Here is my take on the marathon. First and foremost, thanks to all the great volunteers. Now for the good points.
1. Aforementioned volunteers. Hard-working and enthusiastic. Thanks again!
2. The views of the first 11+ miles are great.
3. Really nice bunch that ran the marathon. Makes a big difference. The men's winner even hung around the finish line to clap for those following.
4. Hot showers and a buffet afterward. Hard to beat that.
Now for the not-so-good.
1. The camber on the roads was pretty pronounced. For the first 11+ miles you could get near the crown to lessen the effect. The last 15 was on the shoulder of a moderately busy highway, so there was no way to escape it. It depends on the individual runner as to how much this affects him/her, but it took its toll on quite a few. Some just crossed over and ran on the wrong side to even it out.
2. It is not set up as a negative split, as advertised. A course with a hilly first half, with a flat or downhill second half is set up for a negative split. This course is the opposite. Not extremely hilly, but miles 15-20 or so have some decent inclines. That said, I think a few ups and downs are better than a pancake flat course.

As others have noted, the first segment of the course is very scenic. You just can't beat the views of the water and overall "country charm" of the area. The second segment, after leaving the island, is not quite as beautiful, but still pretty easy on the eyes. The hills on the second segment are very gentle.

As was well publicized in all communication pertaining to and advertising this race, the course is open to vehicular traffic. I didn't feel that safety was an issue, as the roads in the first segment are lightly traveled, and there is a wide shoulder in the second segment.

The volunteers and course marshals are second to none. Because of the nature of this small race, the volunteers double as the spectators and cheering crowd. One volunteer rode his bike out to meet me with gummy bears a few miles after I passed an aid station that happened to be out of sugary treats when I passed. Now that's service! I had sucked down the gel I was carrying and was looking forward to getting back to the gummy bears later, and the gummy bears instead came to me. Bonus was that I got to have more when I got back to that aid station a few miles later. And the peeled orange slices - oh my! I've never had pre-peeled oranges in a race before. What a treat. It's the little things that add up to an overall great experience.

It was an unseasonably warm day. There was plenty of water and Ultima available on the course so the weather didn't throw a wrench in things pertaining to hydration.

Hot showers were available after the race. This was incredibly refreshing and allowed the runners to get cleaned up for the post-race buffet and awards ceremony. Lunch was delicious, served in a room with a waterfront view.

Recommend this race to anyone looking for a fairly flat, very friendly, very scenic, small, low-key event.

This marathon was marketed as a small, low-key race that was fairly flat. It sold out its 200 spots several days before the race. And the race was well organized from several days before the event.

The race director personally acknowledged my registration. I assume Liza did that for all the runners. And the week before the race, she sent everyone an update on the weather - which was great. The area had a foot of snow the week before the race, but we all came to Maryland knowing what to expect for weather. And the driving directions were perfect. They got me right where I needed to be. I arrived near midnight, the night before the race, and the guard at the seamanship school directed me to the parking area.

It was not clear from the published information exactly where the packet pickup was, but it became apparent quickly. The T-shirt was of the light cotton variety, with a lighthouse on it. Most of the runners were hanging around the lobby of the main building, and several minutes before the start time, Liza, with a bullhorn, escorted the runners out to the start line and directed the start of the race. The race could have easily started 15 minutes earlier, giving runners a full 6 hours to complete the course. By the way, the race started near sunrise. Clouds obscured sun early, and there was a thin layer of clouds most of the morning, so it never got real hot. It was probably near 60 degrees at the start, and it got into the mid 70's by noon. It was a most pleasant day for running.

The course was south from the mainland over a bridge, to St. Georges Island for two out and back legs there. It was flat, and quite beautiful. At the first corner on the island, there was one aid station that the runners had to pass three times. That was great. This consumed the first 8 miles of the marathon.

Back on the mainland, we took a left turn that took us out to the lighthouse point - maybe 1.5 miles out, then back to the highway. The rest of the race was along the rather busy highway leading out of town to the north. The course went north to about the 18.5 mile point, where we crossed the road as a sheriff stopped traffic for us. The last 7.5 miles returned us to the start/finish area.

There were hills from about mile 16 to 21, but they were not the challenging variety. I was only aware of two port-a-potties on the course, both along the highway. One was around mm 13 (outbound) and the other around mm 21 on the return leg. I thought there should have been one or two more - and one on the island - but it worked out okay.

There simply were not any fans out cheering for the runners (except aid station workers), but you kind of understood coming in that this was a small, rural race. At the finish line the runners were fed hot food in the dining room at the school of seamanship. The food was great.

This marathon was well organized. It was of the smaller variety, quite scenic, and not difficult to run. If you are okay with a smaller race without a lot of spectators and fans, this is a great choice for a marathon.

Previous comments about the course are accurate. The web site advertised that the traffic on the course road is very light, but that was not true on race day. When it's nice, people are out in their cars. They went 55+ mph within 10 feet of you - luckily no one was hurt. Running on the road side was tough - significant incline... impossible if you have knee problems. The third quarter of the race is hilly. Very sparse spectators, but the ones there did a good job. Now that MD is off my list, I won't be going back to Piney Point.

Good points: Organization was great; nice shirt; nice parking proximity; nice weather. I didn't stick around for food or a shower, but I heard that they were good.

This was my 22nd marathon and I definitely prefer the smaller ones such as this one. The race director, organizers and volunteers did a great job! Aid stations were spaced every 2 miles for the 1st 19 miles of the course, and it seemed like every mile thereafter. Volunteers were very enthusiastic and helpful. The course was pretty much flat for the 1st half, and then there was a gradual uphill from miles 15-19 where the turnaround took place. The last 7 miles of the course was pretty much downhill with a few small rolling hills thrown in.

I was also very impressed with the food buffet after the race - lots of pasta, rice, vegetables, bread, cookies and brownies in a nice comfortable setting.

This race is a great deal - you get a nice technical shirt, food at the finish, and great organization at a very reasonable price (especially when compared to the large city marathons). We stayed at the host hotel (Hampton Inn in Lexington Park) and really enjoyed our stay there as well. The pasta dinner the night before at a local restaurant was reasonably priced (less than $10 for pasta dishes).

Great job again and I would highly recommend this marathon to others!

As others have noted, the first half of the course was spectacular. The second half was an out-and-back along a road with very wide shoulders, so traffic was really not an issue. Although it had some rolling hills, none were severe. I find that by the second half of a marathon, I'm not paying that much attention to the scenery anyway; but I don't recall this course being boring. The fans were sparse, but enthusiastic and encouraging - especially the two ladies wearing leprechaun wigs. The race organization was terrific. The volunteers were helpful and sincere. The facilities were second to none, with the showers and buffet dinner after the race. It was the most accommodating setting I've seen for an awards ceremony in the 31 marathons I've run. This was definitely a race by runners, for runners. Liza had it all covered.

This was my 14th marathon, and I have done many both small and large marathons. This one was the smallest I have ever done and I was a bit disappointed with the race in general.

The pros: 1) The first half of the course was beautiful! You run a series of 3 out-and-backs on an island right along the water. We started at 7:15 a.m. right when the sun was rising over the water - gorgeous! The first half was flat as a pancake, and it was fun to get to see the leaders 3 times! 2) Easy, no-frills, packet pick-up and parking right at the start/finish of the race. 3) The general atmosphere of the race was very easy-going and friendly. 4) Good post-race food spread and hot showers. 5) The awards were nice and plentiful. 6) The (very, very few) spectators were lots of fun.

The cons: 1) The second half of the marathon course was the worst thing I have ever run. You run basically a half-marathon out-and-back on the shoulder of a highway, with cars (and exhaust) zooming by. The shoulder had an awful camber to it and was unbelievably lonely and boring. I find it hard to believe that, in such a beautiful area, they can't find anywhere better to run the marathon. I would have rather run the first half a second time than to have run on that highway. Also, everything I read said that this course was flat and fast - that is a lie. No, there are no mountains to climb, but it is definitely ROLLING terrain. Miles 16-23 have hills!! Do not expect to run a negative split. 2) This is a small complaint, but there were only 2 water stops until mile 10. They were plentiful after that, but the volunteers did not know water from Ultima from M&M's. It was great they were out there and they were really trying to be helpful, but it was frustrating on such a hot day to ask for 2 cups of Ultima and get handed a cup of water and a cup of M&M's!! I finally started grabbing off of the tables myself. This problem could have been easily solved by having different cups for each fluid. 3) The town of Lexington Park, where the race hotels were located, was awful and scary. I would not leave anything of any value in your vehicle in that place!!

Overall, I had a nice time but I will NEVER run this one again or recommend it to anyone unless they change the course.

Liz and crew did a superb job - not only with the race organization, but I understand that they also have an arrangement with the "big guy" upstairs so the weather in 2009 could not have been better for a March 8th race!

Maryland seems to excel in small marathons; Lower Potomac didn't disappoint. The course was great, though we wondered how it would be to run the longest out-and-back first. The race director had plenty of info out well in advance. Lunch and showers afterward were more than we'd expected. Volunteers were wonderful - thanks for the mid-course gummy bears and the peeled orange slices at the turn-around. Best of all, it was a very friendly field of runners. Can't wait to do it again!

What a well organized event. From the race director's email prior to the race to the hot showers and food buffet at the end... this race was an enjoyable experience. Not a lot of spectators, but wasn't expected. Thanks!