This was my first marathon. I loved the course, and the volunteers and spectators were all very friendly. As advertised, this is a flat course. That comes from a Floridian as well. The e-mails from the race director were very helpful. The spaghetti dinner the night before was very fun. It felt like the entire town was full of runners. Loved it. Plus, I had five Stewart's hot dogs after the race!!

Marshall University Marathon
Huntington, WV
Sunday, November 1, 2009
7:30 AM

Huntington is located where West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky meet. It is the home of Marshall University, named for John Marshall, chief justice of U.S. Supreme Court from 1801 to 1835. On November 14, 1970, 75 Marshall University Thundering Herd football players, coaches, and fans who took off from Kinston, N.C., after a heartbreaking 17-14 loss to East Carolina University, were killed when the plane crashed as it was approaching the airport to land. The 2006 We Are Marshall movie depicted the aftermath of the tragedy. At the packet pick-up, each runner received a DVD of the movie.

I flew into Columbus, OH on Friday afternoon, drove into Huntington, and checked in Days Inn, off of I-94. Packet pick-up on Saturday at the University's brand new recreation center took less than five minutes. Each runner who had registered by August 15 received a full-zip fleece. Other runners received long-sleeved technical shirts. Both were quite nice. The pre-race spaghetti dinner was free and I joined several other 50-staters for a nice get-together. If and when you are in Huntington, you must eat at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. The regular size fries is enough for two people and the little burger on the menu is not for kids!

We enjoyed an ideal running weather, temperature ranging from low 40s to mid 50s, sunny, and a little breezy. Start and finish lines were at the university. The course was essentially flat. Although we ran through a few nice residential neighborhoods and parks, I wouldn't describe it as scenic. There were more than enough water/sports drink stations. Traffic control was relatively good. The course was well monitored. There was no crowd support, but race volunteers were cheerful. As we entered the campus shortly after mile 25, runners received roses, and 200 yards away, we put them in a basket at the Memorial Fountain, honoring the crash victims. The finish line was inside the football stadium. We were given footballs and carried them to the goal-line finish. I liked the finisher's medallion. There were plenty of recovery food items. In short, it was a well organized small marathon in a nice college town with friendly people. There were 250 finishers (178 males, 72 females) in the average finish time of 3:55:00.

I am a 50-stater and this was #50! I shall fondly remember Marshall University Marathon for a long time to come.

I loved the race and the atmosphere. The emails leading up to the race were a positive for out-of-town people; pick up times would have been good to add, but a simple email to the director was answered promptly. There were plenty of water stops, I felt safe, and I loved the police officers/military folks on the route. Great finish inside the stadium. Would have liked more space to cool off after running the half; I did not like coming to an abrupt stop. Food and people were great post-race, and my family enjoyed the atmosphere while waiting. Inspired me to look for a full marathon soon.

This is the best marathon I have run. The organization is top-notch. Easy parking for family. Great water stations along the way and great support from the community out there. Finishing in the stadium adds to the highlights. This is my third trip there and I will continue to run it every year. Very runner-friendly.

This is a wonderfully organized, fun event. The medal and tech shirt are great, as was the fleece. Packet pickup and parking were headache-free. Water and Gatorade were abundant, and the people were incredibly friendly. The course is flat and the section through Ritter Park was one of the best that I have ever run in nine marathons, as was the finish. I strongly recommend this race.

Great organization. As someone else has said, it really looks as though they paid attention to past comments and have made improvements. The map and written course directions were confusing, but the markings and volunteers kept you easily on course. The tremendous variety in surfaces kept things interesting. The course was beautiful, the volunteers were so supportive, and the fleece, DVD and medal are great. Thanks.

This marathon was awesome! The organization was fantastic, the packet pick-up was easy, there was plenty of parking, and the course was as flat as advertised. You even scored a zip-up fleece if you registered early. Also, you didn't get a bunch of useless junk and advertisements when you picked up your race number. The run down the football field was a wonderful experience. The only complaint that I have is... well... nothing. The people that are complaining about no spectator support are ridiculous. There was plenty of support. Overall, a super marathon that I will run again!!

This was my first half-marathon, but I've done the Charleston Distance Run a few times. The course was great - scenic and flat! Very well organized. Volunteers/police/guard were on nearly every corner to let the runners pass and assist with traffic flow. No need to worry about getting hit when you cross the street! Streets were blocked off with cones. Water stations were at the right place and the right time and they had adequate help. I appreciated carrying the rose for the victims of the plane crash - a very touching tribute. The food was great at the end - hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, sweets, water, etc. It was a beautiful day as well! Only complaint is that when you come across the finish line, things need to move along better. You can't come to a complete stop to bend over and take your tag off or the chip around your ankle. Maybe extend the line and get the finishers out of the way so they don't have to wait in line? And perhaps some better support from the community - get out there and cheer on the runners! Overall, a GREAT RACE!!! Thanks!

Course: No spectators, no music - not even from a car radio! However, this race sparkles. Very small number of full marathoners. Course going through Ritter Park is beautiful - take note of brilliant red, dazzling yellow, emerald green, and bright orange leaves on trees. I was worried about online map since it looked confusing, but not to worry - you can't possibly get lost, even for a back-of-the-pack runner, cheerful volunteers at every aid station, traffic cones, and arrows painted on the pavement. Officers were at major intersections, and volunteers and military personnel were everywhere else. Think of this as a long training run; unless you run with a friend, it's just you and your thoughts for miles, but the reward (medal) is well worth it. Terrific finish on Marshall University football field, with real food: burgers, hot dogs, pizza, cookies, apples, water, Gatorade.

Expo: Who wants a bag full of fliers? If you register early, you get a fleece zippered jacket with current year's marathon logo and a "We Are Marshall" DVD. Later registrants will get a technical t-shirt and DVD.

If you're doing the 50 states, I can recommend this as a way to check off West Virginia. This was my 50th state (plus D.C.), so it had special meaning for me. Tom (RD) arranged for me to have bib #50, so my accomplishment was more visible.

Now, as far as logistics, it's kind of a pain getting to Huntington. I flew into Charleston, WV, and had about an hour drive. My bag didn't make the connection in Charlotte, so there were some challenges in finally getting the luggage to the hotel Saturday night. I thought I'd be smart and fly OUT of the Tri-State Municipal Airport (right outside of Huntington), but I suggest you have a good map or a Garmin along to help find it! There are NO airport signs and it's easy to feel totally lost.

The packet pick-up location didn't have any signs at all to help find it, and there was a band competition going on (which caused the parking and traffic to be difficult). The only directions I had were the new rec hall and the street intersection. I finally found parking and the location, after wandering around in the cold (with no jacket, as that was in my bag). On the positive side, the fleece race shirt came in REALLY handy! There is no "expo" - just a packet pickup, so I didn't have the option of buying race gear to run in the next day there.

Fortunately my bag did make it to the hotel, so race day dawned with me ready to go. I'm not sure that the Velcro ankle timing device actually worked. I don't remember crossing mats, and all we got at the end was one time recorded (which I believe was gun time). The building open pre-race by the start was really nice, with plenty of "real" bathrooms. The portion into and around Ritter Park was just gorgeous! Then there is a long, boring out-and-back on city streets, where you just feel like you're putting in the miles. While the course is pretty flat, the road surface can be challenging at times (potholes, railroad tracks, etc.). Then another loop through a portion of Ritter Park and the home stretch. The finish in the stadium is one of the best I've ever experienced! Running down the field with the football to cross the goal/finish line was awesome! The medal is nice, and the fresh grilled hamburgers really hit the spot!

Be aware that late check-out at most hotels is difficult. I begged and pleaded at the Pullman Plaza and they gave me an extra 30 minutes (which was all I needed!). The RD has arranged for showers, but they weren't available until 1:00 p.m. and I never did find out WHERE they were.

So, this was a nice, fairly flat, cool, fall race. The campus is fun to visit, and we all got a copy of the DVD "We are Marshall" to enjoy later. I would recommend it for accomplishing West Virginia, but most likely won't be back.