This was my first marathon, and it was perfect for me. I'm not much into crowds or pacing off others or having them do the same to me. Just a straight road in the west Texas desert. Beautiful solitude. It was small enough for my family to be able to pull up wherever they wanted to cheer me on and hand off supplements, etc. It is a small-town organization, but I think that's the beauty of it. I only gave three stars for spectators because it's not exactly a course that's made for them. The water break booth people were great, as were all of the people at the end (they individually deserve five stars each). Be prepared for wind! I felt like I was in a wind tunnel the whole race and it made the uphills insane and the downhills feel like uphills. I was just glad that I finished, and thanks to all of those who got there before me and cheered me on! I'm going to make this one a family tradition, and next time we'll hang out for the post-race festivities and maybe hit Big Bend.

I have run this marathon twice. It is by far my favorite. It is a "small-town" marathon, so if you are looking for a big-city marathon experience, you won't find it here. You will find great people, pretty scenery, and a truly unique course and race. Prior to running this, research the area, altitude, water stops, weather, etc., to avoid any surprises.

As I said, it is a small-town, grassroots effort, but it's well done. This is really what running is about. I will do it again next year.

Course is beautiful, weather cooperated, and it was a wonderful race. Marathon was "intimate," if any 26.2-mile event can wear that moniker.

Unlike the previous poster, I drove to the start, and didn't have to stand around for long beforehand, as was clear would be the case from reading the pre-race info. I did, though, have to wait awhile for a ride back to the start. Such is life with point-to-point races.

This was my 10th marathon. I've run NYC, Houston, Austin, Niagara Falls and Twin Cities, among others. This was my most enjoyable race by far. Even the trucks whizzing by on US 90 weren't a problem (the race is run entirely on the highway's left shoulder).

Don't expect fans, crowd support, or shade. Do expect West Texas mountains, few hotel rooms in town, and water stops every 2 miles. Incidentally, the water stops had water, PowerAde, and free GU (an unexpected but nice touch). I too would have appreciated water stops every mile after mile 20.

I'll definitely do this one again.

2008 had great weather but standing at the start for 1 1/2 hours before the race (with only 50 marathoners) was ridiculous. The course was fast and the water stops well staffed but being able to see for miles got old after awhile. Seeing the finish from 6 miles out was hard on me. Drive yourself to the start.

I participated in the '08 half-marathon. Most of the info on the website doesn't match the info given at packet pickup. The course is uninspired, most of the aid stations were unmanned, and a traffic cone placed every mile served as the safety measures. I have asked for my finishing time but have not received a reply to my email. Results are still not available online. Rather bland shirt and medal. Other amenities are pretty much lacking. Probably my least favorite event ever. Please note that I participated in the half-marathon, not the full - though both are on the same course. For the half marathon we had timing chips but no timing mat at our start.

I missed 2007 because I was overseas when I should have been training. I was one of the few locals who ran in 2006. It was a great experience. There was no wind to speak of and it was a nice, flat course. The scenery was nice, but I live here, so I am used to it. The weather cooperated as it was cloudy and maybe broke 70 degrees by the end.

The volunteers at the aid stations were great... although towards the end a few more stations are needed. As with others, I expected to pay $50 for registration, but was told it was $60! The food was vending machine-quality at the finish and the t-shirt was nothing special. Still, I will go in 2008 because it is so close.

My husband and I have been running this marathon for the past four years. We live in Texas and try to run all local marathons every year. It seems like this marathon instead of improving is getting worse every year. The aid stations are 2 miles apart, and if it is a hot day, they don't accommodate you by adding more stations and you are out of luck! The race used to be 50 dollars, which is a lot for a small race with a cheap shirt, but we were charged 60 dollars even though the application says 50! BAD....

The food after the race used to be something to look forward to, but they don't have it any more because the local restaurants are losing business!?!? Even though none of them were open after the race!

I won a so-called first age group award and asked for it after finishing and was told it will be mailed to me. I received it nearly 2 months later. The award is a piece of wood that says M2M 2007! There is no mention of place: 1st, 2nd or 3rd! I have won many awards, and by any measure, this is the worst.

They said that the hard part was getting there. Boy were they right on that! My family and I drove almost 500 miles to get there. I highly recommend staying in Alpine as there are more hotel and restaurant choices available. The added benefit is that almost any hotel in town is within a few miles of the starting line. My Garmin reported a 600' climb in the first 10-11 miles and then a 1000' drop in the remainder. The wind was definitely a hindrance, but like one of the other people said - with the low humidity - it was still good weather in spite of it being in the mid 70's. I agree with the others: plan on an extra day so you can visit Big Bend NP - you won't regret it or forget it. Also the Terlingua Ghost Town is a neat place to visit on the way to Big Bend.

This was my second marathon. It's a small marathon, only about 70 people, but pretty well organized. Plenty of water. Volunteers and law enforcement were great. Several portable toilets located along the course. The course is beautiful. It starts in Alpine, Texas and finishes in Marathon, Texas. You run over rolling desert hills through a valley located between mountain ranges. You can see the finish line from 4-5 miles away. The wind coming over the mountain pass during the first 12 miles was rough, but the extremely low humidity was a lot more pleasant than what I'm used to running in. Unlike most people, I stayed at the Holland Hotel in Alpine, which is a college town located in the Davis Mountains. There are more lodging and eating options than in Marathon. Running this race was also a great excuse to make side trips to Big Bend National Park on Sunday and to the star party at the McDonald Observatory on Saturday night. A good experience. I'll do this one again.

I really enjoyed this race - 95 percent of the time I was by myself and it suited me fine to run peacefully in such beautiful surroundings. It was quite warm and windy, but nothing too bad. Just be aware there is no shade at all and prepare accordingly. The road is gently rolling and easy on the legs. It was open to traffic, but in my opinion, it was not very busy compared with other open-road races I've experienced. Aid station volunteers were excellent. I never go to pre-race or post-race parties, so I can't comment on the ones here. I stayed and ate at The Gage - good food. I suppose the race shirt is nothing special, but I didn't go for the shirt. I drove 400 miles for an enjoyable run and some good memories, and I was not disappointed. I'd be happy to return.