This was my first run on this course and despite it being warmer than what I am used to, it was a fun course. I enjoyed the UF campus tour and running through the stadium was unique! I have never participated in a run through a building.

The hills are a nice change from the otherwise-flat course.

Overall great time!

Once again a nice job by the race organization. Overall, a lot of bang for your buck and many features you'd expect for a big-time, big-city marathon: professionally ChampionChip timed, large mile marker flags, and great finish area food and live music!

The course was slightly altered to allow marathoners and half marathoners to start at the same start line which was one of my complaints before, so that has been fixed. The expo was larger this year though not on par with mega-marathons which is to be expected but I still found some good deals.

The volunteers were great though the spectators were still sparse (but more than before). You get a really nice tour of Gainesville with a lot of tree shade until late in the marathon race. Coned running lanes and police at EVERY intersection kept it totally safe!

Great finish area with hot pizza, Ben & Jerry's ice cream(!), fruit, bagels, Starbucks coffee - everything except beer! An abundance of medical staff and live music at the finish too. The finish area puts big races like Disney to shame. Great awards too; nice imprinted backpacks this year instead of the usual shiny plastic trophies!

To JC, I've talked to the guys who measured this USATF-certified course and BOTH COURSES ARE CORRECT. A GPS device is NOT an accurate measurement device for race courses, especially compared to the Jones-Oerth counter used to measure the course. THIS COURSE IS ACCURATELY MEASURED AND CERTIFIED!

Disclosure: I am listed on the race committee but worked on the companion 5K, not the half or full marathon.

Although I will agree with the comment about the run being a little longer than marked (going by my pacing, not a GPS), I had a fun time. I suppose we all ran a little longer than expected so the length doesn't matter as far as placing goes, just the time out there was a little off. It was certainly hillier than Savannah, which is a nice change. I look forward to running it again next year and having my husband (a UF grad) be able to come along next time. The police along the route were great. I liked the placement of the water stations stops; having too many is sort of distracting. It might be a good idea for folks who need more hydration to wear one of those belts.

If you like really well organized small marathons, run this race! The course is excellent, but do train for a few hills. The standout for me was the course support and management. Plenty of water stops manned with the most enthusiastic volunteers you'll find anywhere. Every cross street had police officers, who were equally supportive - one of them told me what place I was in!

The course is certified - the distance is accurate. No runner can run the exact tangents that are used to certify the distance so if you swing wide on one or two corners your distance will be longer.

Overall, this one is a keeper - I'll be back next year.

This was a top-notch event from the beginning to end. The starting location was easy to find because it was just right off the interstate. The pre-race packet handout was well staffed and convenient. There were no long lines of runners waiting for their packs. The race itself started nearly on time, and the course was beautiful! The gators did a tremendous job of showing off their city. The run through the gator stadium was a very neat experience, especially seeing the pretty gator cheerleaders! There were plenty of water/Gatorade stations along with port-o-lets. The cops did a great job of controlling traffic, and they were nicely dressed. The spectators were numerous and very friendly, and the people at the finishing line were very helpful. Lastly, the finishing medal was very cool. Great job, gators! I'll be back next year!

This year was much warmer than last year's event. Spectators were OK, not great, but the expo was better and the organization was good given the higher numbers of participants. THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH WATER STATIONS!!! I heard that they did not want runners to "over hydrate".... Not sure if this was true but it was a warmer day and water stations were few and far between. If you run this next year, bring a water bottle with you for your run. Overall I will continue to run it as long as they have it; the course is a good one, with only a few hills. One thing however: the course appears to be a little over 13.1 miles. For the past two years my GPS watch has reflected 13.25 miles. I thought last year it might have been a glitch, but two years in a row clinches it for me. It is a little longer than advertised.

It was my first marathon, so I don't have much to compare it to. I really enjoyed the run and the route. The fans there were great! In my opinion I think for the first year it was good, and will only improve. I would like to do a different marathon every year, but would like to continue to at least do the half with the Five Points of Life.

This is a smaller marathon - BUT QUALITY.

If you like big crowds and running with thousands of others, this is not your cup of tea; BUT if you like to run with a smaller group of runners, then COME TO GAINESVILLE.

The weather was cold and got colder as the race went on, BUT that helped my time instead of hurting it. It was still a good running temprature.

PROS:

Got to visit my daughter - a student at UF - over the weekend.
Easy package pick-up.
Running through Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was GREAT.
A nice tour of Gainesville and the University of Florida.
Race Director emails before and after the race - she listens and cares.
Getting my finisher's medal from Albert the Aligator.
BIG Mylar blankets at the finish were great for keeping the wind off my back.
Wonderful cause.
Small but cheering crowds.
Plenty of water and Gatorade stations - with WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS (polite, talkative and cheering). You cannot ask for more from people who come out to help you run.


CONS:

Could have better food at the end of the run.
Expo was small - BUT I did not come for the expo. The big marathons take care of that for me.

I will try to get back - I enjoyed the run.

Course support could not be better - friendly officers braved the cold and wind to keep us safe. PLENTY of aid stations and medical tents. Expo kind of disorganized. Community participation hopefully will be ramped up a bit since the race director seems to have the necessities taken care of well. Rather desolate course in miles 14-23. Very good pre-race email updates.

Course - Parts were fairly hilly for a Florida marathon. Police doing traffic control were very nice and on the ball.

Aid Stations - Well stocked, enthusiastic volunteers.

Expo - Small as I expected. It was located in 3 different smaller meeting rooms at the hotel, and I had to ask the workers where to go next.

Weather - I know it can't be controlled, but with this in mind, Gainesville is about 100 miles north of Tampa, or about 5-10 degrees cooler.

Race Director - Asked me what I thought of the race, and how it oculd be improved and listened to me for 15 minutes after the race.

Race-day logistics - Left the house at 6:15, parked by 6:30, dropped of gear bag at 6:45, race started at 7:00. Couldn't have asked for anything better.

Other thoughts - Race entry fee was 1/2 the price of many marathons, plus close lodging can be found for cheap, and only a 2-hour drive from Orlando.

I think I have found my winter marathon home course.