Actually the second time I had run this course - first time was with Dean Karnazes during his Endurance 50. Very impressed with the organization, considering it was the inaugural race. My only suggestions for improvement are to work out a bit more flexible deal with the host hotel so that runners can check out a bit later so they can get cleaned up a bit. Loved the technical finisher's long-sleeved t-shirt... but the sweatshirt, not so much. Would prefer to have a short-sleeved t-shirt; one of the technical t-shirts they were selling at the expo would have been much better than a sweatshirt in my opinion. The course was great, aid stations greater and the folks on the course the greatest. Will definitely be back next year. Thanks Tulsa!

Impressive marathon for an inaugural one! Only realistic expectation is that they get the mile splits corrected for next year. Also, my watch showed 14 seconds quicker than my official time.

Other than splits being off during the second half of marathon (easily correctable), this event was an "A." Volunteers were excellent and extremely friendly and helpful, traffic control was perfect, overall organization was what you'd expect, and the after-race party covered all the bases.

I just really enjoyed the friendliness of everyone and think highly of Tulsa because of this.... There was genuine encouragement from all volunteers and spectators throughout the entire course. I gave the spectators five stars because I value quality over quantity. The course is what it is... downhill the first 1.5 miles and uphill the last 1.5 miles. Deal with it. It's still a fast course. Starting and finishing downtown is the best way to go. I also enjoyed the antique car display.

Great job, Tulsa!

The out-and-back was boring. I like another racer's comment about using more of the vintage route 66 theme with bands, etc.... The water stops need work. I usually walk through after I grab my water or hydration drink but I had to stop about three times because they weren't ready. Some stops were well stocked; others were smaller with much less, it seemed. I was surprised not to see more spectators. The gravel incline in Jenks was odd. I was looking forward to the choirs in the end. But, what did get me was a group of enthusiastic church kids shouting, "Go, go, go, go" - while jumping up and down. They were cute. The markings for the last few miles - where they accurate? I lost track and was stunned when I asked a policeman if he knew how much farther and he said 4 blocks. I would have picked it up sooner. The volunteers in the finisher's area were great!

This was marathon number 42 for me. I plan to do this one again. I must commend the organizers for a very good first-time marathon. Most of the course was on concrete, but that is not unusual for most races. I enjoyed running by the river. The crowds, although small, were very supportive and the aid stations were about the best one could hope for. The post-race food was a pleasant surprise. (Not many races serve freshly made hamburgers, pizza and beer.)

The only suggestion I can make would be to move the starting time to 7:00 am. My reasons for this are: First, there's not as much to worry about with late check-out. Second, this year the weather was PERFECT, but when you have a warmer-than-normal race, your runners will not have to suffer from the heat at the later stages of the race. Third and finally, starting an hour earlier means more of the day is left at the end of the race for everyone.

Overall, this was a great inaugural event. I was at first a little hesitant to run it because most inaugural races have some growing pains but I decided that I would give it a chance.

The organization was quite good, everything at the expo went smoothly and I love that we received a sweatshirt in our race package.

The technical finisher's shirt is awesome and the medal is very appropriate. Thanks for announcing the names of the finishers - that was a very nice touch!

The things to improve on:
The course - the hills were a killer at the end.
The entertainment: even though a lot of bands were advertised, barely any showed up. I was looking forward to the church choirs, but they weren't there, either.
Aid stations: please add a few more, especially late in the race.
Finish line: there were not a lot of things to eat for people who have a hard time consuming solids. I really could have used a Jamba Juice, but even though I finished the full marathon in under four hours, they were out already. Just add some yogurts or smoothies to the pizza and Mexican food.
The sandals: who is supposed to wear them??? I have extremely narrow feet and still can't get them on....

This was my 28th marathon. I usually don't think much of inaugural events because they're usually filled with growing pains but this one hits all the important marks. Good water stops, excellent overall organization, traffic control by the police and no hassle packet pickup. Only suggestions would be to have it more on Route 66, if possible, less concrete on the course and get rid of those hills at the end. The neighborhood was nice to run in but those three plus miles of hills were not. The run in Jenks was pretty dull but what marathon course doesn't have a few dull spots. Spectator rating was low because not many people came out but those that did were terrific.

Thanks Tulsa for putting on a great event. Would recommend. Especially the Blue Dome Diner down from the host hotel. The atmosphere was quaint and the food was down home good.

Overall this race was 'OK'.

Pros:

- Very good organization.
- Full marathoners get an extra finishers 'technical' shirt.
- Enthusiastic crowd, when possible due to course layout.

Cons:

- Course was mostly on a straight, boring road with very little scenery. (Logistically, it may be impossible to get the permits to spend more time on 'actual' Route 66, so I can't fault the organizers for that.)
- No finishers shirt for half-marathoners.
- On course entertainment was not there as advertised.
- PowerAde as replenishment. (PowerAde is probably the worst product on the market for people that actually want to ingest a hydration drink, due to its market-leading level of high fructose corn syrup. You might as well be drinking soda.)

Suggestions (in order of my desire to see a change):

- It's Route 66; give the race a 'classic 50s/60s theme and get related bands out there to break up Riverside, which is booooring for miiilles. This could instantly transform the weakest link into one of the strongest!

- Get something other than PowerAde out there for runners. This may be hard since Coke was a sponsor, so maybe we should just lobby them to market a more responsible product.

- Trash the ugly sweatshirt and just give everyone a technical shirt for participating. More races are doing it and it makes it easier for folks to justify the registration fee. If you want an additional perk for finishers, maybe consider a cold weather beanie or racers hat.

My first marathon and it was great. Only slight complaint would be the gravel bit in Jenks. I expected - and did - finish way at the back of the pack but what I didn't expect was that past 5:30 point they would still be announcing finishers by name. Very classy. I was waiting to get this one in the bank to determine if I would try another full. This was such a positive experience that I will definitely continue to enter marathons.

This is my fifth marathon, and I thought it was excellent. Everything was great - the web page, expo, organization of the race, announcer at the finish line, post-race, and especially the community of Tulsa.

This was my first time traveling to Tulsa and I have shared the race with several of my running friends. We will be back next year.

The only suggestion that I have is having vaseline at some of the stations or first aid area.

Again, congratulation on a perfectly-run race. Enjoyed my time in Tulsa.

This was my first half marathon, and it meant a lot to me that it was also the first Route 66 Marathon. I would like to run the marathon next year.