This is a great race to grit it out. There is not much in the way of scenery... just a lot of tall condos on either side of you most of the time. No hills; few people on the sidelines. I really liked it because you could focus on the race. It was hot this year. As the 4th overall finisher in the full marathon, the last four miles weren't great - dodging clusters of walking half-marathoners. In fact, course control on A1A the last two miles was ATROCIOUS! Everybody and their mother was out on the course, walking, biking, roller-blading, motorcycling. This MUST be addressed next year. The finish line itself was chaotic, again clogged with slow 1/2 marathoners. Couldn't we segregate these people on a separate finish line? It would make everybody happier. Just have two chutes across the same line, even. The sand sculpture was well done. Even with the flaws, I enjoyed doing a race where I had few distractions, but I probably won't be back.

Lovely course, WONDERFUL volunteers, and nice (but warm) weather.

I was impressed with the experience, accuracy and good humor of our pace group leader, David P. I was warned about the park at mile 22, so I felt prepared and it went fine. Runners should not expect great spectator support, but the volunteers more than make up for it.

A little nourishment halfway would have been really nice.

The shirt, again, is ugly.

Contact Under Armour perhaps next time.

What a boring, unorganized race! The course was out of control, people were on the course that were not even in the race. No respect for the runners; cars, trucks, bikers, stroller and just anyone who wanted to be on the course could be. Almost got hit three times - once by a biker and twice by cars. Where is the crowd control? I have never seen this in an organized race!!!! Get a real expo; there were tons of empty spaces, and leftover, old merchandise that should have been at the flea market. No promotional giveaways - an empty goody bag with the world's tackiest shirt. I used it to clean my car yesterday. They have the nerve to call it a tech shirt. I want a refund. Skip this one. The medal was okay, but the line for the photo was impossible - I gave up. Tiny bottles of water at the end.... How cheap can you get?

This is my third year running the half marathon. I have to say that there have been some good improvements over the first year. Bus back to starting line parking area is an A+. Traffic control was not great this year with the bikers coming head on at us in the course with the police just standing by it was an obstacle course. One car pulled out and just drove right through the runners; he finally got stopped in his SUV (white) by the police. The gray Lexus towards the finish line was another offender; shame on the residents of the area. Worst were the pro bikers; they probably do tri's and they should know better. I wish I knew what group they were with so I could run head on into them next time I see them out in a competition... just kidding. I said, "Unbelievable" to one woman and she rode back to harass me. Other than rudeness - and the race directors, I guess, cannot be blamed for that - I have to say that the tee shirt has won worst-looking in graphics and material of any marathon I have been in. This is three years running and the shirt gets cheaper and uglier each year. My teens call it a "FUGLY T-shirt." Next year please get some one with taste and talent to design it. Other than that the race was great!!!!!

The Bad:
1) boring course - most the scenery is condos, condos, condos and the jaunt in the park mile 22-24 is a miserable sauna
2) course open to anyone: there were cars, trucks, random runner and cyclists, and even large dogs that lurched towards the runners on the course. This was *inexcusable* especially considering that this race cost as much as a large city race with 4 times the number of runners.
3) expo was filled with a lot of vacant spots
4) MELTING temperatures

The Good:
1) Friendly volunteers
2) Friendly pacers
3) Nice to finish right at the beach

This is a small race (500+ marathoners) and it is super smart to have the race start early at 6 a.m. because it is nice to see the sunrise and try to beat the heat as much as possible.

The strengths would be: nice expo for a small race - nothing to munch on, nice shirt, easy course map to understand and for friends/family to get around, and a good post-race menu supplied by CPK and others. Plus it was nice to be able to run outdoors in February. Had digital mile markers every mile with plenty of water/Gatorade and the stations were appropriately staffed.

Things to improve: no 3:10 or 3:20 pacer (website has misinformation) and we were only told about this at the expo. Very few crowds as the race was like an afterthought on the main A1A strip until the final mile as people just casually walked by... no signage or advertising around city about this marathon. Almost no music on the course. Super-long line for the massage tent (only 3 massage tables) and half-marathoners dominated the line.

And then the unforseen: just tough conditions as, despite it being a very flat course, there was a lot of wind and a lot of heat.

I'm neutral on the race, as it was well done in many respects, but I don't feel like I have to make it a part of my future running schedules.

I ran the half this year as opposed to the full last year. It was still a lot of fun and a beautiful run. The one comment I heard from a lot of runners this year was that the park at the end has got to go. I didn't hear one positive comment from all the people I spoke with. The other problem was the finish line was a bit crowded for the number of people that decided to stay and have fun. All and all, though, I think the rest of the race was great. It is turning into a great event for locals and the out-of-towners who want to get away from the cold. I just hope they keep their cap at 6,000. I know they haven't reached it, but I think that is plenty of runners for this event.

I ran the half-marathon and totally enjoyed the course especially seeing the sun rise as we arrived at the beach and local spectators along the way! Great medal, organization and support. Thank you to the many, many volunteers who helped make the event a success! Only negative: T-shirt.

Good half marathon destination race. Ft. Lauderdale is a great place for northerners to get out of the cold for awhile. Gorgeous up and down the shore. Think 'Palm Beach south'.

Organizers are still learning on the full marathon side. Course was completely flat. No hills at all. Spectator interest was very minimal. Race organizers should create cheer zones for the 2nd half of the marathon. Post-race massage tent was closed early. No food on the 2nd half of the course; only Gus at the 13 mile turnaround and water/Gatorade stops at each mile. Very warm this year; not sure if there was enough volunteer presence on parts of the course to respond if a runner had a medical issue. Organizers will work out the kinks. Nice expo (well organized); great finisher's medal. Should get better with time.