I liked this race quite a bit. The little expo did what it needed, the cost was reasonable and it was really easy to get to and from the start/finish lines.

The course was very hilly; I watched a 1:46 half turn into a 3:54 from lack of hill work. That said, it was well thought out and wide enough to handle everyone.

The crowd support was awesome and there was ample food and drink on the course and at the finish. It was also great to post a clock at every mile marker; it made them really easy to find.

The only negatives were the lack of diversity in the neighborhoods (first half had nondescript wealthy neighborhoods, most of rest commercial/industrial, though neighborhoods late in the race were cool) and traffic (cars were waved on the course during perceived lulls towards the end).

This a great race overall that I'd recommend to others. Just train for those hills!

This was my second Thunder Road Marathon. For my first, a few years ago, the marathon was going through a learning curve. But 2010 was a great year. The course was very runner-friendly, with rolling hills - nothing too difficult or exhausting. The volunteers were all terrific and traffic control was flawless. The expo was nice, with plenty of variety and freebies. The finish line had plenty of food and beverages available. The only venue that did not go right was the award ceremony. The website and folks at the expo said it would be held at the Epicentre. But at the last minute it was changed to the Convention Center. Now to obtain my award I have to pay to have it mailed. And why should I have to pay for someone else's mistake or miscommunication? Overall, I enjoyed the 2010 Thunder Road Marathon and look foward to its new November date. Just don't change the course!

Everyone said this race was hilly, but coming from Vermont it wasn't anything unexpected or really steep. Great expo, friendly volunteers, and a beautiful course. Music along the course was very much appreciated. The only negative: I would have loved bagels at the end!

This was my first marathon and I chose to stay in my home town. Having run many of the roads in the marathon before, the course was no surprise to me. Charlotte is not flat, but the hills aren't that big either. Overall, it was a well run race, with decent spectator support - a good first marathon. It's a little tight in the first half with so many half/full marathoners running together - this is especially apparent at the water stops and port-a-johns, as there were not nearly enough of those facilities available. Once the half splits off, it's doable - it gets a little sparse for a while from 18 - 21 as far as spectators go, but then really hits a high as you go through No-Da - great crowds and enthusiasm. Overall, I'm pretty happy with having chosen this as my first race.

Mostly residential course. No goody bag... not even coupons. Tech shirt is in men's sizes/cut only, which is a letdown, as I paid as much as a man for the shirt. Post-race food wasn't great. No bagels even - just energy bars, bananas, water and Gatorade. I saw some folks with coffee and beer, too. Organizers didn't even spend the money to engrave the race date on the plain silver medal. At least the roads were wide for the majority of the half marathon. I won't be back.

After hearing how hilly Thunder Road was, I had stayed away; but I ran it this year. Loved the course!

Not as hilly as some have said. I ran Atlanta last year, compared to which Thunder Road seems almost flat.

Great course, good medal, easy location, good shirt, and even some cheering sections in much need places! Oh, they have beer at the finish.

I have run this race 3 times. It is a good race and has improved a lot. There are a lot of good things about this race, but they still have room for improvement.

Course: This is a very nice course. It is hilly, so be prepared for that. Traffic control is excellent. Charlotte is not a scenic city with rivers or bridges, so don't expect that. You do run through some nice residential areas, and NoDa is a great area to run through with all the fan support.

Medal: Very nice medal.

T-shirt: I ran the half this year and did not like the shirt. It was a technical, short-sleeved, unisex T. The unisex shirts are just not sized for women. The small is huge.

Expo: I thought the expo was completely adequate. Enough running gear there that you could pick up anything you might need last minute and take home some stuff if you saw something you liked. It was not crowded so you could browse and really look at everything. The last few marathon expos I have been to were so crowded that you couldn't shop at all, so this one is nice.

Food: I couldn't find the food afterward. I really didn't want anything, so that wasn't a big deal to me, but where was it? I did see a beer truck that allowed 2 beers per runner. There was also coffee at the finish, but when I got in line to get some they were having an issue with the coffee maker, so I never got any. The coffee is a great idea, though, because it is usually cold at this race.

Convention Center: A HUGE plus for this race is that you have access to the Convention Center before and after the race. This is WONDERFUL in that you can stay inside and stay warm until time to line up and also use the restrooms indoors. I am always very cold when I finish running, so I was very glad to be able to go inside and change into dry clothes and warm up.

Start: They need to start using corrals or something here. The start line was very crowded and hard to get access to with the fencing up all along the sides. You couldn't easily find a place to enter the start area. All the pace group leaders were jammed up next to each other like 10 feet apart so everybody was trying to go to the same spot in the start area right up front. Better organization at the start is needed. I did love the touch of the NASCAR car engines and the flag being dropped.
I heard they are moving this race from December to November next year. I am disappointed because I live locally, and it was nice to have a local race in December to run without having to travel during the Christmas season.

In summary, this is definitely a race worth putting on your calendar.

I think the organizers of this marathon should market it as one of America's toughest marathons. Having run Big Sur, MDI in Maine, Boston, New York, and St. George, this is at least as hard as any of those - if not harder. The hills, while not as dramatic, are constant, and by the time you get to the downhill, your thighs are spent and the pounding begins. Coupled with the cold and wind, it's a real test of will.

I loved this race. I ran the NYC Marathon 6 weeks earlier, and was not pleased with my time. So I signed up for this race at the last minute. I love small-town races. If you are looking for a big-city race, with lots of people around you, don't run this. The course is absolutely beautiful - and TOUGH! The hills were challenging. There were many times during the race where I was by myself - no runners or spectators around - and I LOVED it!! Everyone was so friendly. Do it!

This was my fifth marathon and I really enjoyed this course. If you plan to run Thunder Road next year, be sure to study the elevation chart in order to have yourself mentally prepared to face the inclines.

Kudos to the race organizers, Charlotte Police, and all the volunteers. I highly recommend this race.