My main complaint with this race is it's really a half marathon event with a small marathon on the side. That was fine and I realized that when I signed up, but for a middle-of-the-pack marathoner, I felt like the party was definitely over by the time I got to the finish. So I left.

Organization was very good, expo was nice, water and food on the course were great; but there weren't that many spectators, especially going through the neighborhoods, there were not enough porta-pots on the course, and the finisher shirt was a plain, old, white t-shirt.

I ran this race for my 29th state because it worked for my schedule, but I would definitely consider other Georgia marathons before this one for the 50 Staters.

This was a well-organized marathon on a challenging course through some of Atlanta's best neighborhoods. The second half has a few more hills than the first, so don't plan on a negative split. Relatively long uphill climb around mile 10 and rolling hills over miles 16 through 19 were fun, but relatively short one on mile 23 was tough on these old legs. The rain kept some of the spectators at home, but the ones who were out there were very enthusiastic. Absolutely no complaints from me about this race.

I have run all 4 of the Georgia Marathons and this one was the best.

This is the third course they have come up with and it's by far the hardest. Miles 16-19.5 or so have always been the same and pretty hard. You used to get a break for a bit...not anymore. The changes this year put you in constant hills for the last 10 miles. Mile 26 seems pretty flat but it is a slight up hill most of the way.

Very tough track, but a really fun event.

Gripes: I ran the half in 2008 and the full in 2009 and 2010. I didn't think it possible, but the change in the course from '09 to '10 actually added hills. I also think the change took out some of the scenic parts as well. The quality of the medal seems to have declined over the years and the t-shirt design this year was about as uninspired as it could be. Having the expo at the GA Dome means you are going to have to walk a good ways from MARTA or pay $10 to park and then walk a good ways. The Dome is not the most accessible place.

Positives: Everything else was fabulous including the start, the finish, the fans, the food, the organization. Maybe those are the things that matter. (If it could just be a tad flatter I'd be happy. It's definitely an endurance test.)

If you have run the half and are thinking of doing the full be warned...there is a huge difference in the course. The half is relatively flat. Read the comments about the hills carefully 'cause they aren't going anywhere!

I agree with the other comments that the race was very well organized. I arrived 45 minutes from start time, parked, and did some warm up near the CNN parking deck. I walked right into Corral B about 10 minutes prior to start and we were off right on time. Could not have been easier. The half marathon course was great, as it winds through some of Atlanta's best neighborhoods. I thought it was only moderately hilly and not too challenging. I will definitely run this race again.

lots of hills, more up than down for some reason but it was actually a fun course. Saw lots of Atlanta and surrounding communities. The spectators,cheering stations and water station folks were great. One of the most organized runs I have ever done and gotta love a race where they had enough port a johns where one did not have to wait in line forever. Not sure what this means for next year but I read that ING was not sponsoring next year.

After reading some of the comments about this race, I was a bit nervous. This was my first marathon and I was afraid about not being able to find the start, or the correct corral, and I was worried about the number of porta potties. I was very pleasantly surprised!

The corrals were easy to find and not too crowded. There seemed to be ample numbers of porta potties, and the race started right on time. I was able to move relatively easily and it took about 10 minutes to cross the start line. It was a bit crowded for the first 7 miles with the half marathoners, and there were long lines for the porta potties before the split- if you're running the full, definitely try and wait until later!

The cheering sections were great despite the bad weather. The course was tough, with rolling hills and one huge one at Mile 23. The only part of the course I didn't like was the out-and-back in the park at Mile 22, but everything else was beautiful. I really got a feel for Atlanta. It was an awesome first marathon experience, and I would recommend it to anyone!

I've run this 3 times and this year was the best in terms of organization; there were lots of water stations, there were no lines at porta-potties on the route, the expo was great, and the start and finish area were wonderful! Good job! As mentioned by another, I also give it a 4 due to toughness of the second, hilly, last half of the marathon. Great, tough run!!

Going into this race, I thought maybe the previous comments about the hills were overstated. I was wrong; they are understated! Miles 19-25 are killer! But this course was awesome! Going through Decatur was my favorite! The crowds were awesome and I loved all of the signs they had along the way. The organization was great - no problems this year like the previous years. I highly recommend this race, but be prepared for the hills - they are tough!

I was worried about the organization of this race based on what I read about previous years. Looks like a lot of improvements were made - I thought it was a well-run event. Great crowd and wonderful volunteers. The rhyming signs all through Decatur made my day! Be prepared for the hills - they just keep coming.