I ran the half marathon and thought the race was a lot of fun. The weather could not have been better (about 54 at the start and cloudy). The course was beautiful but there are a lot of hills at the end of the course which makes for a challenge. There were plenty of water stations and volunteers but the crowd support was light compared to other races I have done. My only complaint was at the end of the race I was trying to hook up with a fiend that was also running the race and it was next to impossible to find him. Other races I have been to have a family reunion area which has signs listed A to Z. I assumed they would have one here and we said we would meet at P. Well, there was no reunion location and therefore no P so we eventually found each other after looking around for nearly 30 mins. I thought the expo was nice but it closed too early on Saturday. I live locally and wasn't about to face Atlanta traffic on Friday afternoon to go to the expo. After my kids sporting events on Saturday I headed down to the expo and got there around 4pm. It closed at 6pm so I didn't have a long time to browse around. Overall it was a great time and I would recommend the race.

Move over, Boston, because this was a very difficult course. I've read some the previous problems with organization in past years, but I did not see them this year. So much fun! A lot of tough hills, police were great, and the Town of Decatur was great. Overall, a great marathon. Course gets 4 stars because it is almost too tough for flat racers like me. Good JOB!!

Almost all problems were fixed. The only problems that exist are either common or can't be fixed. Common - not enough bathrooms (Happy Cans) at the beginning of the race. But, that is almost always the case at the larger races. Can't be fixed - 'it's Atlanta. It's going to be hilly.' I trained on many hills. But, eventually, there were some flat parts. This race is either going up or going down. Most of the grades going up aren't bad. Some of the grades going down, towards the end of the race, were a bit steep. My quads took a beating. But, like I said, there is virtually no flat running. There is maybe a cumulative total of 2 miles (that's generous) of flat roads. Now, that being said, EVERYTHING else was wonderfully run. The EXPO, aid stations, traffic control, corrals, etc... were all smoothly operated. The course ran past some beautiful homes. And if you never have been to Atlanta, most homes are very unique (not cookie-cutter). It made for a good distraction from the run. Anyway, I've run 9 marathons now and this one is definitely challenging (unless you live in the area and are used to the constant grades). Great job!!

I ran this race in 2009 and volunteered in 2008. Both times I was struck with how poorly organized it was. The organizers haven't figured out how to arrange the start area. The paths to get into the corrals are too narrow and become completely gridlocked starting about 20 minutes before the race. I saw this both years. When I ran the race, I never even got into a corral before the race started. And with all the confusion, it shouldn't come as any surprise that the corrals aren't enforced. If you've ever tried to run for a marathon PR when thousands of 3-hour half-marathoners have started in front of you, you know it isn't fun. Big problem.

The organization for volunteers was even worse. There was no hierarchy of supervisors. There was only one woman who seemed to know what was going on, and every volunteer was trying to find out what to do. I was finally told to go to an intersection to direct people, but I wasn't given a map or told where anything was, so I couldn't really answer any questions. Eventually, runners were getting really frustrated because none of the volunteers knew anything. I can't really blame them. Big problem.

That said, I did enjoy myself when I ran it. The race course is really good and showcases a lot of Atlanta - great for out-of-towners. I did make my PR, but missed 3:30 by less than a minute. I can't help but wonder if I could have done that if not for the problems at the start.

A couple other notes:
-The half marathon and marathon courses rejoin at mile 20, so you have to share the road with people who have taken the same amount of time to travel 7 miles. You will have to dodge in and out over the last 6 miles.
-From mile 23 to 26, the course is nastily uphill. Prepare yourself!

I just finished another marathon today, so I thought back to my first marathon, the Georgia Marathon. The expo was so much better. Tons of free samples, coupons, and well organized registration lines. I also thought that the weather for the Georgia Marathon was perfect. It was in the 50s or 60s - not too cold and not too hot. I also ran with a pace group, which worked out well for my first marathon. I really liked the bounty of food at the end of the race.

I just ran the half-marathon - my first ever, might I add?!?! My bib was 43787, and I have to say that the course was nothing like I thought it would be. It was BETTER!!! The hills... OMG!!! I trained in southern Arizona where the altitude was just shy of a mile. While it helped to be used to the higher elevation, the hills were a killer! This was a very good and beautiful run! As far as the gear check, I couldn't tell you if it was good or not, as I didn't use it. I knew that I would warm up while running and would be one of the first people to strip down - no point in that! The water stations (and couple of beer stations) were great!
Would I do this again? Heck yeah!!!

I ran the marathon in the inaugural year, and there were many problems with organization then. The next year, I decided to volunteer, hoping I could make a difference instead of just complaining about it. There were still problems but at least they had plenty of water and GU, which was my biggest complaint the previous year.

This year, I ran the half and was really disappointed. There seemed to be enough water stations but no GU. The start and finish were a train wreck with very little direction of where to go at the start and a narrow crowded finish that seemed more suitable for a small-town 5K than an ING marathon. The bag-check and the start was hard to find (no signs). After asking several people, I found "bag check" and it was nothing more than a field with bags piled up according to bib number - NO SECURITY whatsoever. (Given the dangerous area of town the start and finish are in, I would expect some security to at least shoo off the street people.) I found the start and had to jump over a barrier into a corral (I have no idea what the corral number was). There were not enough bathrooms at the start or along the course.

The course itself is great and the crowds are pretty good, given the weather (cold and cloudy - good for running but not for watching). My only complaint on the course is that there are too many turns in the last 4 miles, which is really hard on your legs and joints after all of the hills.

The course and the crowds make it a good race. The organization has consistently been poor. The website is a joke, with no course map or instructions regarding the start and finish. I also hate that you are forced to go to an expo downtown and pay $10 to park.

The people presenting of the 2009 ING Georgia Marathon simply don't understand.

They didn't understand that we don't want to hear some mouthpiece blab incessantly at the start. We want music. We want a beat we can get lost in that will carry us to the next music stage we pass. Unfortunately, they didn't have many of them either, and when they did, we found them on the side of the road in the dirt.

They didn't understand that signage is a good thing when trying to find your starting corral, or, oh yeah, even the starting line.

They didn't understand that people need toilets - lots of them. Pairs of them dotted along the course, which left runners waiting for upwards of 15 minutes.

They didn't understand that gels are good things.

They didn't understand that, if you needed a toilet after the finish line, they were not only overflowing, but were corralled off so that you had to traverse the entire length of the park to get back to the food.

They didn't understand that to get to the food you had to walk down hill and then back up again. They didn't understand that inclines sometimes hurt after running.

They didn't understand that getting a foil blanket marked "2007" is not a souvenir that we would want to keep. They didn't understand that homeless people might have liked the leftovers to keep them warm two years ago.

The course was awesome. Make no mistake: the hills were there almost from the start. Atlanta is an awesome town and hosted well. Great police and crowd support.

The race director should run this race and do so as the last runner to finish. That way their team of perpetrators will perhaps, just perhaps, begin to understand.

This was my 10th marathon. Like many have said, the course is beautiful but hilly. Just be prepared. In summary:

Expo was great. Loved the shirt!

The start was disorganized. I hated the bag "check in" - I did not want to leave anything in that swampy tent unsupervised. Corrals were a joke. I couldn't find my corral, but then realized no one was in their correct corral.

The course was beautiful. I was happy to see the half-marathoners part at mile 7, unlike some marathons where they part at mile 13. The volunteers at the water stops were awesome! I loved the concept of the kids running with you at the end, but the kids ended up darting in and out all around you. Not fun after you've been running 4 hours and just want the race over!

Not posting official times until mid-afternoon Monday was a joke! For a race that size, they should have been posted on Sunday.

Positives: Aid station volunteers. People of Atlanta were hospitable and enthusiastic. The expo was great - especially the Mizuno booth.

Negative: Organization from start to finish. No race day map and/or instructions included. I felt rushed through all major intersections. They actually had volunteers asking runners to hurry! No gels at the aid stations. No food at the finish. Water at the finish was 100 yards away. There were no volunteers at the start/finish to assist with directions. Bags that were checked in were soaked with rain water when picked up - clothes and personal items were ruined. If you were a 4+ hour marathoner, it felt as if you were an afterthought! Mizuno, ING and other sponsors should seek accountability from the race director. I hope positive changes will be made for next year.