I would like to thank everyone who volunteered and those that put the race together. I would like to thank those who hung out at the water stations for me. I was the slow one with the do-wrap on my head. My time was way off that day. Thanks again. The barbeque was great. Thanks for saving me some. I enjoyed the run. It reminded of the sand I ran in when I was in the Marine Corps. I'll be back.

This was my first Surfside Marathon. I was looking forward to the beach surface to run on. While the hard-packed sand was for the most part excellent to run on, the high headwinds made for a tough run.

The local high school honor society students manning the aid stations did a great job; they were very supportive and enthusiastic. You could smell the aroma of the post-race barbecue for about the last mile, and that pulled me to the finish line. It tasted fantastic!

All in all, I had a good time. I plan to be back next year. Good job to all involved in putting on this race.

I ran the half, after running my first full in the Houston. The experience was wonderful; the beach is a great place to run. The organization was outstanding. The awards were fantastic. I kind of wish there were 5-year brackets, not 10; it's hard being in the top end of a 10-year bracket. My running partner and I would both have taken home trophies with 5-year brackets. With the wind, it was not for PB's. To what the others have said I add: think about renting a beach house. I had one near the south end of the course and many are available if you plan early enough. I had to work really hard to keep my pace near my normal time but I am better for it! I plan to be back next year!

The organizers of this race did an excellent job at making sure this was a well organized event. Running on the beach was beautiful and relaxing. Thank you for allowing this race to happen.

This was my first marathon and I had a blast. Running on the beach was like running on a dirt road with no hills and although the wind was kicking up, the conditions were not too bad for February! The water stations were well-manned with friendly people who had lots of encouraging comments. There were really no spectators beyond the volunteers and family members that were there for their own racers, but even that went well with the beautiful beach run. Dinner at Kitty's the night before was delicious. I was actually so slow that I didn't eat after the race but it sure looked good. The t-shirts, medals, and trophies were all unusual and beautiful! My '2' rating for spectators applies only to turnout; the ones who were there were a definite 5!

This was an extremely FUN marathon! The entire race was on the beach, which was breathtakingly beautiful and the sand was packed so hard it was not any more difficult to run on than a dirt path. There were not very many fans, but the scenery and the friendly, jovial attitude of the other racers made the lack of fan support not such a big deal. The medals were unique and creative. My only negative comment would be the high wind, which made this race more difficult, but at least we ran with the wind to our backs on the last half of the race!

I'd recommend this race to anyone! Running on the sand made this the easiest recovery for me yet. Although this wasn't a fast finishing time for me due to having the flu, I won my age group (which will probably NEVER happen again)! The medals and awards are just gorgeous. The food was good and the few volunteers were terrific. It was very windy, which made for slower times and one of the water stations ran out of water (mile 16). Thank goodness I always have some with me, but those who don't carry it would have been in trouble.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys running alone on the beach.

I ran the half marathon. At 37, I had not run at all since the age of 19. Inspired by reading testimonials of the Houston Marathon, I decided to start running again. I ran this race with only 2 short jogs of preparation, which would explain my not-so-brisk 2:53 completion time.

This was my first time running on sand, which definitely slows your time somewhat, but is much easier on the feet and legs than concrete. The weather was very cold, and there was a very stiff headwind for 1/2 the race. However, everyone had good spirits and the organization was very good. There were plenty of drink stations and the post-race food was very good. The medal and T-shirt were first-rate. My only recommendation for other first-time runners is to carry an MP3 player to listen to music. Outside of the volunteers at drink stations, there were only a handful of spectators. I ran without music and the motivation against a stiff headwind at times was lagging. Had I been listening to Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" or "Thunder Road," I am sure I would have done better.

My hat's off to Daryl and all those that helped organize this race and all the volunteers that helped. This race was entirely on the beach and the surface was hard-packed and firmer than the majority of running trails. Running along the ocean was a comforting experience. My feet didn't hurt for the first time after a marathon.

Excellent pre-race spaghetti meal at Kitty's before the race. Excellent food and good portion sizes. Post-race barbecue was excellent as well.

If you are looking for a marathon at which it is easy to get to the start, this is one. I arrived for the race at 7:40 a.m. and was ready for the 8:00 a.m. start with no problems.

Well-worth the investment of time for training, and worth traveling to.

This was only my second marathon, my first being Houston. The difference between the two is like black and white. Surfside had zero spectators except family/friends of runners, which were still only about 10 - 20. I wasn't very happy with the post-race meal, and the pre-race meal was split between two restaurants, so I would have done just as well with going to dinner anywhere. I'll still run it again next year because the experience of running an entire marathon on the beach is great. Organization was good, very personal, and the organizer was on hand and approachable. The course was great but the wind was a bit much. Overall though, still great and like I said, I'll be back next year.