The hills were tough, and I ran this marathon on my birthday. I beat last year's marathon time (the Seattle Marathon) by 35 minutes!

The first half of the course was gorgeous, second half was... okay. The spectators and fans were WONDERFUL - actually made me tear up at one point, they were so great. Except for the drunk guy at the neighborhood BBQ who almost walked right in front of me.

The police were great. Breathing the exhaust of the cars was terrible. However, it was a beautiful day and I will remember this race fondly.

The course profile shows that it is hilly, and it is. The big hill from mile 20 to 22 was a killer, and ending the race on an uphill is tough. That said, I had a great time running the course, and the numerous downhills allow for a decent average pace. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, right at the finish line, and it was very accommodating with a 2 p.m. checkout time. For out-of-towners, this marathon is a dream, as you can take a taxi to a reasonably priced hotel and then walk to the expo, start and finish. There were plenty of friendly volunteers along the way, and the mile markers were clearly visible. The course turns many times, much of it through residential areas, but there are some stretches where you run on a street with cars moving in the opposite direction. The race car theme was good, with several race cars parked along the course. The post-race food was plentiful (included pasta, bread, bananas, beer), and the finisher's medal was pretty cute.

In general, I thought the race organization was excellent for a marathon of this size. Recommendations for next year: (1) give out a technical shirt, not a cotton shirt; (2) give out the goody bag when people pick up their numbers. We went back to the expo Saturday night because we were looking for the promised restaurant guide in the goody bag which for some reason they neglected to give them out; (3) include a course map with the race packet - I did not print out the map from the website, so I had no idea what the course was going to look like as I usually study the map the night before the race.

I generally liked the race and venue but I'm probably going to remember Charlotte more than the race.

The expo continues on Saturday morning before the race, convenient for late arrivals. I liked the use of the Convention Center facilites pre-race. The start area was a bit messy though, with the stream of runners coming out of the convention center, the 5K runners standing about waiting for their race, and limited access into the start chute.

The course is fairly nondescript (some nice neighborhoods and a trot by the Panther's stadium), rolling with lots of turns (I counted 38... hey, things like that keep my mind busy!). Clocks at every mile.

The race was publicized and there were some nice bundles of cheerers but could be better considering how vibrant Charlotte is and maybe more live music? The race cars as mile markers were unique.

The finish was furnished with all of the runner amenities (including beer!) but there could have been more finish area room and an organized chip-removal area.

The discounted tickets for that night's Pistons-Bobcat game was a great opportunity. I stayed at the Holiday Inn downtown and I can say that everything was very convenient and within a few blocks: convention center, drugstores, restaurants/pubs (recommend Brixx), the arena and lastly the bus depot. If you are flying in (like I did), there are not any hotel shuttles and cab fares are $24 one way (8 miles??). Anyway, not to fear; take the hourly city bus that stops in front of the airport (#5) and it takes you downtown practically to your doorstep for $1.50!

The running course itself through stately neighborhoods and sky-lined horizons was a treat. Sadly there were almost no spectators: either no interest or because the race information didn't give any tips for how spectators could get to the route (no parking, no detours through closed roads, no vendor sponsored viewing, etc.). It was my sister's first race, so it was a little disappointing not to have the crowd support I had talked so much about. The start line was chaotic with no way to tell from the sidewalk which end was start and which direction we were going. Result: folks entered the pack from the front, putting slow people with faster runners. The organization at the conference center was flawless, though - thank you!

This was my first marathon and it won't be my last. The course is deceptive in that the first 5-7 miles are fairly flat or downhill, but it gets tough after that. The hills are not steep, but they never stop! The day was beautiful and I feel awesome!

Thanks to the CMPD for a super job. Thanks to Lois, Lauren and Nicole - the best family a man could want. Your love and support carried me the whole way. Thanks to Northlake Chiropractic for keeping me together and helping me live a dream; Leslie - you're the best!

So, folks: do the race; it will not disappoint.

There were a lot of comments complaining on the hills. I didn't have too much of an issue with them, and honestly only a few times even noticed them. It could be that I train with hills regularly here in Atlanta, but none of them were too unreasonable. The course was much easier than the ING Georgia Marathon in my opinion.

For a small marathon, I thought it was really well run. I didn't have any trouble following the course, the miles were well marked, and all of the water stations were well maintained. There were portions of the course that were pretty desolate, but you will find that in most small marathons.

The crowds that were out were vocal. Whoever the lady was leading the 3:30 pace group did a very good job engaging the crowds and getting them to be loud.

I enjoyed the race and would probably consider running it again.

First off, this was a great marathon to challenge yourself by using different sets of muscles.... I LOVED the HILLS!

The 3:15 pace group was fabulous and we had lots of fun chatting for at least the first 20 miles! Thanks!

The spectators were few, but what they lacked in numbers they sparkled in enthusiasm! Great people in Charlotte!
The finish line staff were awesome to keep me warm and walk me to the coffee! A million thank-yous!

After finishing my half marathon at a time of 2:33, I was extremely disappointed to find that there were no medals at the finish line. From what I was told, they ran out of medals and anyone who finished after a time of 2:20 would have their medal mailed to them. Can someone explain to me how this happens when the number of people who are registered is known in advance. So I have not received any kind of email and have not seen anything posted on the race website regarding this. What a huge disappointment for people who have trained to complete their first half marathon. I will not be recommending this marathon to others. I only hope that I actually will receive my medal after all the hard work and money I put into this.

This was everything that I look for in an urban race. Excellent traffic control, efficient packet pick-up, convenient parking and good overall organization.

This is not an easy course - the hills will work all your muscles, but we come out here for the challenge. I really like the many turns and corners on this course that keep me from seeing the long road ahead.

The 2008 race was on a chilly 30-degree morning, so we didn't have a lot of fan support, but I've never needed people yelling, "You're almost there" to keep me going.

It is great to have access to the convention center right at the starting line for rest rooms and shelter from the weather. The only suggestion that I would offer the race director is to work on the logistics of the start. People come directly out of the convention center doors to the front of the starting line. This caused a bottleneck and some confusion at the start.
At the finish, we were rewarded with a great medal on a really cool lanyard. I'm coming back to Charlotte.

I would describe the Thunder Road Marathon as ok. I used it as a long run. Many marathons are giving technical shirts now, but Thunder Road still give cotton shirts. My 4:45 pace group leaders were great. Once the half marathoners split from us, it was sparse. Thanks to my running mate from Raleigh, Dana, for keeping me on track. After running 26.2, the food at the finish was seriously lacking. I did appreciate the groups in the neighborhoods that supported us during the second half of the run.