Rochester was my 10th marathon and I have to say one of the most enjoyable. It was very well organized - obviously put together by people who were runners/athletically-inclined people who knew what they were doing. Volunteers were very friendly and enthusiastic with their support. Water, gel, etc. were readily available. Spectators along the course were very supportive and cheered all runners. Traffic at intersections was well controlled by local law enforcement and volunteers. The finish in the stadium was easy for your family to see you finish. This is a 'must run' for both the seasoned as well as the first-time marathoner. It's an experience you will never forget. I'm looking forward to returning again next year.

The race needs more water stops as well as mile markers. Thank God it wasn't hot or more people would have not made it to the finish.

I recently moved to New York from Florida. This was only my second race up north. I was very pleased with this first-time race UNTIL a few days later. I was an age group winner in the half. We were awarded envelopes with certificates for Saucony shoes up to $90. It was announced that only the winners of the age groups got shoe certificates. The following Monday I got an email stating that our certificates were null and void as those were only supposed to go to the full marathoners. The group email said that we would be sent replacement awards in lieu of the shoe certificates. You can imagine my disappointment after spending the weekend reading up on Saucony shoes and deciding which model I would choose. As of today, October 22, more than a month later, I have not received a single thing from them.

Although I this was my first marathon, I have run 3 halfs. The course was awesome, I liked running next to the people heading back on the half-marathon course. With the exception of the Mile 4 water stop, all the other water stops had water when I got there. Crowd support in Fairport was fantastic.

I had a really good time with this race. This was my first marathon relay. Maybe next year I will run this as my first marathon. We ran this race to help support the return of the Rochester Marathon.

I will keep my comments to the relay.

Pros:
You offered the relay.

Cons:
The chip hand-out was confusing. Our lead-off runner was given the wrong chip. You may be wondering why did our lead-off runner pick up the chip? We were given two different instructions as to who was to have the chip. The packet information was different from that posted on the website. Frantic Friday phone calls, with no calls returned added to the confusion.

What was the relay? We decided to hand off the chip due to the confusion as to who was supposed to have the chip. The Great Race in Auburn had a wrist band to hand off.

No relay markers on the course.

Shuttle bus schedule and directions were not clear and busses got lost.

The relay points didn't give each runner equal distances to run. The last leg was 8.2 miles and most of it was uphill.

I personally felt bad as I passed other runners. I felt that I needed to explain to others that I was a relay runner. I noticed that some full marathon runners didn't like being passed and tried to keep up with me. It would be nice to have a back tag that identified the relay runners.

Having to sort out the confusion of the wrong chip minutes before the start I was impressed with the lady giving out the relay chips. She was very helpful in getting me in touch with a Fleet Feet official. The official gave me the impression that the relay wasn't that important. Almost as if it was a last minute thought. Funny how things go: The Fleet Feet team won the relay.

I'm sorry if I sound negative but I really would like the marathon to be a success here in Rochester. I will be running again next year.

I ran Rochester as my first marathon, and had a fabulous time! I smiled for 5 hours (well, maybe not so much at mile 18!) and appreciated all of the volunteers. My fellow runners were so helpful and supportive, and The Penguin was a tremendous inspiration.

As a 'penguin' runner, I was often disappointed (but not surprised) as water stations were out of water or Gatorade. Running over gel wrappers and orange rinds was disheartening since the tables were out of these by the time I ran by.

Frontier Stadium was a great start/finish spot, and real bathrooms were a race-day 'treat' compared to the typical port-a-potties. I could not find the finish food area without a great deal of direction and too many stairs. Food on the field would be much better.

I know I am penguin, so I lined up 1:33 behind the start line, figuring that I had a chip timer so it would all work out. Why did I have a chip if there wasn't a mat at the start? In the future, a start mat and splits would be a big motivator.

There weren't always big crowds, but I was so very impressed and appreciative of all the volunteers who kept us safe at all of those street crossings. I loved running along the canal and Fairport was wonderful. What a dedicated race community.

I can't wait to run another marathon, and I recommend Rochester to everyone. I hope The Penguin comes again, because his inspirational books motivated me to run a marathon, and his spaghetti dinner-talk stayed in my head and got me through mile 18!

As my second half-marathon, and not picking up running until 2000, this was a great time. I PR'd by 18+ minutes. Who couldn't love that! Downsides? Missing pictures from bibs 51-100 on line, and the shoulder-to-shoulder running for a good section of the course. It helped me on the return loop, but going out and seeing the return runners was a motivation kill.

Suggestions? More water stations and a better fan base. I am sure that will build, but we all know it would help the runners a lot!

Ran the half-marathon. Enjoyed the course... but along East Ave. it was difficult to pass runners because of the narrow space and two-way running! More port-a-potties and mile markers would be good. Also, it would be nice if medals (on the front) and t-shirts were specific to the event: marathon or half marathon. Chip distribution seemed to go quickly even with long lines.

My only complaint is that there were no posted mile markers on the canal section of the course. Other than that, it was a terrific first marathon experience for me.

I was very happy to run my first marathon in my hometown. It was a great course and well organized. Seeing the long lines of traffic and for timing chips I was very pleased when the race started just a few minutes late. I was a little concerned about the uphill grade towards the end of the course, but it turned out that it wasn't too bad.
Having run in many other local races, I'd say the fan support for this race was excellent. Of course I'm hoping for a better crowd (and a better time) next year.