The organization of the event and the enthusiastic volunteers made this marathon a very good experience. However, race directors must change the start. The full marathon, half marathon and 5K all start together. Lots of 5K walkers were at the front and completely clogged the first mile. It seems an easy fix would be to start the marathon at 7, the half at 7:30, and the 5K at 8.

I was looking for a close and cheap marathon. I was not expecting much, but boy was I surprised about the enthusiastic and plentiful water/support stops! They were ALL great! And we didn't need spectators with as many stops as they had. Awesome traffic control, and Army personnel to point out every turn. I would recommend this marathon, not the town.

Stay at the Double Tree downtown. They went above and beyond! They had a FANTASTIC goody bag. Better than the expo. Great room, and served a late breakfast just for me!

The only bad thing is that they ran out of race shirts. But I showed up 45 minutes before closing too.

This challenging race course should be modified so the first five miles are not up the steep mountain to an altitude of 4,700 feet. The elevation already was high enough for runners from other places. Styrofoam cups should be replaced with paper, so runners can squeeze the tops and run without spilling on their shoes. Volunteers at water stops were crazy and hyper, trying for awards! There was a lot of distance with nobody to spectate. Great views of mountains. The finisher's medal was small and the ribbon cheap, compared to the effort required to finish. There were few runners from out of state. The pasta dinner was small and had no speaker; and the expo was small as well. Most of the runners were there for the 5K. There were only 279 full marathoners.

The weather was great, and the hills were challenging (first 4.2 miles of the course). I did the half-marathon, and even though I trained on a lot of hills, it was tough, but I was able to place high in my age division. The course didn't offer Gatorade until around mile 7.5, and it was sparing throughout the course. There were 80 misdirected half marathoners (short half marathon) by the police officers, and it cut their course short by 1 mile. You would think that the police officers would have studied the course more closely. The course along the Rio Grand was long and boring, and there were no spectators to help cheer us on. If you want a low-key race, this one is one you can do and check off.

Kudos to the organizers of the marathon. Generally, it was well organized and executed. I am impressed with the support rendered by the local community towards the conduct of the event. It was a real privilege to have participated in the marathon.

This was a well organized, friendly, enthusiastic marathon through the city of El Paso and a bit of New Mexico. Fans were sparse but enthusiastic. The aid stations were plentiful and cheerful - competing amongst each other for the "best station" award. Police were friendly and efficient, keeping the traffic well away from runners. The few rolling hills helped to relieve tired muscles (although the headwinds were less helpful). The beer and massages at the finish were most welcome. The technical shirt was nicely designed and the medal was good (as were the age-group awards). I stayed at the historic Camino Real Hotel, less than a block from the start, finish and expo, which I'd highly recommend. I now feel I know El Paso. All in all, an excellent marathon experience.

As a race director, I know how much time and effort goes into preparation and logistics for a race. And, having personally run in over 30 marathons in the past four years, I can offer a contemporary perspective on this marathon. I don't often give five stars all the way across, but the El Paso Marathon deserves them. Yes, the fans and crowds were small, but their enthusiasm compensated for their lack of numbers. It's all about quality, not quantity.

First, being a Caucasian from the Midwest, I found it a unique experience to be a minority: El Paso has an Hispanic population of over 80 percent. These are not new immigrants but true Americans whose roots go back many generations. From the hotel staff (the Hilton Garden Inn was great!) to the people we met on the street and in the malls to the race volunteers, there was nothing but kindness. These happy people made us feel welcome.

If you arrive two days early, don't miss the Archaeological Museum near the airport and the Franklin Mountains State Park nearby. Both are worth seeing. You'll learn about the Spanish conquistadors who came through El Paso (named for this pass through the mountains) in the 1500's as well as the many Indians dating from 12,000 years ago to more recent times.

You'll have Saturday to take a tour of the cave paintings done by these Indians, dating to thousands of years ago - the best-preserved and oldest in North America. Simply fascinating. However, you must call the park to reserve your spot (entrance is restricted to reservations). Hueco Tanks State Park is also known for its "bouldering" competitions (one happened when we were there), where young, fearless climbers challenge vertical faces of gigantic boulders in this park.

Then, if you have time, visit the oldest (1680) Spanish mission in Texas, Yselta Mission, preserved very well and on the way back to El Paso (if you visit Hueco Tanks).
And, if you have the energy, there are lots of museums downtown and the Santa Fe bridge to Juarez is an experience in itself. The nearby streets buzz with Mexicans shopping on Sunday afternoon. However, we did not venture into Juarez. Too tired and a bit too dangerous.

Now for the marathon. Nice, short-sleeved tech shirt, correctly sized. A very good pasta dinner, reasonably priced: simply spaghetti, with red sauce and a salad. And a chance to meet a new friend with whom I ran. Plenty of water stations that also had Gatorade. Gels given out later in the race. A nice mix of uphills and downhills in the first seven miles; a run through a stylish residential area of New Mexico; and then several miles back along the Rio Grande (just imagine the conquistadors with their curved helmets crossing it). The purple and lime green homes of Juarez across the river added color.

A slight uphill over a bridge near the end is not that difficult, although a stiff breeze in the final eight miles was challenging.

Michelob beer was available at the end as was food and energy drink. The age bracket prizes were classy Lucite awards and first place finishers received a pair of Spira running shoes, unique with internal metal springs.

My only disappointment was that the Tarahumara Indian runners from Creel, Mexico, could not be admitted this year. I was looking forward to running with them. These extraordinary runners don't use conventional running shoes: they run in homemade sandals that they make from auto tires and leather thongs. And they run like the wind. If you're lucky, they will be running with you next year.

Only one suggestion: the volunteers handing out the gels should not open them. The contents were quite sticky.

Of all the marathons I've run, El Paso was an incredible adventure that I hope to repeat someday.

This was a great marathon! The event was well organized, the course was good and the views were excellent. There were more than enough water stops, port-a-potties and snacks along the way. If you rely on gel packs, I'd recommend bringing your own, as they were hit or miss along the course. There were a lot of spectators along the course who were very supportive. Everyone involved in the event was very appreciative of the runners. I am left wondering... why do more runners not participate in this event?!

El Paso was a great surprise. The course was challenging with hills for first 4 miles and then strong headwinds for the last 7 miles. Running out along the highway at the end was hard and lonesome. Aid stations were plentiful and everyone was extremely helpful. I would come back next year to run it.

Considering Juarez and the surrounding area, there are over 2 million people that live in the El Paso, TX vicinity. So it surprises me that fewer than 250 people finished this marathon. The first and second place runners are the only people who clocked a sub-3 hour time. If you want a small marathon-feel in a somewhat large city, than look no further. There are few spectators along the route (maybe a few hundred total) but I enjoyed having them there. The volunteers are fantastic as well. The last 22 miles of this course are extremely flat. I also loved that the half-marathoners disappeared from the course at mile 8 (to head back to the finish). This opened the course up dramatically, considering half-marathon runners outnumbered the marathoners 4 to 1! Toilets every other mile, ample water stations, and the organizers did a good job except for the seemingly lack of post-race food items. I only saw beer and energy drinks. Did I just miss the oranges, bananas, or other food items somewhere?

Now the bad...

Dump the plastic cups at the water stations. Shame on you, Michelob. Plastic cups don't bend nicely so that runners can drink from them while running. The wind on this day was a bit strong, so the last 10 miles were rather difficult. At times, plastic water cups on the ground were blowing away faster than I was running! The course is rather dull at many times throughout. It was fun running along the border and seeing Mexico just on the other side of the river. You can also see the controversial "wall" that's being built between the U.S. and Mexico. However, I couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't a better course to showcase the city. Seemed like we spent a lot of time outside the city. Cops and volunteers do a fantastic job of monitoring traffic, but 3 to 4 hours into the race, it seemed traffic was allowed to go whizzing right by the runners. And trust me, these drivers didn't seem to care that we were on the road. Coming from Colorado Springs, this is not a race I'll repeat, but it is worthwhile if you are local, or looking for a featureless "get-in-get-out" race.