed like each mile or so there was a water/Gatorade stop manned by terrific volunteers. Each mile was clearly marked, which is a plus. The race finish was great. Running on the football field with all of the spectators and kids watching and getting a football was fun was to finish. Post-race food and drink were plentiful and appreciated. The fleece jacket and tech shirt are very nice as well. Thanks for a super race and I would recommend this marathon to anyone.

Very well organized race, and the people are friendly. My only complaint is that they were out of footballs when I was finishing.

As a first-timer, I really enjoyed this one. Even though I bonked, I BQ'd easily. Flat course, weather perfect. There really isn't an expo. More like a packet pickup with a rack of singlets.

I ran by myself pretty much the entire way. Fairly scenic course. Very few spectators. Easy access to start with ample parking.

Great freebies (fleece if you register early, movie DVD, pasta dinner). Food at the finish was awesome. Warm cinnamon buns that are better than Cinnabon, hamburgers, soda, hot dogs, brownies, chips, etc.

If you don't care for expos, don't mind running by yourself, and the lack of spectators doesn't bother you, this is a fantastic marathon to do.

Kudos to the race director and all of the volunteers who make this a special event.

I participated in the first two HealthyHuntington Marathons and said I'd never come back. Somehow I found myself here for 2009 (I did the half as a training run for an upcoming marathon) and I'm glad I did it.

This is a small race. Getting started without wall-to-wall people is great! It's easy to get into your rhythm. Water stops were ample (at least for the half) and, outside of two quick uphills, it's very flat!

Most everything about my experience in 2009 was positive (including a PR in the half!). Pasta dinner was nice. Getting the DVD "We Are Marshall" in the race kit was great as well! Even the weather was perfect!

I only can think of one negative. From mile 12 (or 25 for the marathon) we were told to run on the sidewalk. Some of this is unavoidable due to passing the monument, but it should only have been for that stretch. It makes it tough trying to navigate curbs after running any distance. Move the runners back to the streets!!

If you need West Virginia for your 50 states, or want a smaller race, this is a good one!

This is a great marathon/half-marathon. I have grown tired of the huge races, big expos, lots of people, and lots of stress trying to figure out parking, traffic and all that stuff that has nothing to do with the fun part: running. This race allowed me to enjoy the fun part: running. My dad and I picked up our packet on Saturday. We parked across the street, went inside, and the whole process took about 10 minutes. Race day continued to be stress-free. We parked at the finish line, walked to the start and enjoyed a great run through a pretty town. I was shocked at how flat the course was. At the finish we got to run across the football field carrying a football. The medal was adorable and the whole day was great. This isn't a race to run if you like all the pomp and circumstance of a big race like MCM. If you want a low-key race with friendly people in a pretty place, this race is perfect. Not a huge fan supported race but that's the ONLY negative I can find. Loved every minute of this race. I will definitely add it to my must-do-again list.

Run this one. You will surely enjoy it.

Positives:
1. Flat as advertised - very flat and fast. I qualified for Boston.
2. Spectacular views.
3. Beautiful university and awesome finish.
4. Easy parking.
5. Free spaghetti dinner.
6. A lot of fun.
7. Volunteers and police officers cheer for you.

Negatives:
1. Fan support was minimal.
2. Expo was basically non-existent.

This is a flat course - great for completing West Virginia. Small crowd, but also few spectators. Treacherous footing in places and sloped running surface, which seems to hurt the hips. Several miles on dirt trails. Organization was good.

This was #14 for me as I am trying to become a 50 stater. The organization of the race was very good. I loved the pre-race e-mails from Tom. He even updated us on the weather forecast. Not much of an expo, but the pasta dinner was very good. My whole family went because my daughter and I ate free and my wife only had to pay $5. Next year they will have to expand the room for more seating. That will solve some of their problems.

The weather was excellent, as was the course. Ritter Park was awesome. Now every time I see a Marshall football game on ESPN, I will know that I finished a marathon on that field... very cool. Nice, flat course. I also liked running through some of the same areas twice. It made it seem faster and my family was able to stay in one spot and see me a couple of times. Only one complaint is about the marking of the course through the college area. There was a gap between me and the runner ahead of me, so I found myself guessing a couple of times, which way to go. I would suggest drawing more lines/arrows through campus to make this part of the course a little less confusing. We were in Mile 26 at this point, so my brain didn't want to work anymore.

The volunteers were great. Thank you all so much for your time. I am a captain of a water station at the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in Arizona, so I know how much work you have to do. Trust me, all of us runners really appreciate you.

Thank you to Tom and Huntington for putting on an excellent event.

Also, I heard after the race that there are cabins available at the Heritage Farm for those who like to come in larger groups or who like to cook their own food.

My boyfriend met the race director running a marathon in 2004, and had talked about doing this race since then. We finally were able to fit it into the schedule and were very pleased with this marathon. The fleece was nice, and the lack of ads makes it very wearable! We were both able to purchase another shirt at the packet pickup. I wore the tech shirt this weekend at another marathon and had many positive comments on it! The pasta dinner was nice. Huntington has a small-town feel; we were able to walk the streets easily while in town. Finding our way around by car was easy as well. Our hotel offered easy access to the race and even shuttled everyone to the start in the morning. The road camber was hard at times, but I have had a week to recover. The volunteers were great both on the course and at the packet pick up. I have already recommended this race to friends.

This is a very nice smaller marathon, and one that I would recommend as a low-key alternative to the larger fall marathons (NYC, Marine Corp, etc.).

PROS
*Flat, fast and, at times, scenic course
*Easy logistics
*Love the fleece
*The finish was a lot of fun
*Excellent volunteers, and good organization
*Wonderful weather for a race

CONS
*Could have used at least one more water stop towards the end of the race