Registration: Simple and efficient

Expo: a bit crowded, use the shuttle buses from downtown, clothing options somewhat limited

Race T-shirt: excellent

Pre-race support/setup: nicely organized

Weather for 2007: cool, cloudy, a bit rainy for finishers at 4+ hours

Course: mildly hilly, nice scenery, spectator support a bit sparse but weather for 2007 (chilly and rainy) may have kept folks away, water/Gatorade available at appropriate intervals, some of the bands had to leave because of the rain

Post-race support: Mylar warming sheets were a bit challenging to find, food/fluids were plentiful

Medal: excellent

Location: easy to fly into, downtown Ottawa was a bit of ghost town on the weekend, had to travel to some other sites for some fun, stayed at the Marriott - they were very supportive

What a weekend. Ottawa is a beautiful city with very nice people, but the heat caught me by surprise. Friday and Saturday were scorchers and Sunday was hot and rainy. This is a new course this year and it's not bad; however there were very few spectators and parts are kind of boring. The expo was terrible. Like a furnace in there and I heard it was just as bad last year. Please, please spend some money and move to a place that has air conditioning! The merchandise at the expo was expensive and not a great variety or quality, but still had to buy some stuff.

The dinner was disappointing - food and speakers, and I would pass on it if attend next year.

I would not recommend this race for new runners as they will find it too crowded and the finish area was a disaster. They lost my bag, there were big line-ups for food and water, and I couldn't find the medical for an hour. The volunteers needs to be better briefed on where things are.

I would agree that this is not longer a flat, fast course and with the new changes it seems the first half will be a bit hillier. But it is a fair and beautiful course, with a nice tour of most of what is nice to see in the nation's capital. The change in the half marathon start time should address the heat, which was problem with the old 10 a.m. start. With all the events, there were nearly 30,000 runners - mostly in the half marathon and 10K (Saturday night). There is real excitement at the start and finish lines but there are long stretches with few fans (this isn't Boston or New York)... and the early Sunday start means you see more yawns than cheers. Organization is great. It really is probably the best Canadian marathon.

This is such a great event. I have run it 3 times now and it just keeps improving. For 2007 I see there is a change to the course planned and the 1/2 marathon will start earlier, which is good if you end up running on a warm day like we did last year. The new course extends further into Quebec (French part) and should be entertaining. Definitely worth the trip, as this is definitely Canada's best marathon destination.

Three strikes and you're out! This course is better than the old one a few years back but still hilly and with no spectators. The overall event is large, but the marathon only has about 2500 in it and it's tough on the course with long stretches with not a soul in sight. KM markers didn't correspond to my GPS and were off in some cases by 250 feet. The volunteers were all helpful and had spirit, just not enough of them. The expo was the worst laid out expo I've attended. No flow; some aisles were packed and others had no one. Kind of like a big hot (no air conditioning) flea market. A poor selection of Ottawa Marathon clothing was disappointing. This is one marathon I would not recommend for first-timers.

My first and last time running this race. The expo was way out in the middle of nowhere, and it was badly organized with poor traffic flow. Also, you would think that they would put it in an air-conditioned building! Starts early in the morning and there are no spectators on the course except at the start/finish area. They need more selection of food at the finish and should get more music on the course. There was no medical set-up on the course and I think I may have missed some of the mile markers - or maybe they didn't have them? Could be better organized.

Everything you read in the other commentaries about the outstanding level of organization and the beautiful course - it's all true. Probably the best urban marathon I've run and I've done 21 and counting. One comment though: this marathon acquired a reputation for being flat and fast years ago when it really was flat (a double out-and-back along the canal). The course changed completely a few years ago - it's now rolling hills for the first half and a steep overpass at 32K. But the flat and fast reputation stuck. This is a beautiful course and a well orchestrated event - well worth running but train for hills.

This was my first marathon, and I know the city and route well. Overall I enjoyed it immensely. It was too hot and I heard from later finishers that water ran out and many people had to stop due to the heat. The expo was good; we met Mr. Stanton, and the deals were excellent. I ran faster than I planned but was 10 minutes short of a BQ time. It is a carnival-like atmosphere at the start/finish area and the crowds were great. There are many different events, so dozens of in-line skaters whiz around the start area.
Overall it was a blast and I hope to run it again.

This was my first marathon and it was a great experience. The staff and spectators could not have been friendlier. The course was beautiful.

This race is great for any active family. There is something for everyone and I think the race director and organizers did an excellent job. I am still amazed at how you all manage to pull everything off so brilliantly. Yes, it was hot and there was an unfortunate mix up out on the course, but all things considered, the race was well done. Ottawa is a beautiful city and the Canadians are very friendly. This was my second Race Weekend and this time around I brought some friends with me and we also participated in the 5k walk and run. We had a blast. Keep it up and we will continue to spread the word.