Having run Eugene twice, I was amazed at the improvements they made. The course was better, and the start and finish were as good as any marathon I have done, which is 17 different marathons.

The greening of the event was a huge success, and the volunteer shirts were a throw-back to the 60's in tie-dye that really stood out.

The things I would change would be changing the finish to Historic Hayward Field and letting the runners finish on the fabled track. I would also have a waved start to limit the congestion since the walkers and slower runners seem to congregate at the front of the pack.

I give the Eugene Marathon very high marks and would recommend it to anyone who wants a great destination marathon with a small-town feel.

Helluva race! This was my first marathon and I WILL BE BACK next year to do it again!

LOVED: the beautiful course, great spectators (that HUGE church group at South Eugene HS mile six-ish, the silly dressed fellas at Regis HS mile 20-ish), massive number of porta-potties at the finish, ample pre-race shuttles from Autzen to the start, plenty of aid stations, wonderful pacers (the 4:15 pacer was an angel - she saved me at mile 20 and easily gained me 15 minutes with her words of encouragement), great spectators, my family could see me at Valley River Center (mile 18) and then walk the bridge across the river to mile 22 to see me twice and park just once, the insta-results printout they gave me at the finish (you had to look for the tent, but it was there) they gave me a receipt with my finish time, and the weather really cooperated - it was gorgeous.

Could have loved MORE: more on-course entertainment (they advertised a whole lot of acts, but all I can recall is a jazzy trio in a Springfield parking lot and a boom box in a front yard around Eugene), and the big traffic backup at 6-630 a.m. to get into the Autzen parking lot - that had me really worried that I would be late.... Why not open a couple of entries into the massive parking lot to ease congestion?

Please, please come join me next year in 2009. This was my first, and just like the first time I had sex, I can't wait to do it again!!!

I've run marathons all over the country... and until Eugene '08, I thought nothing could compare with Boston. I was wrong. Eugene is the Boston of the west - great fans and a better course!!!

Overall, I got what I came for: a fast course and a big PR. However, there were certainly both positives and negatives.

Communicating with the race director and staff: In the months before the race, I sent two e-mails to the race staff with questions. Both e-mails went unanswered. However, the race director was walking around during the pre-race expo, as well as at the finish line right after the race, and was very receptive to face-to-face questions and suggestions. In fact, in the finishers' area he actually asked me how my race went (it went well).

Host hotel: The rooms at the Hilton are really nice and it is particularly convenient to stay at the same place that the expo and pasta dinner are in - especially if you are trying to stay off your feet the day before the race.

However, their customer service is lacking. They charge so-called "guests" to park in their garage. They somehow managed to deactivate my room key during my stay, and they are located in the very noisy downtown area (drunk revelers outside, yelling at 2 a.m.). If a decent night's sleep is very important to you and you are a light sleeper (like me), I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

For an upscale hotel that is in the same building at the marathon's expo and pasta dinner, however, this was a decent deal (I'm used to seeing $200 dollars and up at other marathons and this was only $124), but I still think I will not be staying here next time I do the race.

Expo: Fine. Small, and they route you across the room to get your shirt and then across the room again to get your chip and number (I'm trying to stay off my feet here!), but the volunteers were helpful and there was a reasonable selection of organizations and vendors for a race of this size. Plus, I picked up a good pair of running shorts for $10.

Starting line: This was very good. Plenty of roads nearby to warm up on; there were enough porta-potties so that the lines were reasonable (about a 5-minute wait); there was an entertaining announcer yapping about who knows what; and there was plenty of space in the starting corral, making it easy to seed yourself appropriately.

The course: Just as the other reviews say, this course is FAST. There is a mild climb in the second mile and a more significant one at mile 7, but they are both pretty short and the rest of the course is pretty flat. Assuming you can walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded, this shouldn't affect you too much (it's not quite Chicago, but not too far off).

Most of the race is on a bike path. This is good and bad - good in that the course is scenic and peaceful, being away from cars and urban life. Also, it is mostly shaded, with the tree cover over much of the course. However, it can be bad in that, if you run negative splits and pass people late in the race, you may have some dodging to do. Also, the path is not closed to the public, so there was the occasional dodging of a cyclist, and this one guy who seemed unaware of pretty much everything. A good portion (not sure how much as I wasn't really paying attention) is on concrete. That's not good. It didn't affect me during the race, but after I finished, the bottoms of my feet were REALLY hurting.

The pacer situation was disappointing. The website promised certain pace groups, but one or two backed out or were no-shows, and at least one other went out way too fast. I, myself, have paced marathons before and I know it's not easy, but these problems were avoidable.

The crowd support was EXCELLENT for a race of this size. Lots of folks came out to cheer and many had well-informed and useful suggestions like "work together" and "stay relaxed." It was like having a large team of coaches along the course. While I really appreciate people who show up and cheer the runners on, Eugene's spectators were lightyears ahead of the typical fans yelling "almost there" at mile 18.

Finish line: The finish line was OK. I didn't run it last year, but I heard it was much improved. Some people here have complained about the food, but I found the food to be completely adequate. Then again, I was one of the faster people in the race, so I finished when there was still some left. Also, I always put my own recovery drink (Endurox) in my gear-check bag, so I have post-race nutrition either way. I heard there were supposed to be Subway sandwiches, but I never saw them. Even as a reasonably fast marathoner, I'm going to show up much later than the the majority of the half marathoners. I'm not sure if they got to the sandwiches first or they never existed. Then again, I shouldn't really complain. I was nauseated enough at the finish (I sometimes get that way after hard-run marathons) that I wouldn't have been able to eat a sandwich anyway. Plus, the other food was plentiful.

One thing that really bugged me was the lack of a clock in my finishing photos. I ran my fastest marathon ever and I wanted photographic proof. I was too concerned with other things (celebrating my PR and getting something to eat and drink) after I finished to notice, so I don't know if there was a finish clock facing away from the course or not. Either way, the photographers didn't even capture the finish line banner, so, other than the chip mats below my feet and the look of victory on my face; you can't really tell the finishing photos apart from the ones that were taken in the middle of the race. I consider this a fault of both the race organization and the race photographers. Of course, this is a very minor point for most runners.

In summary, if you want a flat, fast course, with decent organization, this is a good place to go. There are some pitfalls, but if you can live with them, go to Eugene. Also, the race organization is always looking to improve, so I suspect these issues will continue to be ironed out as the race matures.

Only negative was the huge backup for parking; they can accommodate 60,000 for football games, so they should be able to accommodate 5,000 for marathon.

We had plenty of food at the finish, the massages were wonderful, the course was beautiful, the fans were great, the volunteers were encouraging, and there was plenty of water. Eugene is the best for a marathon. THANKS TO THE ORGANIZERS AND VOLUNTEERS.

This is a great course, much improved from 2007. The organization was okay, but lacking in some areas. The support for the back-of-the-pack runners/walkers was almost non-existent.

Coming across the Autzen Footbridge between mile 25 and 26, there were hordes of people walking in the other direction, carrying armloads of food and drink from the finish line. When I got to the finish, I really needed 2 things: a porta-potty, and something to eat. The porta-potty was out of paper and the food was non-existent. If the course is to be open for 8 hours, it seems reasonable to assume that there would still be something there for those of us coming in that late, especially after seeing so many people who seemed to be spectators (rather than participants) carrying food away from the finish.

The Second Annual Eugene Marathon was better than the first. The course was re-routed to avoid a residential area and to finish line-of-site at Autzen Stadium (instead of having to run around it). Well organized, good weather, good crowd and fun. I PR'd by over 12 minutes. The food and entertainment at the end were fun.

I agree with David. Running a great race truly influences how one feels about the marathon and I had a great race at Eugene. The course is flat and fast. There were numerous, well supplied aid stations with enthusiastic volunteers. I was a little surprised there weren't more spectators, especially on a perfect day.

Spectator support was below average. I felt alone for half of the race along the bike path. Also, we were running into a headwind. Timing mats/results were not 100% accurate (20 mile split was a minute off). The finish line was well organized and plentiful. Entertainment was very good. Participation shirts were great. The expo was average to slightly above average. I was pleased with the opportunity for spectators/family and friends to show their support at various locations without having to log miles and miles. Videos and photos were very good.

Eugene was my fourth marathon. The route is nearly flat after mile 7, and spends the last 12 miles on a wooded path near a river. Beautiful. The somewhat cloverleaf design allows friends/family to see you multiple times. The spectators (though not everywhere) were very enthusiastic in their support. Great volunteers too!

(Very) minor complaints: walkers not starting near back, music not nearly as often as indicated, and I'm not a fan of Gleukos.

Overall: wonderful!