A really fun course, although not as flat as you'd expect or their promos would lead you to believe. Having a three-mile cross-country trail stretch in the middle of the race was different, for sure, and more fun. Didn't care too much for the long walk from the finish line to the shuttle bus, but San Diego is worse, so everything is relative. An excellent effort for an inaugural event. They didn't have enough port-a-potties at the starting line, but who does? The community really seemed to get behind the event, and it was just a lot of fun, despite the mid-race heavy showers.

A terrific event, along the prettiest 26 miles on the planet. Yeah, I know, it rained (hard at times), but the weather didn't seem to bother the runners and spectators who were too busy living la vida OBX - fantastic water views, a little off-road action (in the piney woods), with monuments, golf courses, and bridges making things interesting along the way. Well-organized, with a fun expo and laidback beach vibe throughout. Can't wait to try it again....

For a first-time event, I was impressed. The shuttles were like clockwork. I've never run a trail in my life but I must say the trail part was my favorite. The Wright Bros. Park was really nice, but when I hit the straightaway on 158 the rain came and even that was cool. The bridge was easy and the finish at the high school track was a nice touch for the finish. I don't know if it was me or the mile markers but I was a little confused and it was difficult timing each mile.

This was my first marathon and I found it to be a very smooth event. I also felt that all of the locals were behind the event as there were countless people along the course cheering us on in the pouring rain. Coupled with the great scenery, this is an event I will never forget!

Getting over the bridge to Manteo at mile 22 was a challenge for me, but well worth it!

It's hard to give a fair assessment to this race because the rain made my experience pretty miserable. We had an absolute downpour around 15-17 miles. Could have been better organized at the end - for example, after the finish it was unclear where to go for food or where to change clothes. Also, at the start there were at least 100 people waiting to use the port-a-potties - definitely need more of those.

I completed my first half-marathon yesterday and it was a lot of fun. The course was easy and flat, with one hill over the bridge, but it wasn't really that bad. The spectators were great and even stayed out in the pouring rain. There weren't that many of them, but I didn't really expect there to be. Only suggestions would be to have more tents at the finish line to protect people from poor weather/heat and to have a better shuttle plan. Sitting on the shuttle for an hour to get back to the shuttle stop was brutal for the muscles and the shuttle driver could have been a bit more cautious. He slammed on the brakes a couple of times causing sore runners to go flying forward. Other than those two suggestions, the race was great and I would do it again!!!

As a resident of the Outer Banks (Corolla) it was interesting to watch this event unfold as it approached its inaugural running. I think that the race was conducted very well, and had it not been for the monsoon that blew in from the south halfway through the race, it would've been a banner day for both the runners AND the area. Aside from my GPS indicating I ran 26.47 miles and the aforementioned monsoon directly in my face from mile 13 to mile 20, the course was very runner friendly -- even the stretch through the woods, which seemed like it would never end. The beauty of the Outer Banks showed through even when the sky was at its darkest. Given the weather, the course support was great, and the volunteers that staffed the water stops were very encouraging and well organized. A couple of suggestions are in order, though: (a)need many many more portajohns at the start line area, (b) would like to have seen a clock SOMEWHERE on the course (since my GPS obviously was not tallying the same mile marks as the course was indicating)-- it would've been good to have them at 6mi, 13.1mi, and at 20mi, and (c) the gear check bags and bag recovery seemed a little bit suspect. Those were all fairly minor issues; I did not utilize the shuttles that were provided, and cannot speak to their quality. But, without question, I look forward to running this race many more times.

A beautiful course: sea views, several miles of wooded trail and residential areas where the homeowners were the friendliest I had ever come across. I have run some races where residents have tried to stop future races through their neighborhoods. Not in the OBX Marathon.

Those who came out and cheered were AWESOME - thank you!! I ran the half-marathon. Two suggestions: Better organization for UPS pickup, and better traffic control post-race. It was very difficult to leave Manteo (we drove due to fear of not getting shuttle, so better shuttle organization would be good). Otherwise, job well done!!!