In my previous comments I said there was no NASCAR support. Guess I was wrong as several people have talked about the NASCAR Toyota as the pace car for awhile. Also, I friend told me he heard the roar of a NASCAR engine at the start.

This was my first time running Thunder Road, and I was really pleased with the experience. Having the convention center right next to the start gives you a great place to relax before the race and out of the cold. There are a ton of hotels within walking distance of the start. We had great weather and there was plenty of water on the course. The course has a lot of rolling hills, but it's a challenging one. If you are looking for a good small-to-medium-sized race in the Southeast, I would recommend this one.

This course has a lot of hills and is a challenge if you come from a flat part of the country. None of the hills are killers, so don't let it prevent you from your from participating in this well done marathon. Just don't expect a PR time. I ran better than expected, but I don't think this would be an easy course to run in under three hours.

My goal was to use this race as my NC race towards the 50 state goal. Participating in this race was very easy to do. A bus goes from the airport to downtown. Downtown hotels were very reasonably priced. Getting to the convention center and the packet pickup was easy and quick.

The race might have gone too green because it would have been nice to have a race course sheet and an elevation chart to study the night before but no printed copies were available.

The course goes through some really nice neighborhoods for over the first half of the race. The last part is a little commerical but by that time the typical runner is just focused on finishing instead of the sights.

The medal was nice, but I nearly lost the medal part because of the thin treads that held it to the ribbon. It broke while I was wearing it but luckily a person noticed and told me. Spectators were few but those out on the course were very supportive. Police support and traffic control was excellent for this sized race.

Starting corrals should be added because the start was hectic with many slow runners starting way too far up.

Overall, I would recommend this race as a good choice for your NC marathon.

The organization of this race is top-notch. Expo was typical, and packet pick-up was a breeze. Traffic control was as good as it gets. Charlotte's finest staffed virtually every intersection where man and machine might interface. Splits each mile were a nice touch, and aid station volunteers were on the ball. It was chilly, but that didn't seem to deaden the enthusiasm of the folks gathered in clusters to support the runners. The course visits a lot of the residential neighborhoods, is rolling enough to work all the muscle groups pretty much evenly, has road surfaces that were in decent shape, and was pretty much litter-free.

It was a real plus to have the convention center open for anyone needing to stay warm or use indoor plunbing.

Having the NASCAR Toyota pace for a block was cool. I myself have been a gearhead for almost 35 years, and the rumble of a purebred race engine is music to my ears. With the NASCAR museum/hall of fame next door, this makes a nice destination marathon as well. Race director Tim Rhodes and his staff have breathed new life into this race, and it is growing quickly into the premier marathon in NC. 50 staters, this one will not disappoint you.

This was my 5th marathon, and first Thunder Road. I enjoyed the course (mix of neighborhoods), the hills weren't as bad as expected, and organization was very good.

Nice shirts - two of them.

Most everyone was VERY friendly: pacers, other runners, even the cops holding traffic. Several CMPD cheered the runners as we ran by.

Am I the only one who missed the food at the finish? Where was it...?

Was a bit woozy, but I didn't see any juice, cookies, bagels or any of the normal fare. Thanks for the bottled water and a single slice of bread, and that was it. The green bananas were not ripe enough to peel. A race director was right there, and when I asked about the food, he apologized and said a vender didn't show but there was food for sale nearby. When i told him that I didn't run with any money, he apologized again.

I was floored at the lack of food.

Overall, glad I ran it, but probably wouldn't travel from the West Coast for it again.

To add to the last comment, I ran the half and P.R.'d even with hills. My husband ran the marathon and finished in under four hours. After the race, he commented that the downtown skyscraper and the B of A stadium ("Panther Stadium") was cool and we actually drove back that evening to take pictures. A pat on the back to the race director(s) in course selection!

I have run this race 3 times and love it. It is one of the best organized marathons I have done. Although a little hilly, the course is very scenic and really shows off the City of Charlotte. It has come a long way since I ran it in 2006! Will definitely run again!

Loved this race. Ran the half-marathon, and even with the hills (I trained well for them), I P.R.'d. All runners really lucked out. It was supposed to rain and it didn't; instead it rained the day after the race. Yea! What was up with the runners having to remove their chips? Usually the volunteers do that. The finishers were all jammed up at the chip buckets taking off the chips.

This was my first marathon, and it was everything I expected and then some. The crowds were entertaining at times, and the other runners were all very nice. The 5:00 pace guys were great to run with for awhile, but I just couldn't hold onto them. Finished at 5:07. Will be back for sure!

This is my second time running Thunder Road and I definitely recommend it to others. Some will say the course is hilly, although I consider it a rolling course. The course takes you through very pretty neighborhoods, by the Panthers stadium, through uptown, and by the Bobcats arena.

I thought the expo was nice and packet pickup was a breeze. I think the organizers did a great job getting really good hotel rates right near the start/finish. Having the Charlotte Convention Center open the morning of the race is awesome, because you can arrive early yet wait inside and use indoor bathrooms (rather than porta-potties).

I think overall the race is very well run. This year we got two long-sleeved technical shirts (one at packet pickup and one for finishers) and a nice medal.

I would recommend this race and will probably do it again in the future.