Overall, this is a good marathon with very friendly volunteers. The medal is quite nice and the race director corresponds via e-mail prior to the race to give you updates which I thought was a very nice touch. Another big plus is being able to park right at the start/finish line. There is nothing like walking to the start line straight from your car just minutes before the race. Absolutely the best parking situation I've ever experienced at a race. However, I must say that I was disappointed with the lodging alternatives. The only hotel listed on the website was the Holiday Inn, which posted that they were booked a month before the race; however, I talked to one of the other runners who called the week of the race and got a room with no problem. Not too sure what their deal was but on top of everything, they did not offer a late checkout and they were the host hotel. For next year, I hope that the race director will negotiate something with the other hotels in the city of Huntington and list who they are on the website. When you travel from out of town and don't know the area, it is a bit discouraging to try and locate lodging on your own with no real idea of its proximity from everything. Just for reference, I ended up staying at the Hampton Inn in Ashland, KY which was very nice and did give me a late checkout by an additional hour. Unfortunately, it was about 30 minutes from the race, but it was very clean and the staff was very accommodating.

Despite the lodging glitch, I would run this race again.

I ran the half marathon. Most of my experience has been in bicycle racing/touring so I did not really know what to expect. Overall a nice event. What few people there were on the route were very supportive and the fluid station attendants were super helpful.

A better route map on the website would be appreciated. The course was flat as advertised. Running through the campus and then the football field was a great ending.

The only real negative was the Pullman Plaza Hotel, which did not allow a late check-out after suggesting at check-in the night before that would not be a problem. I will take my business elsewhere next year.

Keep up the good work!!

Website said course was mostly level, and it is. No problem at all. While others had problems with the slope of the road, I personally didn't even get a blister. Not sure how a person could get lost on the course, with the arrows painted on the road at every turn, and amazingly accurate mile markers painted on the road. Great Volunteers at major intersections and aid stations. Gotta love the football!!
Potential changes: go with paper cups, put someone (or a sign) at the top of the stadium ramp warning of the steepness, and upgrade the map on the website, and in the paper. Both were impossible to read. (However the turn by turn written description was great.)

The good/great:
*Great weather
*Super volunteers and traffic control
*Wonderful spectators
*Abundance of water and sports drink

The not-so-good:
*Chip race without timing mats
*Where are the results?
*Finish line blocked by daddy and baby

I'll be honest  we picked this marathon only because Chicago's registration closed before I got around to signing up. But it turned out to be no mere consolation prize. The race organizers and volunteers did a very good job, and we had a great time. Thank you!

The stadium finish and hand off of the football were awesome (we watched 'We Are Marshall' on DVD during the drive from St. Louis to Huntington, so I was extra pumped up for this).

I don't know if/when I'll be back, but either way I will always have fond memories of this race, having achieved my first sub-3 hour finish. It's a fast track, and perfect weather didn't hurt.

One small suggestion  the prizes for top finishers in each age group (vases?) are very nice, but they don't say anything on them. A suggestion for next year would be to put the 'Marshall University Marathon' logo on them, along with the place (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and age group, so someone looking at it on a trophy shelf knows what it is.

I loved the flat course, but the crested road was terrible for a runner with tight IT bands like me. A suggestion would be to switch sides of the street more often. It felt like the first 16 miles were run on the right side of the road, which led to painful knee issues for me. Also, a couple of water stops had plastic cups... bad idea. Please have only paper cups at aid stations. Gel would be super nice at the last few aid stations. Overall, you guys have a nice start to a future great race. Thank you.

This is my third marathon in the past two years. I thought the course was great and city of Huntington was great. The first half of the marathon was very well organized and marked. However the second half was confusing due to the placement and size of the mile markers. The continual traffic during the race made it somewhat dangerous in areas. If you did not previously know the course or had studied, the map it was confusing on the direction of the race.

I was on pace to have a personal best, a sub-3:30 marathon, but due to the misdirection on my part and volunteers not being clear on the course, I added additional mileage to my run between mile 21 and 23. After this mistake I was deflated and walked 2 of the last 3 miles.

This is the 4th annual so I hope it will continue to improve with experience.

Picked this one for my first marathon back from a 7-year hiatus, and am glad I did. Simply put, this is a nice race.

I will offer these comments both from my experience and in the context of previous years' comments.

The logistics of parking and proximity to the start and finish areas couldn't have been simpler.

The course is indeed flat, with a few brief inclines to keep one's leg muscles honest. There's little 'scenery' to speak of, but that's better left to races plugging such aesthetics. Yes, there are sporadic road camber issues, but if you eyeball your options, you can avoid most of it. Yes, there's a brief out/back at 13, but so what? I found markings sufficient during the last stretch thru campus, and there were friendly students helping out. The finish in the Herd's stadium is a cool touch ... tip: yes, take the football.

Aid stations were plentiful. The very first one was perhaps overwhelmed (or about to be, it appeared, as I passed), but the rest were fine, and the workers very friendly and supportive. Yes, a clearer Gatorade-or-water 'notification system' would've helped, but it was a very minor issue. Please do consider ditching the plastic and styrofoam cups ... the paper ones were always a welcome sight.

Spectators were sparse (this is something that's soooo not an issue for me ... I certainly don't cart in thousands to cheer me through my training runs), but those we saw were incredibly supportive.

The Race Director and staff are extremely helpful. One worker answered a question for me before the start, then recognized me when I finished, offering some more helpful directions. This type of attention and support is greatly appreciated.

Oh ... by all means, register early enough to get the fleece pullover. A super perk.

If you're looking for bigger, or prettier, or louder, you have other options. For a well-run, smaller event, this one rightfully earns high marks.

I'm trying to finish a marathon in every state, and I was using this marathon to check that box. I was a little worried about running a small marathon, but everything about this race was first-rate. The free pasta dinner, the wonderful fleece, the EXCELLENT volunteers at traffic intersections and water/Gatorade stations - it was a wonderful experience. Oh, the the fast course and excellent weather led to my running my PR!

We were so happy we decided to run this marathon. The course was beautiful. We found that there was an abundance of water, Gatorade and volunteer support. Everyone was very encouraging and the people in the town were great. We would run this marathon again.