I ran a half-marathon this year. This being my first race, I didn't know what to expect. I was pretty happy with the facilities and the trail. There were 3-4 points along the trail that had a high incline, but they were manageable. Crowd support was great, even though it was raining a bit. But it was perfect weather for running - mid 50s and just a little rain to keep things cool enough. I've already registered for a full marathon for 2011.

Lets start with the course. It was modified for 2010 so that the marathon runners were not having to deal with the half-marathon runners in the last 2-3 miles. In doing so there were a number of new hills on the course and the dog leg section in Piedmont Park that caused a bit of confusion with the runners (and a disqualification.) Bring back the old marathon course!! Find another way to separate the half and full runners.
The new starting corrals worked out great.
Course support seemed to be better then in years past, even with the possibility of rain in the forecast.
The finishers medal for the marathon was a bit small and lackluster. Hey there were only 3,000 of us compared to over 12,000 half marathon runners; how about a better medal? We paid more and ran twice as far.
Also how about some powerade / energy drink at the finish? Also it seemed that the family hook-up area was not setup.
The expo was good and packet pickup was smooth. I also volunteered at the expo and packet pickup so I was able to share my experience as a runner with the volunteer captains to make it run smoother.
I have been told that ING will not be returning as the title sponsor, but the race is still a go for 2011. (I have already registered for 2011.)
This was my fourth running of the ING marathon and they are getting better and better each year. The local news sources gave out plenty of warning to the locals about traffic issues and the coverage locally seemed to be better than before.
BTW, I qualified for 2011 Boston and 2010 and 2011 NYC at this years run. It is possible, despite the new hills on the course.
Overall, a great race.. Good organization; the half marathon course is great, the full is OK; and spectator support is being to grow.

Ran Atlanta to check off Georgia. This was my 43rd marathon, so I kind of dismiss the criticism of those that have run just a couple. Yes, there were hills, but every course is different. If you want steady and flat, stick to the treadmill.

Positives: 1) Expo: Very easy in-and-out. Kind of boring. 2) Logistics: Easy to get to Atlanta. Hotels close to start and finish.

Negatives: 1) Mixture: This is a half marathon (4:1 ratio), with marathoners thrown in. 2) Medal: Same medal for the marathoners and half marathoners. I may sound like a 7 year-old, but I do keep my medals and getting the same one, for doing twice as much, seem lame. 3) Shirt: Another boring WHITE 'tech' shirt. Just what I need - another white shirt. Also - waiting for the 'tech' shirt craze to die so I can go back to good old cotton. 4) Hype: You had to really look to notice that a marathon was going on in town. No one seemed to care. 5) Corals: Yeah, it was tight, but I got into my coral just fine. I agree with the lack of control. With every race there are those that are way too far at the start. I was in 'C' - with approximately the 3:30 crowd and saw many walkers. Can't blame this completely on race organizers. People are just silly and this isn't unique to Atlanta. I certainly wouldn't jump into coral one and get in front of the Kenyans.

Overall: I expected more from ING. I have better memories of races much smaller.

I was told when I signed on at another race expo that it was a course with rolling hills, so I knew what to expect. I was surprised at how easy everything else connected with the event was. I was able to get a nice hotel room 3 weeks before the race right on the start and finish line. The room was not very expensive at all ( big plus). The expo was within a short walking distance in the Georgia Dome, a place that easily handles large crowds. Food and entertainment are close by as well. The course in addition to being hilly is scenic and the crowds supportive. I would recommend this as a quality event at reasonable prices.

I read several concerning reviews on this website about the prior years races. I needed to get a March marathon in and this was the closest to home so I gave it a shot. The 2010 event was my first Georgia Marathon and from the looks of this, the race director did an outstanding job fixing all the prior issues noted. The organization was overall outstanding. Starting at the Expo, the flow was well laid out. I walked right up and picked up my my packet, no issues and no wait. Excellent turnout by some very good vendors at the Expo. Found parking across the street from the Georgia Dome for $5. The layout at the starting area was perfect. The gear check was as smooth as I've ever seen. After the race was over, I walked up to the tent and a volunteer had my bag ready and waiting for me (saw me approaching at a distance). At the start of the race had less than a 3 minute wait for the port-a-johns and this was just 20 minutes before the start. These were very close to the start corals. The race started on time !!! With about 16,000 runners it took about a minute for me to reach the start line. The first couple of miles were slow (but that's a good way to start a marathon if you want to finish strong). Lots of volunteer support at the finish line. A very nice looking medal. Plenty of food at the end - apples, bananas, water, candy, cookies. Loved the yogurts.

The course - WOW! Hilly, but I loved this course. I entered this race as a long easy run in preparation for Boston and had no expectations of a PR type time. The course went through some of Atlanta's finest neighborhoods and housing. The enthusiasm and signage in Decatur was great. Very scenic course. The race was a little congested at the start. Once the half marathoners split off at mile 7 it was really nice. We ran through several colleges. Georgia Tech was near the end of the course as was Piedmont Park. When the two courses joined back around mile 24, there was a barrier in the center of the road to separate the runners so we were not slowed down at all by the half marathoners. There was some light rain during the race, but not enough to effect anything. I finished within 5 minutes of my typical marathon time.

Overall this was a great race and would highly recommend this ! The race directors certainly addressed prior years critics and made this one of the best marathon experiences I have had.

This race was super. The course was tough, the organizers were enthusiastic and well prepared, and the spectators were gracious. While there were a lot of people running (the combined marathon/half marathon), it wasn't so big that you couldn't keep your own pace. I would highly recommend this race.

This was the hilliest marathon I have run to date. I stayed at the Omni Hotel, right across the street. Perfect. My first Georgia Marathon, and I was worried about all of the complaints from before; but I never saw any of them materialize. Either they listened, or there was a bunch of complainers before. Thanks for the great time.

Way to go GA!! This race is finally turning into what it should have been when they launched it 4 yrs ago! I've run 8 fulls, 7 half, and ran ING full in 2008 as well. That year the start and the finish left much to be desired. I ran the full this year - figured there's no travel costs so what the heck. Wow, huge improvements! The start was slick as could be - well organized corrals, gatorade and water available pre-race, large maps of where things were in the park, helpful volunteer tents. Yea! The course support was stellar. It was a 'misty moisty morning' so I was amazed how many folks were out on their lawns cheering. The police and fire officer presence was stellar. The course runs through quite a few major intersections - the officers did a stellar job at traffic control - I always felt safe! The course is hilly as all heck... not a secret - but I still think they could make a few tweaks to a few of the killer ones. The new course end splitting the half and full marathoners was a brilliant idea! The finish - well, I bonked badly on this one, so was in the back of the pack. That said, I was in a full hour before course close and most of the vendors/sponsors had all packed up :( sad. There was ample food to be had though - so that was well done! The only thing that really needs improvement - the half and full marathons both got THE SAME MEDAL. Seriously! It says 'ING GA Marathon and Half Marathon' - Same ribbon too. What the heck?!? The medals were one really good thing the race had going for it in previous years. When I run a full, I want a medal that shows it! Other than that though, solid race - unlike in 2008, this year, I do recommend it to fellow runners!

From the previous comments I was a little apprehensive about entering this race; but I need not have worried.

For the expo on Saturday, I parked at the Georgia Dome and was pleased to find that there were instruction sheets on how to get from the parking garage, up to the 8th level, across the lot, down the escalator and voila! Without these I would have been forced to continuously ask for directions. It took me all of 2 minutes to pick up my number, which left me plenty of time to shop around; but since I didn't get much rest the night before, I went straight back to my hotel.

I stayed at the Baymont Suites which is just over a half mile from Centennial Olympic park and the walk there gave me a glimpse of the hills to come. The start area was well organized and there was a large map with directions on how to reach your assigned corral. I noticed that many runners disregarded the instructions and when the race started, they were still milling about trying to find where they should be. As with all large races, I recommend getting there at least a half hour early to make sure you don't stress about getting to the line.

This is by no means a mountainous course; but it only seemed to be flat in one portion. At mile 5 there is a four lane road divided by a median and the right side was so crowded that some runners, myself included, ran on the left side where there are a lot fewer runners; but the elevation is about 20 feet higher than the right side which forced me to work harder than necessary early in the race.

Out of the approximately 18,000 runners, only 2,000 were signed up for the full marathon. I tend to use other runners to help me maintain a pace; so, it was a bit disconcerting to see most of the people I had been pacing for the first part turn off at mile 7 for the half. Between mile 7 and 8 I got my first challenging hill. It begins steep and even after it levels off a bit, the elevation continues to climb. This happened again around mile 16 and eventually I was forced to stop and walk. Due to the warnings from previous comments I intentionally did my training runs on hills; but mentally I had to take a break. My legs weren't tired and I didn't hit the wall. Any other day I would have fought through the tough parts but not this race.

The water stations and neighborhoods were great. With the rain on race day I figured no one would be out; but there were all kinds of people out to lend their support. All in all, I would do this race again but need to make sure that I am better rested beforehand.

I love this course, as there are plenty of hills throughout the marathon. Since I hate flat courses, I find this ING route to be ideal. Having just run the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham about 4 weeks ago, I found the ING course in Atlanta to be easier to run since it has hills that help prevent overuse of the same leg muscles.

The crowd support was good throughout the aid stations, and the finish line was a great experience.

If you gauge a race by how much it improves upon itself from year to year, the ING (soon to be relabeled) Georgia Marathon is a rising star.

Again, though, if you don't like running large and frequent hills, you may want to skip this one.