This was my first full marathon.

The Course: I gave 4 stars. Semi-scenic route. Very flat and fast... a couple of tiny hills here and there, but overall a great course.

Organization: if giving 0 stars were an option, I would have chosen that, but instead I had to give 1 star. At the beginning of the year i wasn't even thinking about running, let alone running a marathon. In April is when I started to run, and then a few days later I decided to train for a full marathon. I wanted to stay local, and maybe help out a smaller event that could maybe use my money and put it towards something good. I was really pumped and excited about running this marathon. i was a fan on Facebook, getting updates about the course on a daily basis, reading about what kinds of Gatorade were going to be served along the course.

Then race day came. after running 1 mile, there was an aid/water station. I said out loud: "Water already?" A lady next to me confirmed what I had been reading online on the website and on Facebook. She said, "Water should be every 1.5-2 miles." So I grabbed a cup, drank a little and moved on. Water Station number 2 was at Mile Marker 2. At this point i drank a full cup and went on. There was nothing at mile 3... or 4... or 5... and I thought, surely there has to be water soon! I noticed everyone getting a little nervous... with good reason. There was not a water station between miles 2-11. At mile 11, there was a guy handing out water bottles out of the trunk of his car. Total blessing. At about mile 11.5 there was an actual water station with Gatorade! I drank 2 cups and got a second wind! (I kept that water bottle for the rest of the race and refilled it at every water station I found.) As for the mile markers... I'm just glad I have a Garmin GPS Watch. I would have no idea how far I had gone without it.

As for the Spectators: I gave 3 stars. Like I said, this was my first marathon, so I don't really have anything to compare it with. There weren't too many people, but I think I liked it that way.

I would not recommend this marathon to anyone.

This marathon was my second marathon and overall I had a wonderful time. The small number of participants, flat and scenic course, and enthusiasm of the (albeit limited) spectators all contributed to a great race. I also appreciated access to post-race showers and free food. The biggest negatives of the race for me were the lack of water stops (none from mile 2-11) and the lack of consistent mile markers toward the end of the race. The water stops were put in place the second half of the race, but they needed to be there throughout. Though I appreciate that the race director acknowledged the lack of of water and promised that this would be corrected next year, it nonetheless could have produced a very dangerous situation. I am grateful that several spectators offered their own water when they realized how many thirsty runners there were. I would recommend this marathon and plan to do it again in the hopes that the race will learn from its mistakes and improve next year.

I have been running for over 25 years in all distances. This was my third full marathon. I have never run an event large or small that was this poorly done. There was no water from miles 2-11, no course monitors, few course markings, and no spectators. The medals were the same for all the races. Many marathons give the full finishers a finisher's shirt. Not this one. There was a big party with free food and beer at the finish, but what's the point? The only reason I had a decent run time was because I hydrated well beforehand and carried lots of gel with me. Those who had PRs did so because it's a flat course - not because of any help the event directors provided.

This was my 12th marathon and first Fort Worth Marathon. Course is mostly flat but not well marked. Route is really confusing at the points where we crossed the Trinity River. If it were not for a spectator, I would have missed the course. This year, due to a bad organization, there were no water stations between miles 2 and 12. Medal was not the greatest I have received. It is a belt buckle but it looks weird. I would run it again but organizers need to pay people to handle water stations instead of relying only on volunteers. This is a small race. Not recommended as a first marathon.

This was my first-ever marathon. The course is a nice out-and-back along the Trinity River and through parts of Benbrook - mostly flat, which was a great plus! The bad parts: water stations were not set up in a timely fashion. Even though I brought water since I did the early start, I was out of my own supply and had to go miles before reaching a station. I felt bad for the folks not carrying any water. The stations were supposed to be every 1.25 miles according to the race director, and on the way back they were. On the way out, water at about 1, 2 and then not again until 10 or more. Mileage markers at every mile but some intersections were not marked. Had my running buddy not remembered the route, I would have led us astray down the wrong path. No telling where we would have ended up. I liked the race but suggest future runners memorize the route (or carry a copy with you) and bring your own water just in case!

I traveled to this race from Kansas City. If I had known it was more of a community party than a well organized race I would have picked another destination. There were no aid stations between mile 2 and mile 11 on the way out. Running 9 miles with no fluid can be dangerous for someone like me who suffers from dehydration and electrolyte depletion. I did okay because I hydrated well before the start, stopped at the aid stations at miles 1 and 2, and had plenty of gels with me. On the way back down the course there were more aid stations set up but some did not have cups and you had to drink from the 1-gallon bottles. The course was hardly marked at all and some people got lost. I was fortunate that I had others to follow who knew the course. At the finish there was a big party with lots of food, beer, a band, massages, door prizes, etc. It was obvious that the race director was much more concerned with throwing a good party than throwing a good race. I'm really not sure how this race can be a Boston Qualifier with very few course monitors and poor organization. I could have easily turned around at any point and taken the overall prize in the marathon. I don't think that should make you a qualifier event. This race needs a lot of work!

The marathon course winds through the park greenbelt from the minor league ballpark, through Trinity Park, and all the way down to Oakmont Park and Pecan Valley. Much of this is along the Trinity River, and miles 10-15 were through a lush, shady area that was turning the colors of fall.

This is a very small race, what with the Dallas White Rock Marathon in three weeks, so the spectators were few.

The organization was what will keep me from coming back to this one. From mile 3 to mile 11, there was no water or Gatorade out, and the website had said there would be some every 1.5 to 2 miles. I'm not sure what happened, and they did throw some stations up by the time I came back through the second time, but the speedy guys must have suffered both ways. Paying $85 for a marathon more poorly planned than the training runs my running group puts together just is a waste.

The medals are pretty cool - a belt buckle on a ribbon, if you want to move it over to your blue jeans. However, there are just too many other options this time of year in DFW to put up with this.

Fast, flat course along the Trinity River trail. Very few turns on the out-and-back course. Weather was perfect this year for this small marathon.
I gave the organization 4 stars because for some reason (I assume some volunteers failed to show up) there were no water stops between miles 2 and 11. But when the race director found out, he sent out volunteers to hand out water bottles. Makeshift water stops were set up on the way back.

I gave spectators 3 stars because they were few and far between. But frankly, I prefer it that way.

This is one of the few races I plan to do again. It's a true PR course.

There were not a lot of spectators, but the ones that were there were great. All of the volunteers were so great and nice! It was a fun and low-key race! The course was tranquil and serene. I will return.

Cons:

Course was easy to get lost on: This was the first time I've ever taken a wrong turn on a course after 11 full marathons and numerous shorter races. Realized my error after only a tenth of a mile or so. A friend of mine wasn't so lucky. She went off-course twice and wound up running a near ultra total of 30.7 miles. And she's no rookie, having run nearly 20 fulls. Needless to say, they could use more volunteers (staying put) at certain points on the course, as it winds and turns - and especially during the second half, on this out-and-back course, after the runners have thinned out over the course and you may not have sight of where fellow runners have gone. This was compounded by the fact that this was a small race with only 150/160 full marathoners, and... you had many runners out on the course that were not in the event, but just training.

Plastic cups at the water stops: If you walk through the stops, not a problem, but if you run through and
are used to squeezing the top of cups to keep the contents in till you have gulped it, forget it with plastic - it just neatly splits and dumps all the water/aid in your face and chest. Ha.

Spectators: Personally, I usually have no preference but they were very, very few. Heck, it's a new event.

Website: It needs to be worked on. Too confusing, too hard to find info, and some info that should have been on there early (like exact street address of the location of the start of the race, packet pickup) was not there till the last week or so.

Stick to the previous advertised prize reward agenda: They gave two of the cash prize draw winners to other runners of other races (who happened to have the same bib number) when the initial winners failed to appear. I thought that was screwy. Seems to me if you are going to have a prize each for the full, the 20-miler and the half... and you must be present to win, you keep drawing WITHIN the category till you call a number present. And by the way, NO... LOL... they didn't call my number (so no sour grapes here).


Pros:

Course: Very flat, on a mix of concrete and/or packed trail; often you could run on your choice, as both were side by side. Nice views of river and parks.

Water stops: Numerous, every one and a half miles or so, and well stocked. Volunteers were very nice and enthusiastic.

Organization and location: Not bad for an event in just its third year. Packet pick up was a breeze. Didn't get your timing chip till just before race but that wasn't a problem. Having the start/finish by the baseball stadium was great, as there was easy access to bathrooms and and seats to sit in afterward. Food was plentiful and adequate.

Medal and t-shirt: Medal is very nice and unique. Actually, it's a belt buckle with a high-quality, pewter-like finish. Ribbon was a beautiful silver/black tint with date and name of event. Excellent! T-shirt was long-sleeve, and made of cotton, with a nice longhorn outline on it.

Overall, especially for being in only its third year, I thought this was a very good, small marathon event. I would do it again and recommend it to others.