I agree, this was the worst organized marathon ever. At the expo: overcrowded, lacked race bags despite knowing how many people would appear at the sold out event, and had unknowledgeable information volunteers. A complete fiasco. At the race: no one knew where the start was, there was no PowerAde except for at the mile 16 water station, and there was no water station AT ALL at mile 6. BOPers were dropping like flies; one person cut himself pretty badly and had to run 10 miles bleeding due to the lack of med tent services. I had to steal PowerAde at the med tent at the finish, since there was none available at the finish line (and really, warm Coke products when it was NINETY DEGREES by noon were unwelcome). Inexcusable for a race with such ample funding (from both huge sponsors and the high entry fees). A beautiful course - super hilly which I loved. The spectators, when they were there, were STELLAR, especially in Decatur; they provided more on course aid than the freakin' race did (thank you, bless you spectators, for all the ice you gave us during the final 10K). But due to the complete chaos and lack of organization, the RD should be fired. Despite this being an inaugural event, too many things went wrong to excuse this mess.

The views, spectators, and fellow runners were wonderful, but the organization was terrible. I expected a lot from an ING Georgia Marathon, but apparently they're not the same people who conduct the ING NY Marathon; if so, it would have been a lot better. In fact, I just ran my first marathon in November, which was small, but holistically it put this one to shame. Anyhow, onto my complaints: Not enough bathrooms; not enough water stations in the beginning of the run; no cups at some of the water stations; no sports drinks during the race or even at the end of the race, despite the fact that PowerAde was the sponsor and they advertised it along the way; no food throughout the race, except at the end (even then it was completely inadequate); and last, on two occasions I was forced to wait for traffic. All in all, ING Georgia Marathon needs to get their act together. I wouldn't recommend this marathon to anyone.

I was so excited to run this marathon! I love running in Atlanta and while hilly, the course is awesome. They need to get a corral system like Chicago so that people don't have to enter from the back and push through the crowds to the front; I had to listen to people laughing at the thought of a 5:30 marathon as they pushed ahead. Start was great, until I missed the first water station and couldn't get over by the time I realized it was there. The second water station was two tables with no cups and volunteers struggling to find something. Then there was no water again until we hit Decatur; several water stops were missing. None of them had PowerAde. I was extremely dehydrated and the water that I did get had been baking in the sun, which made it hard to get any kind of fuel down. Many water stops didn't have cups. If not for the awesome spectators setting up their own stations, I may have stopped before the finish. I was proud to cross the finish line, but frustrated that I could have done better with more support. And I have to mail my chip in, there was no one around to take that. (And I finished within the supported time). The last few miles left me crossing most streets on my own, though I was still well within the time limit. I want to see this marathon succeed; please, please support this better next year! It's one that I would run annually!

The Ups
The course: Hilly but scenic...I trained on the course and never got tired of the scenery....do your training on hills and you will be fine!

The spectators: Awesome - this was a case of quality over quantity....many of them stepped up to the plate with aid..ice..gatorade...cold sponges...even food!

The Downs
Aid: Non-existent aid for those of us in the middle to back of pack. The race organizers announced over the PA at the start of the race for people planning to be on the course over 4 hours need to switch to drinking Powerade only....kind of hard when it wasn't even offered. For a race with a seven hour time limit...they should have been prepared for the slower masses.

Weather: Okay, I am a local and I know our weather is terribly unpredictable this time of year...BUT our 10 day forecast was calling for the temperature we got! It was a record high of 87 - our car read 91 in the sun at noon! Why on earth they didn't make 100% sure they were ready for the heat was beyond me! No ice...no powerade...no water sprays...nothing...borderline reckless.

All that said...I will run the race again next year for I need to redeem myself. I am a 5 time marathon and Ironman Triathlon finisher and the race handed me my first ever DNF!! At mile 18 my legs cramped...I stopped sweating....got extremely dizzy and resembled a salt lick...I was done.

Even with my humbling and heartbreaking experience...I would recommend the race to anyone. My advice....carry your own supplies ;)

This course was a bit of a surprise with all the hills. It was a real roller coaster. I'm used to training on hills and actually enjoy some during a marathon. However, the elevation chart provided on the ING Georgia marathon website is very difficult to find. The race organization needs to be upfront and state clearly to runners that this course is not for novices. Its a bit challenging. But overall, I was pleasantly surprised by all of the beautiful neighborhoods and mansions.

The second surprise and a biggie was that ING needs to learn how to provide H2O and sports beverages for runners, especially on a challenging course and on a very hot day. While a Race Director can not control the weather, they should have known a few days in advance that it was going to be very hot and that they would need ample water. Its a bit perplexing to me because ING sponsors New York, Miami, Amsterdam and several more and generally does a good job. How could they not have sufficient water stops (with tables on both sides of the street) and sufficient water and PowerAde? I heard runners complaining at about mile 8. The stations were too far apart (not 1-2 miles) and they ran out of vitally important hydration beverages. Also, what was very strange to me was that not only did they run out, they actually went out of they way to post numerous signs on the course that PowerAde and Publix water were right ahead. What false advertising! This was my 25th marathon and that has never happened (well maybe Paris). ING should know better. Hopefully, they will get this right in the future.

Besides that faux pas, people were very nice, Atlanta was a very clean city, The Aquarium was great and the tech shirt is one of the better ones I have received. Thank you!

I ran the Half Marathon, and really enjoyed the scenic and challenging route. Given the heat expected on race day, I was very disappointed to find no PowerAde, particularly towards the end of this race when it was most needed. Also, the number of water stations was inadequate and they ones that were set up were not well organized, too crowded with runners.

Given the number of runners, the race starting area should have been better marked, besides the one big banner at the actual starting line. Many people around me, including myself, were questioning whether we were in the right place to start the race, we were too far back to see the starting line banner.

Only saw one group of port-a-johns near the start, and the lines were too long to wait in, I ended up running the entire race with a semi-full bladder.

One last area that needs improvement is the packet pick-up. I waited for over an hour Friday to pick up my race packet. The line outside the Apparel Mart was ridiculously long with no one around to advise about wait time, etc. Once inside the building, I found the organization to be even less impressive. The line divisions by number were only marked behind the tables, and the lines were so long, no one knew which line matched the corresponding bib number group. Also, there appeared to be only two people at each number group, one pulling bibs, and the other pulling chips, making for a very slow process.

I realize this was an inagural event for Atlanta, but ING sponsors the same race in many other cities, so they are not inexperienced race organizers. They should seriously consider consulting or partnering with the Atlanta Track Club for help with next year's race.

How does a race in a major city with major sponsorship make such basic and dangerous mistakes? With an inaugural race some 'kinks' always need to be ironed out but these errors were major and easily avoidable. Your local (volunteer) 5k race director could have avoided most of them.
There are two ways to put runners at high risk of major injury or death: poor control of the roads and inadequate hydration. The streets were well controlled by the local police authorities (they were outstanding). The water/Powerade situation was a disgrace but more importantly, extremely dangerous! Being the home of Coca Cola, this city should have had Powerade flowing down the streets. Here are a few of the errors: one-table water stops, missed water stops, no cups, no water, no sports drink, giving out gels with no water stop right behind it, no electroyte drink (or even Cokes) at the end of the race, and many more. With the thousands of articles written over the last 5 years regarding race hydration and hyponatremia, one would expect (especially when one pays good money) every race to be over-prepared in this aspect.

Some less important mistakes:
1. This is a convention city; get a bigger room for the expo. Don't make the number pick-up so crowded and annoying.
2. Separate the half marathoners at the beginning and do a better job of moving them to one side at the end.
3. Have mile markers for the half marathon (their lack is just bush league)
4. Have a group of volunteers near the bag pick up to answer questions and direct people. (sit them in high chairs like at Falcons' games)

Like the ING New York marathon, I think this race needs to partner with the local track club (ATC). I have no vested interest in the ATC but they seem to know how to put on a major/large race in this city.

There is no way any race team can control the weather, so you should always plan for hot humid weather, like it was for us. The spectators were the best; they all had their dogs out, their water hoses out to give us refreshment, and their kids cheering. The neighborhoods were also beautiful. The volunteers who worked this marathon, the police, firefighters, were so friendly and helpful. One of the best parts was crossing the finish line and having an ice cold Coke. Any problems they will work out for next year. They really seemed to want this to be a good experience. The heat just made it hard to enjoy, but hey, I finished it.... One more state checked off my list.

This was my 2nd marathon and while I enjoyed running through the intown nice neighborhoods, it was obvious that there was a huge disconnect with the race director and her staff. Yes, I fell into the same category as some of the other runners; there was no PowerAde available and some water stations either didn't have water or they had run out of cups. I felt sorry for the volunteers at these stations, having to tell everyone that they were out. I too thought this would be a much higher caliber race and expected more at the expo. I feel for the race director, as all of the press coverage - including Atlanta's wonderfully political AJC - was pretty brutal on her. However, everything written was accurate, according to my experience. Ultimately I love Atlanta and will continue to support a great initiative such as bringing an ING marathon to our town. It can only get better from here.

The expo and the goodies were good (esp. the technical shirt). Overall, I enjoyed the half-marathon - great course, good crowd support. My 2 biggest complaints: 1. There didn't seem to be any PowerAde on the course despite references in the event materials and even signage on the course. Not sure if it was because I was in the back of the pack and they'd run out, but I definitely wished I had brought my own. 2. There was very little signage for the half. Even though I'm an Atlanta resident, and am familiar with the area, it was still a little disconcerting.