The race was well organized. Compared to many others, it's a bargain. The medal was nice, pasta dinner was included, and you got a fleece jacket if you signed up early enough. Some parts of the course require you to run on the camber of the road. I've run over 30 marathons and recommend this one if you like small marathons.

This is a great marathon at an unbelievable price. I believe early registration was 65 bucks. For this you get a nice fleece jacket, free pasta dinner, excellent finisher's medal, great variety of food and drink at the finish, free post-race massage, and if you are fortunate enough to win an award (as I was this year), a piece of beautiful glass from world renowned Blenko Glass, which is located 20 miles from Huntington. The course is as fast as they come and coupled with the perfect race weather in Huntington the 1st week of November (high 20's to low 40's at start time and almost no humidity) gives you your best shot at a PR and/or a BQ time. Seriously, given a feel-good day if you can't PR/BQ here, you should re-think your training. Ritter Park is truly beautiful, as is Harris Riverfront Park along the Ohio River. The course is basically flat except for 2 tiny inclines and 2 short viaducts. There is just enough terrain change to keep your legs from going to sleep.

Finishing in a major college football stadium with your name and home town called out over the PA system is a unique experience. Race logistics could not be better. Park adjacent to the start and keep warm in your car; or stay in the Henderson Center, which is also by the start; or park beside the stadium, which is 2 blocks from the start. Granted, there are no throngs of spectators on much of the course, but the groups you encounter are very enthusiastic. Water stops are plentiful, with Gatorade and water. Kudos to Tom Dannals, his wonderful and friendly volunteers, and Marshall University for giving us a great marathon experience.

This is a perfect marathon for first-timers as well. It is quite easy to move to the very front at the starting line so you lose no time because of the lack of starting mat. The start line is very wide, across 3rd Avenue. Timing, I might add, is spot on, as my official time was dead on with my watch. This marathon is permanently etched onto my race calendar. Besides, it gives me a chance to visit my home town and my alma mater. I'll see everyone in November, 2011.

I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable marathon experience! Unlike a few other commentators, I thought the course was fantastic and showcased Huntington quite well. The sections along the Ohio River, through Ritter Park and on the Marshall University campus were particularly breathtaking, but I felt like some of those "ugly" industrial sections were the heart of the city and course. The organization, volunteers and course support were fantastic, especially considering the size of the race. It was indeed a flat and fast course, as promised, which in combination with the chilly temperatures made for quite a nice PR! I definitely plan on running this one again!

The marathon is small, which means you don't have much of an expo or a lot of spectators, but I don't run marathons for the expo or spectators, so that is fine with me. What you do get with a small marathon is parking very close to the start line without having to be there early, which I do care about.

The course was very flat, but mostly non-scenic. There were a few miles through a park, which were nice. Also, the mist rising off the river early in the race was a spectacular sight, but that is dependent on temperature. Other than that the course ran through commercial/industrial areas.

Finishing in the football stadium is a nice touch. The post-race food was very good.

One suggestion I would have would be to standardize the water stops. Have the same order for water and Gatorade at each stop and perhaps differentiate the water and Gatorade by type of cup. Also, make sure the volunteers fill the cups. At some stops the cups were about 1/4 full, which is not enough. There was one water stop with just two volunteers. That is not enough to keep up with the runners.

Overall it was a very good experience.

This was my very first marathon and I had an amazing day! The expo is really just a packet pickup, which is totally fine by me. Getting to and from the race is very easy. You can park a block away from the start, in the stadium where you finish, so you can stay warm in your car. The race was very well organized. A 7-minute delay at the start isn't that big of a deal. There was plenty of water, Gatorade, and port-a-johns along the course. Some say the course was boring, but I liked it. You get to see the good, bad and ugly of Huntington. Not that it was really ugly - I actually loved seeing everything. The director said they may change the course. I hope they don't, because I liked it. The volunteers were amazing! There may not have been a lot of spectators, but the volunteers were very cheerful and friendly. The finish was fun; running with the football and on the field was a nice touch. Just tell those guys handing out the medals to actually put them on our necks and not to just hand them to us. I ran 26 miles! ;)

Loved this race and couldn't ask for a better first!

The Marshall Marathon is well organized. The course is flat and easy, and it has plenty of water/Gatorade stands, with a variety of scenery including the Ohio River, Ritter Park and Marshall University's campus. It is a great race to try for a qualifying time. This is the only race of any kind where I have had a free burger at the finish line.

A buddy of mine and I traveled 10.5 hours to get to this race and were not disappointed. The packet pickup was easy to get to and the pasta dinner was staffed with some very friendly volunteers who seemed happy to see us. We knew going in that this was a smaller race and maybe it was because we ran together that I didn't notice the so-called "not so scenic areas." That's not why I came here anyway. I thought the couse was fine; it was certainly flat. The finish in the stadium was worth the trip itself. The race was reasonably priced considering it included a fleece and the pasta dinner. I did purchase the race shirt also, as it was too good to pass up. The medal is top-notch. Kudos to the race director, as I think I even got a pre-race question answered directly by him. I enjoyed our brief visit to Huntington and will definitely recommend.

Loved the course. Weather started out cool but perfect. Parking was good for start and finish. Shirts and fleece rocked.

The lack of a starting mat is an issue if you are trying to BQ - where seconds count. But if you know that, just move up to the front of the pack... that is not a problem. This is a nice, friendly, small-town race. If you need crowds to motivate you, pick another marathon. But if you like to drive up to the start and get out of your car 5 minutes before the gun, go to Huntington. And if you sign up early, it is a bargain: a fleece, pasta dinner and great food after the marathon. I have run this twice (2008 and 2010) and had a good experience both times. My daughter had an issue with being listed as a male and contacted the race director; within a few hours he communicated with us and that was corrected... very impressive!

No mat at the start of the race. Why have chip timing?