Very well-organized. They took good care of us. The goody bag was loaded with cool things. Plenty of aid on the course. The Texas barbecue was the best post-race meal I've ever had. The Texas folks really made this out-of-towner feel welcome.

Being a San Diego native, it was hard for me to get excited about running on the beach. The sand was packed hard enough that it wasn't too tough to run on. However the humidity and strong headwind (which conveniently died right about when I made the turnaround) made for challenging conditions. The fog rolled in during the latter part of the race and it made for surreal conditions, as some of the previous posters had mentioned. Being a smaller venue, it got lonely at times after the half-marathon course broke off from the full.

Overall, I thought this was a great way to experience Texas.

This is the only marathon in the US run completely on sand. The sand is hard-packed, especially close to the ocean. It is not the deep, stick-your-foot in sand like the Atlantic coast. In Austin, we have a wide, crushed-granite trail along Lady Bird Lake - running at Surfside is very similar. I didn't get any sand in my shoes or socks. Running here was very forgiving, but I did suffer from overuse of the same leg muscles because there were no hills.

One strange thing is that a dense fog came in off the ocean about three hours into the race. I could only see about 100 feet in front of me, and given that there were only 200 or so marathoners, it was very strange to run without seeing anyone. I had trouble keeping a pace up. Apparently the fog was a very rare occurrence.

The course goes out 2.5 miles, then comes back, so spectators can see the start, 5 mile-mark, and finish. for anything else, they can drive down to various parts of the beach. But there really weren't too many spectators except for some fishermen offering beers at mile 18 or so.

The volunteers were very enthusiastic, especially after the fog rolled in. They would run out with water and Gatorade to meet me as I got close to their aid station. I really appreciated the family manning the aid station at mile 25 or so.

The dinner before the race was not well attended, probably because many of the racers were from the greater Houston area and didn't want to drive down to Surfside the day before and then drive back home to sleep.

There was an excellent barbecue lunch served up by friendly church youth group members after the race in a pavilion. Also they had Coke on ice, and lots of it.

The short-sleeve technical t-shirt is a great material and design, and the seashell medal is top-notch. Also enjoyed the stone coaster. You also got a small sample of rice grains and an industrial band saw parts coffee mug! Something different from the usual running promos.

This was my first of what I hope will be many marathons to come - a great place to start! Despite the sand and a dense fog that rolled in at mile 23, I managed to come in well below 4 hours. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful (and the BBQ afterward ain't bad either!). It's not everyday an inlander gets to run exclusively along a nice, clean beach!

This was my first small(ish) marathon. The sand did slow me down a bit but it was the humidity that initially slowed me. The first 2 hours featured fantastic weather. After 10:30 a fog rolled in that made it difficult to see ahead. The water stations were very close and I liked the watered-down Gatorade Endurance formula. It beats having it too strong. Will do this next year!

This was my first marathon and it was a great experience. I trained with a Houston-based running club, but did not want to run the Houston Marathon because I do not run on Sunday for religious reasons. I stayed in Lake Jackson the night before (with a great pasta dinner at Cafe Anice). The sand and potential headwind made me nervous, but I was very pleased by the relative ease of the race overall. I thought it was organized well, although it was never entirely clear to me exactly where which direction we'd be running, even up to start time. An actual diagram would have been nice, since I assumed we'd run straight for 13.1 miles and then back. (I was wrong.) The bugle playing the national anthem at the beginning was a great touch. To see the sunrise right before the race was unforgettable. There were plenty of aid stations, and enough bathrooms here and there. I wore my glasses instead of my contacts to keep the sand out of my eyes, and boy was I glad. Even then, I had to wipe my glasses down every mile or so toward the end when a fog made the sand stick to them. Yes, sunscreen is a must; I even had my husband drive his jeep along the beach so I could spray some on half-way. It was wonderful to have my family be able to drive along the course and stop to greet me every few miles. There were moments along the way when I looked over at my running partner and just smiled, soaking in the beauty of the moment. I don't think a city marathon could ever compete. Surprise, surprise, I beat my goal time by 35 minutes and even placed second in my age group! Who would have thunk it? Thanks for the great memories!

This is only my second 1/2 marathon. I ran Houston 4 weeks ago. Running on the sand did not seem to slow me down, and the recovery is much quicker. The heat (at least 65 degrees) and humidity was tough, forcing me to walk/run the last 3.5 miles or so, even though I was making a concerted effort to keep a slower than normal pace. More water stations would have been in order, especially considering the heat, and I agree with another person that the Gatorade was watered down. Unfortunately, I had my Nike+ sensor in my other shoes and didn't realize it until it was too close to the start time. In that situation it would have been really helpful to have splits called out on the course. Lastly, two days later and I can find no results online. After the BBQ and post-race massage (a real plus) I forgot to check the results. My time was slow, considering the unplanned walking, but I would like to know how I compared and how others did. I have emailed and called the contact information but I've gotten no response. A little more attention to detail would make this a great race, assuming the temperatures are about 10 degrees lower next year.

Practically everything is top-notch for such a small race. Well organized package pick up, good start, good course, great finish area, and good post-race BBQ feast. There was plenty of food for the marathon finishers. Unlike some other races the food wasn't scarfed down by all of the 1/2'ers. Mile markers were placed at every mile. Aid stations were about every 1.5 miles. Only complaint is that the Gatorade was watered down.

This was a really good race for the slow. I started early, and we even had an early group photo, which is cool.
Everyone told me to expect to go slower than at other marathons, but I think that if I'd not had a major blister problem, I would have actually been faster than others. I don't feel nearly as beat up as after other ones.
The support was great, and the bbq divine.
That fog was unpleasant, though. It isolated runners and made it harder to judge how far to the next food/potty/water. I couldn't see the finish line until we were practically there, which made judging pace harder.
Overall a great race - bring sunblock!

If it all ended tomorrow, my life would be complete for I have actually parked my car less then 250 feet from a nationally-recognized-marathon start line.

The organizers and volunteers were very caring and accommodating. Both of my other marathons were in large cities - one in Nevada, the other in California. The weather was so much better in Texas!

This was my first experience in a race with a relatively small participant pool. That said, I felt this event was extremely well planned and well run. If you don't run marathons for a living, then this event is a top priority for next year. This stretch of Texas coast line is very beautiful and suited for running. The weather was unbelievably perfect - almost magic: sunny for the morning first two hours, and then refreshing and cool just in time for the home stretch. The fog was a little surreal. The sand starts to make a difference right about mile 22, and yes, it does slow you down. This event has the potential to be a huge profit center for a deserving charity. The beach easily has the capacity to handle the increased traffic without sustaining damage. Thank you to all the organizers and volunteers for a truly memorable, well organized experience.

- marathon participant #125

The fans that were there were enthusiastic (a smaller race, I expect fewer spectators).

This was my first experience running on the sand. I was first worried that sand would get in my shoes but once I arrived and checked it out, I quickly realized that there was no way that the sand would get in (unless I tried and even then it would be tough).

I thought the race was very organized. The only item I could recommend is that some people yell out official race time at various mile markers (I left my watch at home and actually had no idea how fast/slow I was running... ugh!).

Everyone said that my time would be slower than normal, but I ran right at the same time I normally do (3 1/2 hours).

The fog came after 2.75 hours and it was unreal running while only seeing from 15 to maybe 30 feet in front of you (pretty cool, actually). The fog seemed to change the feel of the race... visibility from 1-2 miles down to 15-30 feet.

Plenty of water/Gatorade stations and for the marathon runners, gel/fruit along the way as well. Also plenty of porta-potties along the race. Excellent massage therapists and BBQ afterward. Great "hardware" for the top finishers and a nice special gift for out-of-state runners.

I loved this race. If you are a marathoner, you have GOT TO RUN THIS COURSE... it certainly is a "must do."