I live in one of the neighborhoods that the course passes through so (1) I have the advantage of training on these hills so they weren't so bad to me, and (2) I had several people along the route to boost my morale.

This was my first official marathon and I did it in 4:12, way better than I expected. However, this means I don't really have anything to compare to. I did run the Country Music Marathon in Nashville last year but the race was shut down due to tornadoes and I, along with a lot of other people, got diverted at mile 22 to the finish...so it counts in that I experienced the expo, organization, and most of the course. But I didn't run the whole 26.2 so it doesn't count a whole marathon. In any event, I thought this event was well organized. The bag drop off was great. Unlike some others, I really dug all the hills!

There are only a few things I'd change.

1. Centennial Olympic Park is way too partitioned off, making it hard to get to the bag drop or the porta-potties, or to LEAVE the park to get on MARTA.

2. I would prefer not to run 2+ miles through Druid Hills. Sure, the homes are lovely but it's kind of boring. This might be because I live in Candler Park, which is just south of Druid Hills, and run through Druid Hills all the time. But to go down Lullwater, then up Oakdale, then down Springdale was just a bit too much Druid Hills.

3. I REALLY don't like the out-and-back through Piedmont Park. Nobody likes an out-and-back and I think the course could instead wind through Midtown or Ansley Park before cutting through Piedmont Park to head towards GATech.

But those are my only criticisms. I was happy with the course support and fans are always a nice perk.

Some people complain about corral jumpers but I have never been any race where this is well-controlled. I think so long as the elites are protected then it's good.

This is my second GA marathon and this one was better than the first one only because I wasn't caught off guard with regards to the number of hills. They just don't stop! I would have rated this marathon a 5 star but due to the sheer number of hills I had to award only 4 stars.
The expo was great! There were a large number of vendors and packet pick-up was organized and quick.
Pre-race refreshments were available if you needed a small pick-me-up before the race began. Gear check was very well organized and fast. My chief complaint was that there were not enough porta potties for the number of runners.
Make sure you train on hills for this race because the hills are one right after the other. The course winds through some really beautiful areas of Atlanta and it is nice to be able to see these are.as on foot as opposed to how we usually get to see them from our cars. This race had some of the most enthusiastic volunteers I have ever encountered at a race. They were amazing throughout the entire course! As for the post race refreshments, there was plenty as long as you finished quickly enough. I have heard that they ran out of refreshments and some finishers didn't get anything at all! That is inexcusable but it the only really big hiccup in an otherwise well run race. Before I forget, the hardware was so pretty! It made up for a rather plain shirt. However I was pleased to see that the shirt was made by a company that makes their shirts from 100% recycled polyester and I have to say they are very soft and comfortable.
The overall experience is an A. I would give it an A+ if it weren't for the food shortages and all those pesky hills!

I ran this race when it was first established in 2007. I had such a bad experience (out of water/gatorade on a very hilly challenging course) that, despite being a local race, I swore I would never return. That is until last year when I was tempted by the low entry fee 'registration blitz'. I had heard the race improved over the past few years so I decided to give it one more try.
The course was modified (different start/finish) and support was excellent. There were many water stops and they all had plenty of water this time. Packet pick-up at the expo was efficient and fast. The spectators were very good considering lack of accessibility to course from downtown area due to road closures and lack of MARTA service.
Although this marathon has potential to be great, it's not quite there yet. The organizers appear to cater to the half-marathoners. When I finished, I saw halfers hoarding fistfuls of post-race food. They pretty much pillaged the food leaving limited selections for the marathoners. Despite being a top 250 marathon finisher overall, the food was well picked-over alreadyI feel bad for the later finishers that were left scraps to eat. It would be nicer if organizers had separate food bags/tables reserved for the marathoners who really need it more.
The shirts were poor quality (screen print image on front 'fuzzy', looks cheap) and were quite large. It would be helpful for size selection to know if womens sizing is available or if all shirts unisex.
I hope to see this race continue to improve.

my one minor complaint (and i have to risk sounding like a bad guy here) was the wheelchair support bikes- they needed some more training. I know what they are there for, and i have run many-many races and respect the right of wheelchair athletes to share the course, but twice i was cut off - once by the athlete, and once by the bikes. I gladly moved to the right of the yellow line to allow the procession pass with room, but as soon as the road went uphill (just as they passed me) they came across the line into the lane i was told to run in, causing me to swerve/slow down. The second time i said something to the bikes about staying to the left of the line if the runners were told to move to the right and got a snippy reply that 'wheelchair athletes have as much a right to course as i do'. Ok, fine, then they also have the right to dodge and weave through runners who are going slower than they are, just like i have to - i dont have a procession clearing my way. And i truly dont want that, its safety issue when a wheelchair athlete is coming down the hill much faster than runners, and a warning should be given. But on the other hand, the support crew should respect the progress of runners and not veer into their path as they slow down uphill either.

This is a great course if you want to see what you can do with tough hills. The aid stations are well provisioned and the spectators are awesome.

Given the sponsor you'd think the food at the end would be great but that's only true if you came across the line at the right time. I've seen pictures of people carrying around shopping bags of goodies. That would have been nice!

This is, as has been said before, not an easy run, but it's great training for Boston. The organization, volunteers and course were all fantastic, and the people of Atlanta cheered us all on. Having the expo at the Georgia Dome was nice, giving us plenty of room on the playing field for packet pickup and the expo. Due to injury, I had to follow the half marathoners rather than completing the full. I will be back to make up for this in 2012.

The VIP option this year was great. I got to park near start/finish, and had breakfast and after-run food in the Chamber of Commerce Building - well worth the money just for the parking.

I loved the course, volunteers and spectators. But how can a marathon sponsored by Publix run out of food? There was no food or PowerAde at the finish line for marathoners. I heard that the volunteers were telling the half-marathoners there was "too much" food. I know the half marathoners outnumbered the marathoners by quite a bit, but honestly, that needs to be much better planned. And I am a sub-4 marathoner... it's not like I crossed the finish line 6-7 hours after the start.

I don't know if the title sponsor change had anything to do with it, or they are just hitting their stride, but the organization, water stops, and MEDAL were all improved. The shirt isn't anything special but we got a decent tech shirt, and the medal is much nicer.

The course is hilly (not the hilliest I have run, but top five) but very nice for a downtown course. Decatur was a pretty run and the signs are a hoot.

I wish they would have allowed a charge to mail the packet. I had schedule conflicts and had to get the form notarized to allow someone else to pick up my packet.

Spectators are enthusiastic and plentiful in general, though sparse for a "big city" marathon. Atlanta hasn't quite embraced this race as its own yet. Know that if coming in.

I will keep running it as long as they have the super early, super cheap registration blitz. Who can resist?

I have run the half twice and I like the course for 2011 over the previous course from 2009. Since I live in Atlanta, the hills are not a huge deal - but they are there! Packet pick up was a breeze when I went on Friday afternoon, but I did see some post on the organizers' Facebook page about terrible traffic later that day. ING is no longer sponsoring this race. It is now Publix. My biggest complaint was the lack of food by the time I finished. There were only pretzels, bananas and milk. Since not everyone drinks milk, they should have provided some type of sports drink at the finish. If Publix is going to continue to sponsor this race, they need to make sure there is an adequate supply of food beyond two hours.

The Georgia Marathon is not an easy marathon - by road marathon standards, it's pretty hilly and they just keep coming; but if you're cool with that, there is no better way to tour some of the cooler neighborhoods of our great city.

Beautiful finisher award, tons of support, and lots of roadside fans, including locals passing out goodies from their homes. True Southern hospitality.

The shirts blew this year, but shirts usually do. But who really cares about swag - it's the experience - and Publix did a good job as the main sponsor, the organizers drove it home, and the volunteers were awesome.