The Monkey was great again this year, even with the rain. This is a very challenging course, but a great group of people always are there, and Trent is a great race director.

Why do I say 'Boutique'? It's the personal attention and perks, it's the opportunity for slower walkers/runners to start 90 min early, it's the ample everything you need without waiting (porta-pots etc.), and most of all it's the race director who makes sure that the fastest and slowest runners all get cheered on and treated the same. After all, we did all pay the same (VERY reasonable) fee. Add to that a tough (although 100% run-able) and beautiful course, interesting destination (def. some neat things to do/see in Nashville), and easy logistics (parking almost on top of the start line), and you really have a don't miss it event. No wonder so many Maniacs and 50-staters are at this one, and you shouldn't miss it, either, unless you like knee-deep crowds of runners and spectators and bad rock bands.

That being said, it's too bad about the flying monkey attacks. Watch out for those beasties!

I have run this race 3 years in a row. I can tell you that you just don't master this race. It is different every time with the hills, weather which this year was more that a little wet., cold, hot. What an awesome challenge of mental stamina and physical endurance. I would recommend this race to any runner who wants to go to a great race that is well organized and yet is never predictable.

As background, this was my fourth different marathon to run (in addition I have have run Rocket City, Hatfield-McCoy, and Country Music). I can't say enough about this marathon. From the great website, humorous e-mails from the race director leading up to the race, well-organized packet pick-up and the race day orginization - Everything was top notch. And I should also mention the post-race spread. With beer.

As others have said, there are hills. Which means you also go downhill. Which means it just shreads your legs. It is not easy, it is what a marathon should be - a challenge. It is difficult. But it also gives you a great sense of accomplishment to say you have finished.

Everything about this race is fun. The race director is a nut and tried to talk everyone out of even doing the race but it fills up every year. It is not an easy course in fact it is most likely one of the most difficult course you will find that isn't a trail race. Something like 3200 feet of elevation change. Funny signs along the course will make you laugh. Aid stations are located just right so you really don't need to carry a water bottle unless you want to. TWO shirts for doing the race and at the end there is a beer tent and a HUGE amount of food that people bring. Everything from brownies and cup cakes to salads to sandwiches so much better than every other big race you can find. This year the RD even ordered up rain for us and from about mile 4 to the end of the race we got to experience every type of rain from light mist to a downpour. This race has gotten so popular that it filled in just under 4 minutes this year and I'm glad I got a chance to experience the monkey. I'm sure I mentioned it but the RD is a nut.

Tough course with personal feel. I love the limited entry, social aspect. I've often described it as a trail marathon that is on paved roads due to course being in park. Definitely a must-do marathon experience

In 2011, it rained at Monkey. Yet despite a ridiculous 4-hour downpour, this is still the most amazing race I've ever run. The course is as hilly as they say it is. But it's also beautiful, taking you through a heavily wooded, massive park outside of Nashville. The volunteers are plentiful and great, with very frequent aid stations. Despite the rain, there were scattered spectators. These were hardy folks and very enthusiastic. The potluck & keg party at the end was a delightful treat. I got two shirts (a cotton t-shirt and a long-sleeved tech shirt), an awesome wooden medal, a door prize and all the food I could eat. Trent and team do a fantastic job of organizing this event. I highly recommend the spaghetti dinner the night before for meeting others who share your disease of brutal marathons. I don't recommend this if you haven't run at least 2-3 marathons before. This shouldn't be your first. The hills will get you, if the monkeys don't first. But if you think you can take it, then definitely go. You'll love it.

The year it rained, I ran. Sometimes I ran with a small group of people. Sometimes I ran alone. The conversations were as fun as reading the signs along the way (from which the monkey dispenses its sadistic humor). Running solo in this great park is rewarding as well. Hearing your faint footsteps mete out their best against the unrelenting hills born of pain ages before man paved them is somehow therapeutic. Then you're snapped out of your trance by the best-in-class volunteers as you click off one more mile. They cheer you along the way and provide ample and frequent gu/water/gatorade. Even the year it rained, rogue spectators between aid stations would offer encouragement and the ringing of an occasional, obligatory cowbell. Cyclists with sock-monkeys on their back circle the course constantly to ensure your safety. When you finish the race, you're adorned with a unique wooded medal and greeted with an eclectic assortment of home-made foods: pies, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, chilis, chips, chocolate covered wonders, etc. And beer. Yazoo beer. This is a challenging course with amazing people. The finish area is filled with people encouraging each other and celebrating the day's accomplishment. In an age of racing toxicity, the Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon experience is the anti-toxin. It is as fun and memorable as it is stupid.

The race sold out in three minutes and fifty-eight seconds. The course is beautiful. There are few spectators other than volunteers. The volunteers are the best I have seen. They shout encouragement to everyone passing by. There were mercifully few cowbells. The course is difficult but manageable with some hill training. It rained almost the entire time I ran. This may have been a good thing since the temperature was in the 60's. Everyone seemed to have a good time. I look forward to running this again next year.

Awesome event! If you want flat and fast, stay away. If you want an unforgettable experience and are glutton for punishment this may be the race for you. Organization, support and enthusiasm in the pouring rain was amazing. Best food and drink spread ever at the finish. You will love and hate this marathon, then beg to come back for more!