Nice, flat course. Ritter Park, which you run through twice, is beautiful. There is only one clock on the course and that is at mile 13. Suggestion would be to add a clock at 10K, halfway, and mile 20.

As others have said, it's well organized, and there's not much crowd support, but there were police, firemen, national guard and college students at almost all intersections. Great job with aid stations; beautiful little town. My only complaint was that it was a bit difficult to find the packet pick-up building (maybe balloons out front?). The finish in the stadium was really cool, and the massage therapists were wonderful. As I didn't have a late checkout, I was glad to get a free shower at the YMCA.

I really enjoyed this race on almost every level; here's the good and the bad:

The good:
-Well organized throughout. They had packet pickup the morning of the race, which was good for me, coming in from out of town. It literally took about 1 minute for packet pick up.
-Excellent medal, and race shirt. I received the beautiful long-sleeved fleece for registering early, and I'd recommend that. It's nice.
-Finish is unique, on the football field, and very cool.
-Plenty of aid stations with enthusiastic volunteers, and enough bathrooms throughout.
-A surprisingly flat, interesting course; loved running throughout the city, in the parks, through the college campus and the finish line.
-Weather was spectacular; I think it was around 70 with little wind throughout.
-Easy, free parking that is close to the finish line.
-Very good food at the finish line.

The bad:
-Not too many fans out for a nice day, although the ones that were out displayed great Southern hospitality.

Overall, an excellent, excellent marathon, and I would do this one again in a heartbeat.

I ran yesterday's 5th annual Marshall University Marathon. I chose it because it was billed as "flat" and because I'd never been to West Virginia before. I was NOT disappointed in my selection of this race.

Pros:
1) Tom, the RD, communicates with you via email constantly, prior to the race.
2) The event was well organized.
3) Parking at either the start or finish line is VERY convenient since they are about 1 block apart.
4) Course was very flat.
5) Volunteers were "everywhere," especially at the traffic intersections.
6) Medals were very nice.
7) Register early so you can get the nice fleece instead of the usual T-shirt.
8) For the men, the field house was open for post-race showers (the women's was not, due to a women's basketball game).
9) I stayed at the Best Western in Barboursville, which was VERY accommodating with late checkouts and discounted prices.

Cons:
1) Having the 1/2 marathon runners and relay runners start about a block in front of the marathoners made it quite congested for those of us doing the marathon, when we caught up with them. There has to be a better way.

That's it! I loved this race and if I ever want to run again in West Virginia, this is where I'll be.

This is a great marathon, from the fleece jacket, to the free pasta party, to the pancake-flat course, to the hassle-free start and stellar support along the way. Most of the course was particularly scenic, especially running along the Ohio River. You can't ask for anything better. The finish in the stadium and run down the line with the football was a nice touch. Award winners get their awards as soon as they cross. Very highly recommended.

What a change of pace from the mass chaos and excitement of Chicago to Huntington in three weeks. Huntington lacks everything that Chicago has to offer, both as a city and as a race, but it offers its own brand of charm and friendliness, which Chicago lacks. Do not expect the big-city excitement of Chicago, including the city offerings of things to do, the expo, the spectators, or anything else that a large marathon in a large city offers. Instead expect small-town charm and people who seem genuinely happy that you have come to their city to run a race. Everyone I met - without fail 0 was nice, helpful, and willing to go the extra 100 yards to make you feel welcome.

The race was well run and organized nicely. The course while flat repeated itself many times. The expo was tiny but had the essentials. The finish in marshal stadium was very nice and had a feeling of intimacy that larger races lack. It did get lonely out on the course in places, especially when you left the downtown and Marshall University and Ritter Park areas.
I have run small, medium and large. I like all three for different reasons, as long as they are well organized and well run. This was a small race in a small town, which was well organized and well run. Keep up the good work.

This was a great race all the way around! The course was well marked and the water stations were well manned. A big thanks to all the people who worked those stations, the folks who controlled traffic and all the other volunteers that were working so that we could run. The long-sleeve shirt is very nice, the medals are almost as big as Disney's and the vase for placing in my age group is very cool! My only complaint is that the hotel we stayed in would not allow a late check out, when the website we used said they did. A list of hotels that do accommodate late check outs would be a nice plus. Ritter Park was great; my kids had a big time playing and being able to see me run past them twice! Running down into the stadium hurt, but knowing about it from this website made it not so bad. I'm trying to do the 50-state thing, so I'm not sure when I'll make it back.

We were told this was 'the flattest marathon in West Virginia' so we decided to make plans to run this race. Husband ran the marathon, I ran the half. We were both really pleased with the organization and production of this event.

The expo was well organized, and they even had a couple of local running stores there selling things that a person might need for the race (Gu, BodyGlide, warmer clothing). The pre-race dinner was great (and free for the runners).

The race started on time and (as far as I could tell) the timing system gave us accurate gun times. There was apparently some problem with the timing that introduced errors into the preliminary results and delayed publication of the final results, but the race director and timing people responded to my e-mails and, when the results were published, our entries were correct. There was plenty of water and sports drink available on the course and they had plenty of cold water and food at the finish. The course was pretty flat, as advertised, and had some sections that were very scenic (through Ritter Park and along the Ohio River). I appreciated the organizers having Cam Henderson Center open for us before the race, and the opportunity to carry a football to the finish line in the Marshall Stadium. The photographer that did the finish photos took very good photos and made them available at very reasonable prices. We stayed at the Holiday Inn downtown and it was pleasant and quiet. But, best of all, I got the feeling that the organizers and volunteers at this race really cared about the runners. We're very glad we were able to participate in this event, and would recommend it highly to others.

I was looking for a fall marathon not too far from home (PA), as I'm trying to become a 50-stater. When I heard it boasted about a flat course in W. VA (at first I thought that was an oxymoron), I had to run it. Great course, lots of Gatorade, friendly volunteers, and those fleece tops were sweet. Also, having seen the movie, it was so cool to hear "We Are Marshall" as I crossed the finish line. This is high on my list of "must repeat" marathons - plus I got a 5-minute PR!!

I entered this race at the last minute after doing Grand Rapids the week before, giving me a chance to evaluate Huntington against a "gold standard" event.

The overall feel is of a small community event that is just getting off the ground. The expo is in one room, with no chance of getting confused about the pickup procedure. My registration didn't show on their list, but they quickly put together a packet for me with no hassle.

On event day, parking is next to the finish or start lines. The course for the first seven plus miles is mostly industrial and urban. The most scenic legs are from mile 7 1/2 to 11 1/2 and another loop through the same area from mile 20 1/2 through about 23. The course is well-marked and the water stops are easy to manage. Special thanks to the guy at the 13 mile stop for his enthusiasm and West Virginia hospitality. Traffic control was good but for a small bottleneck right after mile 14. Fans are sparse, except near the start/finish lines and in Ritter Park. The finish in the Marshall football stadium is unique and the post-race food and attention were notable.

My understanding is this event is run in conjunction with a group promoting exercise for all ages and ability levels in this community. The commitment of the race director and volunteers shows and it a great event to get the West Virginia star on your 50-state list.

The best part of the Huntington Marathon: Nobody will believe you when you tell them you ran a flat marathon in West Virginia.