Great course! First 10K were on roads along the water, and through residential areas where lots of people had come out of their homes to cheer! Miles 9-13 were the best, through the gorgeous and lightly rolling trails. Even the stretches of highway were manageable - flat, and only lasting about a mile at a time before we were taken to more beaches and estates. But watch out for the killer bridge at mile 23 - everyone was walking that thing, but it was worth it to see the water glistening on both sides, and we were still making better time than the cars! Beautiful and majestic place to run overall! More aid stations might be a good idea for water, but there was tons of energy gel, and the stations out there were quite fun, with enthusiastic people and lots of pirates! This was also the best race I have seen in terms of medical support - the BioFreeze, Tylenol, and sunscreen were very helpful! Pre-race was easy to get to, and post-race was amazing, with such friendly people and a festive atmosphere! Got a visor and cool towel, plus delicious and plentiful food, music, and revelry! A must-do!

This is a super marathon. It was a comeback race for me - my first marathon in 11 long years. The shirt and medal were very good, and the expo had more bargains than the NY expo. Also had surprisingly good soup. The course starts in a nice wooded area, and the spectators are great with your name on your race number they often call out your name. Running along the highway is not the best but is well patrolled. There is a bridge at around 22 miles, which is kind of cruel, but I knew about it, and tried to use it as a mental boost. There were plenty of well-staffed water stops, and they even had gel give-aways. The pasta party was ok but nothing outstanding. There even a part were you run on a woody trail.

The finish is in a nice town. The food at the end is nothing special - cut-up peanut butter sandwiches, bagels and fruit. They should have a voucher for the lunch places in town, but since they don't, I would bring some money. The best place to park is by the high school and take the shuttle to the start. After the race the shuttle are over burdened. I shuffled back to the high school.

Overall, a terrific experience. I would add porta-potties at the high school. And try to upgrade food at the end. There was a guy following me on the bridge whispering, "I'm using you," and he almost clipped my shoe. I let this jerk pass. Still, 99 percent of the runners were great. In my 11-year absence, a lot of changes have taken place: more female runners (good), chip timing (good), gels (good), and iPods (not so good). Anyway, it's a very good race, and I would recommend it.

The expo, and the volunteers before, during, and after this race were awesome. It's better set-up than bigger venues. The course was fast, except for the hilly multi-terrain trail run for three miles! That took a lot out of me, but once I hit the pavement again, I got the life back. I wasn't prepared for the mulch and rocks! Miles 22-26 went fast for me, and there was tons of fan support the last mile, which made me forget about my legs hurting... great experience. Will be back to take that trail on again.

This is an excellent marathon all the way around. I strongly recommend it. In the other marathons I have run, there always seems to be one area that could have been stronger, but this one is the full package.

For starters, the organization of this race is exceptional. The expo was well run; there were no issues with getting my race packet, and even though this was not a huge marathon, there were plenty of booths with merchandise, services, etc. to make it interesting, but not overwhelming. The organization and planning that went into the race course made it memorable - the trivia fact signs along the way, the placement of the water/Gatorade stations, and the course markers were all excellent, and well thought through.

The course was spectacular - much of it on coastal view roads, the trail miles a great diversion from the road. The weather could not have been better - warm enough to not need gloves, but not hot enough to be concerned about heat issues.

Terrific support from the spectators, and the volunteers were wonderful. Finish line food could have been better (unwrapped PB sandwiches with sweaty runners reaching in grossed me out, but I was a bit queasy post-race to begin with, plus the free beer helped me forget about food).

Thanks to all that made this event so fantastic - great job!

Overall, I think the entire community and all the volunteers did a great job. The event (expo, technical race shirts, shuttles, pre-race bathrooms, gear check, mile markers, water stations, Hammer Gels) were all well organized. And the finish in Manteo was excellent! Very charming town.

I have two negative comments, and only one can be controlled by the organizers.

1. Miles 10-13 were on dirt trail with rolling hills. It was challenging to get footing at times on the exposed roots, rocks, sand, and pine needles. Very difficult running surface for a road race. A half-mile on this would be okay, but not over three miles in a row.

2. There was a ridiculous headwind for almost the entire second half. Nothing can be done by the organizers for this factor, so it's just a risk when running this race. Since it's a point-to-point race, the wind can either be a major bonus (tailwind) or major negative (headwind). Depends on what Mother Nature has in store.

Even with the two negatives mentioned here, I thought the race was a lot of fun, and I would run it again. It's a great, small-town race that is well organized and has lots of support from the local community.

Great first half, mostly through woods and neighborhoods with supportive fans; the race seems like the weekend community event for the whole area. The second half of the race is largely under the sun, with a lot of road running, and with a bridge and hill at mile 23 that was a challenge. There's a big street party at the end, and it's well organized. The cheap waterfront rooms for the weekend are a plus.

I have recommended this race to all of my running peeps. It was my breezeway to Boston '09! The town embraces the runners/event, the expo was seamless, the route was an absolute delight; the funky wooded trail run put the "giddy" into my giddyup, the spectators were draped in pirate spirit, and the town erupts as you crush the turn into the small festive village!! Not a single negative comment to be found here.... ;-)

I drove down from Canada to run the inaugural OBX in 2006 and then again in 2008. Had a PB in 2008. Very scenic, with the Wright Brothers Monument, sand dunes and all of that! Well organized, laid back and the bridge at the end is a hoot! Spent a week looking at seashells on the beach on Ocracoke Island afterward. Really nice place. Everyone should run this one - it's fun!!!

This run is worth doing. Plan to enjoy the run. Unless you are a trail runner, covering about 4 miles on hard, sand trails will slow you down. The first half of the route is under trees, but for the second half you're at the mercy of the sun. The multicolored finisher medal is a nice touch. I would recommend this race to anyone. Well done!

Pick up went very smoothly at the expo. There were plenty of port-o-potties everywhere, including at the start of the race. The timing system worked great. Very, very smooth when you can't think of anything negative!