This was a well-organized event, and I was impressed with the organizers for a relatively small race. The course was about as flat as possible for West Virginia, and taking the football and finishing at the goal line was a great idea! I also liked the nice fleece given to pre-registered runners.

The only negative I have was that my recorded time was 44 seconds slower than my actual finishing time. My wife took the picture of me picking up my medal and award, and the clock on the background has a time that is still faster than they gave me. I'm not whining, but finishing times can typically be one or two seconds off, not 44. The recorded time actually would have placed me fourth in my age group (which would've meant no medal) and I would be pretty angry if I was the man with the third fastest time on the results page but wasn't given a medal. Also, there was another runner they put within four seconds of my actual time, when in reality no one was on the field behind me when I finished. Unless someone finished the last 100m in less than four seconds, they got that person's time wrong too.

Overall, it was a fun race and the small touches the organizers made to make the event a success really made a difference. Post-race food was tremendous (free pizza) and the fleece and the pictures I have with the 'thundering herd' mascot are great souvenirs. Other than the timing errors, this was a great race.

Excellent value for my running dollar! Entry included a nice pasta party, a great pullover fleece, a nice medal, and food at the end.

Course was flat, only a few short inclines/declines to be experienced, when going under railroad tracks. Only a few scenic sessions downtown, park, Marshall University campus. The finish was excellent (running with the football to the end-zone - nice touch).

Perfect number of water stops. Spectators seemed limited to these areas. Fan support was limited but those out on the course were encouraging.

It seemed like a lot of 50-staters were at the race. I think an e-mail to participants identifying local pub/grub places would be great addition.

Great race! Good job!

The course is predominantly flat with a few small hills. It was well marked although a few of the mile markers were not easily visible. There were a lot of friendly and encouraging volunteers along the course, but other than that there were not many spectators. It seemed at times that Huntington was a ghost town. We ran through the Marshall University campus but only saw a few students. There were more than enough water stops, but some of them had what tasted like watered-down Gatorade. For a small marathon they had a lot of runners in the Boston qualifing speed range, so there were plenty of people to run with if this was your goal. The finish on the football field was unique and fun. I would definitely recommend this race to others.

This is a small marathon (350 or so marathon runners) that has a half-marathon, relay and walk as well. It is totally run in town. It only has short rises and falls (mostly down and ups through underpasses...and one real hill that was short). It is NOT a chip-timed marathon, but you are over the starting line in less than 5 seconds. It is a Boston qualifier and there were folks that qualified yesterday.

I registered before the Sept deadline for the fleece pullover. WOW...what a great pullover! That one goes for MORE than the $40 entry fee when purchased retail. What an incentive to register early. The fee included a good pasta dinner, as well.

Excellent parking outside of the stadium so getting to the car after the marathon was simple. Only 6 porta-johns in the parking lot but no waiting. And they did have the stadium open to use those bathrooms as well. The starting line was 2 blocks down the street.

For a small marathon, the folks in Huntington are all heart. There aren't any big crowds however, the traffic control and the course support at the water/gatorade stations was super. Everyone had a smile, were ready with water in one hand and gatorade in the other.

The route was picturesque for the most part. They have to plan around the traffic patterns of the city but keep the route interesting for the runners, as well. This route does come back on itsself, bringing runners through some of the same areas a couple of times before coming directly into town, the Marshall University Campus and the Marshall Stadium. I'm sure some would complain about that as monotonous 'back and forth, been here already, how many times will we revisit this area?' However, for the size of the marathon and being away from traffic, I was very happy with the lay-out.

The finish is in the Marshall University football stadium. The decline into the stadium was a little tough at 26.1 but grabbing a football and running down field to the goal line is definitely a cool touch. It really made me run faster! They announce everyone as they are coming in and taking on that last 100 yards. AND, since I measure every marathon by the food at the finishline, these guys get an A+++.

After taking the feed bag off, Huntington had opened up the YMCA to the out-of-town, out-of-motel room marathoners (like me) to use the facility for showers. Again, I was met by the nicest people in a clean facility with hot water, clean showers complete with soap and towels. It made our 4 1/2 hour drive home so much more pleasant.

Bottomline, if you like small marathons, you're a 50 Stater, you like small town charm in a midsized metropolitan area, Huntington will provide it all.

Really enjoyed this race. Being a back-of-the-pack-er and one who trains alone almost 95% of the time, the lack of spectators didn't bother me a bit. I gave 5 stars for the volunteers.... They were great. They wanted to be heard and they were very encouraging. The pre-race pasta dinner and fleece pullover were all included in the race fee, right there you are ahead before you line up at the start. For a flat-lander, I'd call it gently rolling, for those that train on hills, it's flat. There are miles of crowned road that were a bit tough as well as the concrete and sidewalks. But understanding how the traffic works there its forgiveable. I was in just after 5 hours and the food was gone. There was water/soda and some chips. I heard that more pizza and hot dogs were coming but I needed to get back to the hotel to shower/checkout. It was an easy drive for me and a PR to boot!! Can't beat that!

I appreciate everyone's comments from last year about how friendly this course is. No one believed me when I said it was a flat course in WV! After running a PR & BQ, I have to say this is probably the fastest course I've ever run. Just enough small rolling hills to switch muscle groups - absolutely perfect. Limited spectators, but the ones who were there were very friendly and loud. I especially enjoyed carrying the football on Marshall's field. It's the first time someone from Louisville has made it into Marshall's endzone :-) Great job Huntington!

Overall, the course is as flat as promised, the finish is unique and this year the weather was ideal. While I originally thought the funky course layout with its many turns and loops would add time; instead they added a welcome distraction from pain and fatigue.

I BQ'd and you can too.

-Joe

This was a high value marathon experience. From the fleece jacket at registration and free pasta dinner to the pizza at the finish line.
Yes, this course is what one would call flat and fast for anyone that doubts what a race director would tell you.
I have two suggestions. First, the course map needs a lot of improvement for people like me that are not from the area and want to drive the course the day before the event. It was almost impossible to do this. Second, since I was there alone, I suggest that when you are signing the liability wavier, you also provide emergency contact information just in case.
All in all, this is a small race that I would recommend to anyone. As long as you don't try to compare it to a mega-marathon you won't be disappointed!

I would recommed this course if you're looking for a flat course and some scenic parts. The organizers do have a very strong desire to make this a fantastic race. If you're within driving distance, I do recommed this run. Organizers do need a few little things like salt tablets, Gu's, and more massages and people at the end of the race. I feel like this race will grow and if held earlier in the year, could be a gorgeous run.

I am hardly an expert on marathons. I just started running them this year, at age 58, and this was my third (Flying Pig, Columbus - qualified for Boston). Huntington was my first small-city marathon. I'm guessing that there were less than 500 hundred runners and walkers; so it was relatively tiny compared to the first two that I did.

Dr. Tom Dannals, race director, is a humble physician who wants to build this race (2nd year) into one of the best. He listens to runners' comments and applies them. He and his staff and volunteers are some of the friendliest people you will meet, which says a lot about Huntington and West Virginia. For a $40 registration fee (if paid early), you receive a quality black fleece with marathon logo, a delicious pasta dinner, the marathon, and a handsome Thundering Herd copper medallion (the buffalo is the mascot of Marshall University, which is now the name of the marathon).

My wife and I made a mini-vacation of this trip and spent Friday at Shawnee State Park lodge, a wonderfully quiet and energizing experience in Ohio's largest natural forest. Saturday we attended the small expo early and I had the chance to talk with a local podiatrist about what I thought was a beginning plantar fascitis on my right foot. He had excellent advice, which helped as I finished the marathon with no pain in my foot!

After the expo, my wife and I walked down to the riverside and lounged, wasting time in the 70-degree weather and watching the water flow down the Ohio. Then we ambled over to Pullman Station where she spied a Starbucks, which is more precious to her than life itself. I continued lounging outside in the idyllic sunshine. This is a revitalized area of the downtown and features cinemas, several trendy restaurants and shops.

We stayed in the Ramada (exit 11 and only ten minutes from the start), an excellent choice - easy parking, quiet, and Spanglish on HBO Saturday evening which provided enough laughs to raise my endorphin levels substantially.

The marathon course was extremely flat, much more so than Columbus, and was routed through a few picturesque parks, residential neighborhoods, inner-city streets, and a splendid stretch along the Ohio River. Yes, there aren't many fans lining the streets and not much music. And, yes you do go through a lot of housing that has seen better days. But not everyone lives in a mansion. Since I qualified for Boston a month earlier, my only goal was to finish around 4:15. But I met a lady runner from Virginia who was going to run in 3:35. We had a pretty good conversation going and the miles flew by - all too quickly. I was 12 minutes under my pace time at the 12 mile mark and started to think that I might win an age-bracket award if I continued at this clip. But as the next few miles crept up, my stamina withered and by mile 17, she was only a blur on the horizon. My mile 18 I was completely out of gas. I had no idea that this would happen but it was a good lesson for me, a rookie marathoner and an hopelessly competitive a-hole. By mile 19, I was not feeling well at all. My foot and knee felt OK but I had nothing left in the tank. I remembered from reading Marathon! By Jeff Galloway that it can be a good idea to alternate walking and runnning. So I began running to a certain spot and then walking to a certain spot. It was awful but nothing compared to what my wife will go through in three weeks. She has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and nasty cancer, which will require a very serious operation to remove her left lung. Say a prayer for her. At this point, I began to think that my pain, even though I was winded, paled in comparison what she will have to endure. But I made it and ran with the football down the field (yes, they announce your name as you sprint the final yards) inside Marshall University stadium, which was fun. The post-race food was great and I got to see my wife right away, which is hard to do in the big marathons. I gave her a big hug and told her that this race was for her. After being married for 32 years, I can say that she is the bravest person I have ever known.

So, although this is probably more info than you wanted, perhaps some of it will help some of you. I suggested to Dr. Tom that he have a printed map for the runners next year with streets, locations of city attractions, motels, start, finish, and packet pick-up.

If you want a marathon to PR, this is it. Just don't make the mistake I did! Friendly people, anxious to please. A race director who listens. I'll be back.