All in all, a well organized event. No problems with registration and organization was good. Highlight was getting to be warm before the start in one of the campus buildings/bathrooms and then just walking out to the start 10 minutes before gun-time. Small, but big enough that you don't feel you're running alone.

What I didn't like: the fleece was kind of cheap. Maybe I expected too much? The roads are heavily cambered for much of the race. Course direction broke down at a couple points, and with the exception of the park, the course is a bit boring.

Overall, it's a nice event, and flat for sure, so a good place for a PR. Since it's in a small town and a small race (517 finishers), you are running by yourself a lot. The one unacceptable part was that the start was almost 10 minutes delayed in the 26-degree freezing cold. Agree that they need a starting mat.

A flat course that gets 5 stars for how fast it is (a 3-minute PR from this participant) but 3 stars for the scenery. The park and campus are nice and the brief run along the river was gorgeous, especially the first time through with steam coming off the water. Other than that, it was ho-hum. Loved the finish on the football field, though I was disappointed by the lack of finishing photo. Would have been nice to have my touchdown dance immortalized. Finish photos were posted, but I'm thinking the photographer must have been on potty break when I came through because there was a 4-minute gap. Much of the course is shared with autos, but kudos to police and countless volunteers who were at every intersection. A bunch of water stops, and great volunteers there, too.

Perfect weather (high 20s to low 40s) with virtually no wind, which I'm guessing is pretty much the same every year.

I hesitate to give a lower rating for spectators who brave the frigid temps to cheer us on. The ones who were there were great. But if you need roars from thousands (I don't), go someplace else.

Easy packet pickup and plenty of parking near the start/finish area. I also wondered about the lack of a starting line timing strip. Because I didn't know where the start was, I probably started my watch 20 seconds late, so who knows if my time is accurate?

Great medal with nice design and solid construction, and unlike so many these days, not as big as a small plate, so it actually will fit on my wall. A minor quibble, but how is it that the word "MARSHALL" on the bib has one too few "L's?"

What a memorable marathon! It came highly recommended by my club (the 50 States Marathon Club), and it was more than was promised!! It was a beautiful, sunny day - perfect for running a marathon! Easy packet pickup, park by the start/finish line within feet of everything, open start line, beautiful course through Huntington, and cheery aid station volunteers. My friends and I met so many nice participants through the run! We laid a carnation at the memorial at mile 25, and upon entering the stadium, we were handed a football to carry across the finish line in memory of their football team tragedy. It was so emotional! We walked to the beautiful Marshall University recreation center a few feet away, were handed a towel and showered, changed and drove 6 hours back home! Watch the movie 'We are Marshall' and run this marathon. There is no better one to represent the state of West Virginia!!

The Marshall University Marathon is a good small-town event. If you enjoy smaller crowds and less hype, this is a good race for you. Packet pick up is simply that. No expo, which is fine by me. The pasta dinner was simple yet plentiful. Lots of runners show up and you have plenty of opportunity to meet other participants. The start line is very easy to get to. You can sit in your warm car until 5 minutes before the race if you want. The course isn't beautiful, but it is flat. I enjoyed the two loops through the park. The spectators are sparse and really only cheered for their own runner. I'm ok with that, but if you need lots of people cheering for you, you will be disappointed here. The finish line was a cool experience, running into the stadium and carrying a football across the field. Lots of food was offered at the finish. Overall, this event is well done and worth running. Congrats to the race director for a job well done.

Having read the summaries here, I was well prepared for the race. The best way to describe the course is "odd." It sort of winds its way throughout the city with only a few scenic spots, and you run back over the same areas a couple of times. The support on the course was tremendous. I think there were 20 water stops. One of the stops appeared to run out of water, but you never had to go much more than a mile to find the next one. One suggestion would be to stock them with gels or food at some of the later ones instead of just water and Gatorade. Overall, I enjoyed the race and would recommend it.

Kudos to the organization team of the Marshall University Marathon. They put on one of the most organized races I've ever attended. The Rock and Roll people should learn a thing or two from them. This was one of the flattest courses I've ever completed - yes, West Virginia. On the organization side, again excellence. Only complaint was it was cold at the start and they kept talking for 5 minutes past the scheduled start time. Hats off to local law enforcement authority for their service. Try this one.

This was my first half marathon as well as the first time running this particular one. The volunteers were great, organization was good, but the rules on the website and the course were lacking. I'll start with the course because my comment is brief. It lacks imagination. Take us around the nicer parts of Huntington more. I was pretty upset about one major rule that did not seem to apply. It stated on the website that due to insurance and safety reasons, we were NOT allowed to use headphones to listen to music from our phone or media device. I trained for months to the sounds of my favorite music and did not bring my headphones or iPhone on race day. I get to the starting line and almost everyone had their headphones on with their favorite music to distract them. If you are going to have rules, ENFORCE them or take them OFF the website. Very poor organization. I paid my money just like everyone else, but felt shortchanged in this regard.

This was my 5th half-marathon. I loved this race, and I'd love to come back and do the full 26.2 next year. Incredibly friendly and helpful race director and volunteers; nice course with urban, industrial and park sections; and we got hamburgers at the end, free parking and a low entry fee. It was very moving to drop a flower in the fountain and carry a football in the stadium to commemorate the fallen Marshall University football team. I'll be back!

I decided to run this marathon because I am working on running a marathon in every state and I also love the Marshall Univeristy story. Packet pick up was in a very small area so that is was hard to get around. There were to many people for such a small area. The fleece jackets that you got with registration were very nice. The start of the race was very convenient, as it was close to the finish and there was plenty of parking. The race started on time, which is always a plus. The course was nice for the first 13 miles and then was boring and lonely. From mile 13 until mile 20 there were no spectators. After the 12 mile mark, the marathoners were to make a left hand turn but the volunteer standing there did not inform the group of us running until we were way past the turn. There was no sign or white arrow to signal where to go. Ritter Park was beautiful to run in and this was my favorite part of the race. It was really cool to finish in the stadium and get to carry a football across the finish line.

This was a nice marathon if you are looking for a small marathon. I do not plan to run it again anytime soon, but if you are looking for a flat marathon in West Virginia, this is the way to go.