I was impressed with the overall race experience. The course has large number of rolling hills, and has more hills than flat running, but most of the hills are short. The first half ran through beautiful neighborhoods, but the second half could have been routed better (more neighborhoods). Water stops were plentiful, the expo was nice, and the medal was fantastic. Stay in the Hilton and you can get up one hour before the start and return to your room ten minutes after the race. Fan support was average, but good for a small race. The Dri-Fit shirts at the expo were excellent; consider offering them as part of the entry fee next year.

Well organized race. I liked the expo on race-day for number pick-up. The first half is really beautiful. I would recommend this race. Do not expect a PR.

Not overly excited about the lack of community support and the cold weather.

First I have to comment on the other guy from Atlanta a few posts down. Sorry you didn't get yourself up for the race but you have it all wrong. Sure there are lots of hills, but walk out your door in Atlanta and you are seeing the same thing. Not to mention that you could have looked at the elevation map before the race.
Yup, it was cold out to start but hey, it is a December race, right? I could go on, but the bottom line is you didn't have a good time because it sounds like you didn't want to be there. Don't pan a great race because of that.

This is a very well run marathon on a great course! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it doesn't have everything. By that I mean: If you are looking for crowd support, you won't find it. This is a "runner's marathon" and the only support you will get is from other runners and yourself. That said, it is a very relaxed and fun race. Personally, I found the icy water stops in the early morning funny more than anything. Heck, it was below freezing; what did you expect the spilled water to do? The organization was fantastic.

Post-race food and the shirts leave a little to be desired (go Dri-Fit).

Great race... pretty challenging.

Of course I am already signed up for '07.

I thought ths marathon was very well done. I have been running and racing for 30 years and this was my 26th marathon. I have run Boston, NYC, Philadelphia and a variety of other marathons since 1986.

It takes quite a lot of energy and planning to put together a marathon. I found the volunteers and staff incredibly supportive and efficient. The weather didn't bother me since I live in Massachusetts and the cold was perhaps an advantage given the conditions in which I train.

I ran with a pace group and the group leaders were wonderful in applying just enough pressure when needed and guiding us with care to the finish. I'll never see the times of my youth again, but the pace group got me to the finish under my goal for the race.

My family arrived on Friday night and we found everything easily on Saturday and throughout race weekend.

I thought the course was wonderful and provided a nice balance of rolling hills in neighborhoods and some urban views as well. I don't focus as much on spectators as long as my husband and son are out on the course. There is enough noise in my head as I talk to my muscles about not giving up! It takes time to build up crowds anyway and I am sure that will happen in future years.

I will do this marathon again for sure and appreciate all the hard work of the Run For Your Life crew. Thanks!

I have run four marathons, not counting this one, because I dropped out at mile 13. December is a hard time to train, and I had been sick for a couple of weeks. With that said, I was not on track for a PR and there was not really anything about this race that inspired my sick body to finish. There were no crowds, terrible weather, hills, and ice on the roads at the water stops. I saw several people fall. If you live in Charlotte this could be a good race to run, but it's not worth paying the money for as a destination marathon. This is a close race from Atlanta, so I may do the marathon relay or half, but never 26.2 on this course.

I can't believe I just got an e-mail from the race director instructing me to request a finisher's certificate. NYC, with 38K runners, can send an unsolictied certificate to each finisher and Charlotte, with ~800 finishers, makes you request one?? That's ridiculous.

Also, how about a decent shirt for a $75 entry fee??

As a Charlottean, I have seen many changes to our marathon over the years - some good, some not so good. What we have needed all along is consistency, from the race organizers to the course itself. Every time we change a race sponsor or date, we lose participants. This is an outstanding and fun course, particularly the sections that go through NoDa and Central Ave. neighborhoods. A great change from the usual South Park course. The race directors are sincere and committed to making this a truly great race. Keep at it, guys! Meantime, if we can get some Charlotteans to actually get out of their SUV's, put their lattes and cell phones down, and cheer for the runners.... Ahh, but I am dreaming.

It's a bit hillier than one would think. If you look at the elevation map on the website, it doesn't look so bad only because the graph is deceiving since the increments are 250 feet, so no change on that graph looks bad. I definitely would suggest some hill training for this one as it is peppered with hills especially the first half of the marathon. None of the hills are too bad and there are good numbers of declines here also, so running a good time is not out of the question. The course is especially scenic on the first half of the race as it showcases some of Chalotte's most beautiful neighborhoods and homes.

There were small pockets of spectators every single mile, so crowd support was actually better than I anticipated especially considering the record cold temperatures that had gripped Charlotte that day. The second half of the course isn't as pretty and a bit more industrial and the amount of spectators drops off considerably which didn't bother me. There were just enough marathoners where it never got too lonely. Big hill around mile 24.5. Charlotte police did a great job with traffic control. Overall, I would give it a thumbs up for organization, course, support, etc. and would recommend it. The volunteers were enthusiastic and friendly, as were the locals. I had a great time running the race and exploring the city.

Suggestions to race director:
1) Switch from PowerAde to Gatorade
2) Have mile markers on both sides of the road and possibly a bit larger sign
3) Have a bit more variety of food/fuel available post-race
4) There should be more detailed info on the course map on the website and on the goodie bag
5) A bit more of an exciting pre-race start than just a countdown followed by a checkered flag signaling the start. At least have the national anthem before.
Overall, nice job!

This event is young, so I expected some problems, but I couldn't find a single complaint. The open building at the start for runners was great, as it was 18 degrees at the start. The course is beautiful, albeit hilly and challenging. This marathon is poised to become a large event over time. The Charlotte Christmas Experience at Hickory Grove was an added wonderful event. Charlotte should be proud of this marathon. Traffic control could have handled a lot more runners; they had TWO full lanes blocked off for the marathon. If you are looking for a great event to run, sign up and be there in 2007.