I was looking for a late fall marathon on the East Coast. Chose OBX because I heard the Outer Banks is a great place to visit and had a lot of unique sights (Wright Bros. Museum, Lost Colony). Had absolutely no trouble booking a hotel 2 months prior, but it was all downhill (pun intended) from there.

The pros (+):

1) Volunteers. Absolutely great. Very positive and helpful. Without them, this race would have been a complete flop. Literally, there was a volunteer on every corner with a map or shuttle schedule! Even better considering the wind and rain for nearly the entire day of the race.

2) Scenery. Monuments, bridge and ocean provide nice scenery and backdrop.

3) Kids' Race and activites, t-shirt. Son loves the t-shirt. Design of kids' t-shirt was much nicer than the marathon. The kids' 1-mile race itself was somewhat disorganized but enjoyable. My kids (10 and 6) loved the rock-climb. Of note: I witnessed a volunteer that did not stop traffic on a somewhat busy road while kid was attemping to cross street during race. Car nearly hit the kid.

Major cons(--):

1) Lack of access and shelter at the end of the race. After finishing in the driving rain, I saw several shivering, sick runners walking around appearing to be waiting for a shuttle. There were not enough tents. Nearby school was locked!

2) Could not get a shuttle at finish. You needed a shuttle to get to an off-site parking lot since little parking was available near finish. Shuttles were disorganized. Saw many instances where drivers were confused as to their route.

3) Access to the finish, post-race party, and start were limited and downright dangerous. Many cars were stuck in long lines unless you took a shuttle or were leaving in an ambulance, there was no access to finish. Post-race party was nearly impossible to get to with roads blocked off. Note: it was more than a short walk from the finish, which leads me to my next point:

4) The start, finish, expo, post-race party (four separate areas, none within walking distance of the other) could not have been placed in the most inaccessible, remote areas of the Outer Banks. THIS WAS VERY POORLY DESIGNED!!!

The real irony here is the organizers want another 1000+ next year. The race course, finish, etc. looked like it was designed to handle a crowd of about 500. There were 2000+ runners.

Minor cons (-):

5) Course: At many turns (especially early: miles 2-11) there was not enough room for more than three abreast. A lot of contact. Did not see anyone fall. Course opens up after trails. Several instances of dirt-to-concrete transition. Also of note: speed bumps present near the end of race (miles 24-25) pose a trip hazard, especially with tired legs.

6) Took nearly a month to get my age-group award, after about 10 emails and five phone calls to various directors (after being promised by the assistant director day of race, "we'll take care of it") and paying postage, I received my award. Unless you were an elite finisher, the directors didn't seem to care.

7) For a $75 entry fee: Goodie bag full of useless coupons to overpriced resturants, etc. The only thing of any value was the "udder" cream used to prevent chafing. Value hunters: Not a lot of bang for your buck. On a positive note, a portion of the fee went toward the Outer Banks Charities.

8) Need more porta-potties (and access) at the start.

My advice:

Go if you like the crowded feel of the megas, being at the beach in November, and want to visit someplace with a unique history to it; but in my opinion this race needs a major overhaul. Unless the directors focus on improving runner safety, organization, and convienence rather than attracting huge crowds, my family won't be back again.

The crowd was great and despite the rain, many people still came out to cheer the runners on. The course was quite fun, as we got to run through some of the neighborhoods and local attractions such as the Wright Brothers Museum. Running through the woods was nice but it was impossible to overtake people since it single lane for most of the 3-4 miles. That certainly slowed people down significantly. Things that need improvement:

1) Not enough variety of food at the finish. There weren't even bananas and there were only bagels and big pots of peanut butter, and some oranges.
2) The shirt has ended up being what I wear to clean my home, since it isn't a technical shirt and even the cotton is somewhat rough. Also, both half marathoners and marathoners got the same shirt.
3) Mile markers - the mile markers were confusing and there were not enough of them.
4) The finish at the track was not exactly a great idea. I was trying to sprint to finish but had to slow down because there were huge, muddy, slippery puddles.

Pros:
Run through the forest was pleasant.
Nice area with plenty of scenery.
Residents were out cheering.
Community was friendly.
Plenty of water stops, although the rain made them less necessary.

Cons:
Wind and rain put a damper on the post-race festivities. I did not attend since I had no desire to stand outside in the cool rain.
Short runs on uneven surfaces were a surprise (wood chips and sand).
Run over the bridge was tough, especially at the end and with the wind in our faces, but nobody said it would be easy.

A wonderful marathon!!!! It's amazing that this was the inaugural race. Everything was nearly perfect. The only things the race officials need to work on are more port-o-johns at the start, mile markers being more visible and having a few clocks throughout the course. Also, those hills back in Nags Head Woods go against the course being advertised as flat and fast. Like one person commented, they were a surprise and not a good one. And how about finishing on Ice Plant Island (where the awards ceremony was) rather than winding our way through the parking lot of the Manteo H.S.

The expo was great for such a small marathon in its inaugural year. I was surprised to see all the running gear available.

The course was scenic (the view at the top of the bridge is always pretty), well designed and fun (running by the W.Bros. Mem. was really cool). It was also quite challenging (the hills between miles 8-12 and the bridge). It's not exactly a p.r. course but a great course nonetheless.

The spectators were real troopers for coming out in such bad weather to cheer us on. That was great!!

All those involved in organizing this marathon (half-m. as well) deserve an A+! It truly was a wonderful, well organized race. I loved it and I look forward to running it next year.

Overall the race was pretty well organized. The spectators were great. I've only got 3 complaints: not enough porta-potties in general, no sports drink available during race, and the race had some sandy, rolling, hilly trails for 3-4 miles that were unexpected. The last is interesting, but not if you're told that the race is flat and fast by organizers and they never mention the sandy, hilly single track. Overall, I would not call it a "fast" race, as the overall times would indicate.

This was a good first try at a marathon. Organizers got it mostly right - just a few items need adjustment and correction.

The course was a good one, with varied surfaces, and vistas. Distance markers were easy to see, even though they may not have been right on the mark. The expo was good. Information was adequate, though not complete. If one did not have a map and knowledge of the area, it was impossible to figure out where the pick-up points were.

Also, great medical and police support.

Things that need improvement:

Need more porto-lets at the start. Waited in line for 15 minutes and had to start late at that.

Have Gatorade or something of the sort at all water points. Water alone is not enough.

GU at miles 6, 12, and 18.

Better baggage check-in/pick-up. Larger numbers or use last name, and also use LARGE pint. Waited in line for 20 minutes to get bag.

After-run food needs improvement. Peanut butter sandwich or a bagel with oranges are just not enough.

A warming beverage or soup would be nice. The Outer Banks can get cold, especially after a rain. Plan on it being that way.

Return shuttles. Have to do it better. Took almost two hours to get to the hotels and the start line. Long trip around Mantao.

Other activies were useless, as they were too far away. Also, everything cost something and how many runners carry money?

No cotton t-shirt.

Keep working on the fine points. Great race.

The OBX marathon course was one of the most interesting I have run (counted about six different surfaces). I found it to be very creative and it kept my interest throughout. I cannot say enough about the volunteers and the people of the Outer Banks for the support that they showed to the runners! Traffic control was outstanding and the bus to the start was right on time and very efficient. Five-star ratings for the course and even higher than five for the people who came out on a less-than-perfect day for a marathon.

Now I would like to add my reason for disappointment. First off, there was NO paper registration and everything was done online. The processing fee for online registration was an OUTRAGEOUS $5.19 per entry! My 2nd reason for disappoinment was that my training partner was injured one week prior to the event and tried to seek a deferral or maybe even a reduced rate for next year. He was told it would be looked at by the committee and was NEVER contacted back. My final disappointment was about the awards. I was unable to attend the post-race awards ceremony and e-mailed OBX to see if the award would be mailed. The response was YES, but send a bubble envelope with the postage attached. I am wondering what the $65 entry and $5.19 processing fees were all about. It is not about the money but the principle of the matter!

Great course, and nice folks, but if you register, stay healthy and book your hotel early.

Positives:
-Liked the peanut butter sandwiches.
-Fans were awesome - the best I've seen. Even the UPS guys honked as they took our belongings to the finish line.
-Volunteers were great.
-Excellent water supply.
-Beautiful course. Would be nice to run along beach road instead of the bypass.

Negatives:
-Not enough food at the finish.
-Suggest an assembly line at the food, everyone was packed under the tent to get out of the rain, making it difficult to get to the food.
-Need to give out a runner's shirt instead of a cotton T.
-Larger and more accurate mile markers.
-Although I didn't use the UPS trucks, everyone seemed to be in line "C." Need a better system there - last-name alphabetical seems to work well in other runs.

This was a great race that had tremendous community support and fans along the route. Overall, a great experience.

Course: Point-to-point, and very flat, except for the bridge at mile 22-23. The dirt road and trail section were unexpected (only three miles) but were a plus for those of us who like trail running. Very scenic, and would have been even better if not for the rain. Could improve on the last half mile as it snaked through a school parking lot, around school buildings, and finally to the track.

Organization: For a first-time event, it was outstanding. Good police support and traffic control. They did need more port-a-potties at the start (about double would do). And I heard the shuttle was difficult and slow. A little light on the post-race munchies too.

Spectators: The Outer Banks community really showed up for this one. The rain didn't stop anyone. Excellent!

Overall, a great course and race. My comments are consistent with others posted here.

Positives: The spectators/volunteers were the best I have seen; the course was beautiful and never dull; the start was well-organized by min/mile pace; aid stations were plentiful (I just drink water so I don't share the complaints about insufficient sports drink).

Negatives: There MUST be more port-o-potties at the start and in the first few miles of the course; I may have missed them, but the first john I saw was at mile 9; make the mile markers more visible, as they were easy to miss; it was confusing having some aid stations before/after mile markers (I would pass an aid station thinking it was at a mile post only to be disappointed when I saw a mile marker a minute or so down the road); while the trails would have been nice with advanced warning, they were a complete surprise (hilly and sandy in parts).

I recommend this race; it had all the positive features of a well-established race and I am sure the small kinks will be worked out before next year.