This marathon provides a truly unique experience. I absolutely loved it, and I can't wait to run it again.

1. It is IMPOSSIBLE to overstate how awesome it is to finish in the Marshall University football stadium. They announce your name and hometown over the PA system as you enter the stadium, and you can carry a football down the field as you finish. There is a great "We Are Marshall" monument on the outside of the stadium that makes a great post-race photo. For more inspiration, watch the movie "We Are Marshall" the night before the race and consider having lunch at a place like the MU Cafe.

2. If you're a little tired of the lack of personal touch that generally accompanies the bigger races, you will love this race. The race director sent e-mails in the weeks leading up to the race, and they were not the "boiler plate" mass e-mails you get for the mega marathons. Tom clearly cares about the success of this race, and it showed in the messages he sent.

3. The course is very flat, and Ritter Park is beautiful. A nice little crowd was in front of the park, so they cheered you as you entered, and then you had a nice quiet mile or so, and then they cheered you on your way out. The course is very fast and provides a great Boston Marathon qualifying opportunity (but you'll have to pace yourself unless the marathon gets bigger and starts having pacing teams).

4. Running through the Marshall campus at the end of the race is a great precursor to the stadium finish.

5. Water and Gatorade were in ample supply every 1 and 1/2 miles. They had large, clear signs that marked every mile.

6. It was very easy to park and get to the starting line. Packet pick up was no problem. The finishing medal is a fantastic exclamation point at the end of a great race (it has the Marshall mascot on it).

As I sat in the end zone of the football field at the end of the race (snacking on the pizza and other food that was in ample supply at the finish line), I was already planning my trip for next year's race.

I don't have much to offer in the way of improvement. Anything that could allow for more time running along the river, through Ritter Park, through the nicer/scenic neighborhoods, and through campus would be great, as those were the parts I enjoyed the most.

Finding a marathon this flat in a state known for its mountains is a good deal. The area was called "tri-state," as Kentucky and Ohio are very close to Huntington. However, the event was wholly in West Virginia.

There was a little confusion getting to the expo and pasta dinner because information on the website (for a different race) directed runners to HMIG, a medical facility. Several runners went to the "Old Wal-Mart Building," instead of the physical therapy building on 5th Ave. near the football stadium. Another confusing thing for getting around town is that numbered streets go north and south, and number avenues go east and west, e.g. the intersection of 3rd Avenue and 15th Street. Also, once we got to the right place, I could not come up with a course map showing where to park and where the starting line was. A race volunteer coached me on where to park and where the race would begin.

There were about 375 marathon runners, so it was a good size for a marathon event. The course started just west of the elevated walkway between the parking garage and the sports complex. Timing chips were used, but the only mat was at the finish line. There were folks with scales weighing people in (who wanted to participate). They were then to move to the finish line for a second weight check. The first three miles looped around the Marshall Campus, then the course headed west. There was a short stretch along the Ohio River, which was like glass early in the morning. The course did a loop around Ritter Park, and then there was a long straight stretch heading west of town. On the way back, we looped Ritter Park again in the opposite direction, and back-tracked along the Ohio River. The finish line was in the football stadium, on the turf. That was cool. And we got to carry a football the entire length of the field, to the finish line.

A few things deserve special comment. This event was entirely within town, with start and finish at a university campus. This required a lot of traffic control, which law enforcement provided. And the police did an awesome job. It just would not have been a safe event without their efforts. And as usual, the aid station volunteers played a key role, keeping the runners hydrated. Gatorade and water were available throughout the race. That was all that was available to the runners, except for one station that had pretzels. The station was at mile marker 20 (23 on the return). This marathon organization offered a fleece pull-over as an alternative to the more typical T-shirt, but runners could choose either one. Lastly, the finisher's medal was somewhat unusual. It is 3-dimensional medal - similar to Cincinnati's Flying Pig - only it had a buffalo on it, with heads and tails, for the Marshall University "Thundering Herd" (Go Herd!).

Post-race area was typical: Food and bottled water for the runners. By the time I finished, all that was left was pepperoni and cheese pizza; they had run out of bananas; and the Hershey Bars had all melted in the sun. There were quartered apples, but they were turning brown. There were massage therapists available too. However, I did not see the weights guy at the finish line. My recommendations for improvement would be to issue the runners a map (website maps do little good when you are driving, unless you printed a copy ahead of time). The other thing is to have a greater abundance of fruit - or other healthy food - instead of greasy pizza. Healthy Huntington and greasy pizza do not go good together! Still, this was a fun, small marathon event, in a small town, offering the hope of a competitive time with its flat course.

Course was not scenic; it was a run through the streets of Huntington, for the most part. The view in Ritter Park was beautiful, but you were in the park for maybe 1/4-mile total throughout the race. Course was relatively flat, but a good portion of it was on cambered roads and all roads were open to traffic. There were some potholes to contend with as well as multiple railroad crossings, some curb jumping, a water pump hose to cross, and a steep ramp to navigate as you entered the football field. These obstacles added points of interest to a fairly boring course, but might not be to everyone's liking.

There were ample water/sport drink stations and many volunteer flaggers/policemen/firemen/military personnel directing vehicular traffic on the course. The course was generally well marked but I did almost miss a turn out of the park between miles 21-22 - where volunteers were not very aggressive in directing you on course. There was one course clock at mile 13, but the 1/2 distance was not marked and the clock would have made more sense at the halfway point.

Parking at the start/finish was plentiful. The civic center was open to runners affording a place to stay warm just a few yards from the marathon start line. Laying a flower at the university memorial and carrying a football the last 100 yards were highlights of the race. The finisher medal was nice, as were AG awards. Marathon shirts, however, did not have the entire marathon name or race date on them (a first in 30+ marathons for me). It appeared that 1/2 marathon participants and possibly relay teams received the shirt that said, "Marshall University Marathon," with no mention of the 1/2 or relay on the shirt. And those individual who signed up late received cotton t-shirts (instead of technical shirts or fleece) - the same t-shirts worn by the volunteers... yet they were selling technical shirts at the expo, so I'm not sure why late registrants were given cotton instead of technical. Also, the 1/2 marathon finisher medal indicated 1/2 marathon AND relay, two very different events with no distinction between them.

Overall this was a great race. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a small race on a flat course.

Good:
This is a flat course (I set a PR by shaving 12 minutes).
Race Director knows runners and their concerns. Emails before the race were terrific.
Ritter Park was great, with all of the colors.
Wife was able to bounce around to different parts of the course easily to cheer me on.
Water stops were great for fluids and encouragement.
Fleece is sweet.
Finishing on the field and carrying the ball was outstanding. Plus they call your name out over the PA.


Bad:
Plenty of camber to make up for the hills (blister on my right foot was larger than the medal).
Parts of the course are not pleasing to the eye and downright depressing.
No fan support besides at the water stops.

I live in totally flat Houston, and this course is pretty flat, with only a few small hills like a dip under a railroad track. Given this is an area with BIG hills, you couldn't ask for a flatter race in West Virginia. The start, finish, expo, and pasta dinner are close together, on the campus of Marshall University. You can park in a garage right at the start, or in the stadium parking lot at the finish line (a block from the start). There are a number of hotels in the area, and I stayed near the mall in Barboursville. It is only about 15 minutes away on race day so not a big deal - no traffic issues in Huntington!

The fall colors were nice and Huntington was a fairly pretty town. Some sections of the course were through industrial areas or along a highway, but the course was fully coned with good traffic control. Ritter Park was nice with the two passes through. The last 2 miles had no shade and it was pretty warm by then, but I was really slow so the heat was worse for me. Another water stop in this area would have helped.

I didn't register in time for the fleece shirt but did get a nice long-sleeve cotton T with the Marshall logo. They also had tech shirts with the logo available for purchase. Finishing on the football field was great. Even though I was a very late finisher, they still had some food and water available.

Love the medal!!

The race was flat - as advertised - and the weather could not have been better; however, it's definitely one I will not repeat or recommend. Too many non-runners at the pasta dinner caused a LONG wait for runners. Course was confusing at times and easy to go the wrong way. There were A LOT of non-runners at the post-race food and drink meant for runners.

Pros:
+ course - flat, good variety, scenic, stadium finish
+ fleece - very nice, much better than the usual tech-tee
+ finisher's medal - very nice
+ volunteers - numerous, well trained, friendly
+ water/Gatorade stops - well supplied and manned, Gatorade not watered down, paper cups
+ emails from race director leading up to race
+ results up quickly
+ convenient parking to start/finish

Cons:
+ road camber was bothersome on some long stretches

Very fast, very flat, scenic course. Great communication from Tom/Race Director in the weeks prior to the marathon. Yummy pasta dinner, included in the entry fee. Take the fleece if you have the option - very good quality and has the Marshall University logo embroidered on the front. Plentiful parking at the start and finish lines (I arrived only about 30 minutes prior to the start of the race and was able to park with ease about 100 yards from the finish line and walk the 2 blocks to the start line in less than 5 minutes. WOW.) Fabulous, friendly volunteers at the water stops, and I can't say enough good things about ALL of the folks who stood out there for hours directing traffic - you are AWESOME!!! Not a lot of spectators, but the volunteers more than made up for it. The campus of Marshall University is beautiful. Crossing the goal/finish line in the stadium carrying a football as your name and hometown are announced was another fabulous touch! This is a great race if you're a 50-stater, or wanting to get a BQ!! Thanks again to Tom and all of the volunteers!!

This was a well organized race at a great time of the year! The weather is usually going to be good and the leaves in Ritter Park - which you get to run through twice - were beautiful. It featured the best pre-race pasta dinner I have had that was provided by the marathon. This was the flattest marathon I have run. If you are looking for a PR, there isn't a better race!

I ran the half-marathon last year and was so impressed that I ran the full marathon this year. But I was disappointed at the finish when I discovered that all of the "hoopla" and supplies had been expended on the relay racers and half-marathon runners. Why don't we at least reserve some consideration (if not Gatorade) for the marathon finishers in the 3:45 plus times. Is my accomplishment less significant than that of a 5-mile relay team's members?