I signed up for the Raleigh 1/2 Marathon expecting the usual first-race problems - but amazingly enough the course was great, the start on-time, the volunteers perfect, the water stops well stocked, and the post-race food quite ample and tasty. My only frustration was with how traffic going into the race was handled. I left Brier Creek at 5:45 and got in line to get off freeway at 5:55. It took 50 minutes to go less than 1.5 miles as they didn't have a cop directing traffic at the light! This is a place that moves 60,000 people in and out for a football game and 19,000 people for a hockey game, but 4,000-5,000 people for a race and the whole thing gets backed up???

That's my only complaint though - I enjoyed the hilly course and the brisk weather, and I clocked my PR, so all in all, a great experience.

My first and after this one I feel like I can do most any marathon. Very challenging and I train in Umstead, but I was not prepared for Ebenezer Church Rd. I finished around the 5 hour mark and didn't see the food but I did hear that there was some there, just not close to the finish line and I couldn't really walk much more than 10 feet afterwards. Being my first, I expected to see people starting at the 20 mile mark but the people were really just concentrated at the finish line by the time I finished and they were really great. I think maybe a mile marker at 1 mile to go and 1/2 mile to go would be very encouraging at the end. I really felt like mile 25 went on forever because I never saw any more signs or people on the course after that point, so much so I had to ask a boy walking in a parking lot if I was going the right way. Overall, I had a great experience and will be back once trained properly for such a challenging course.

Great event and I'm confident it will only get better! Thanks to the RRO, the volunteers and the enthusiastic spectators - especially the drill sergeant who was downtown... he was the bomb! I'm already looking forward to next year!

I was very happy just to have a marathon in my home town so I would take just about anything. I thought the course was well laid out and had nice variety. Yes it's a hilly second half but hey, no marathon is easy. Volunteers and police support were great. Spectators were lean in some areas but those who were out were enthusiastic. Most importantly I think it's great to have a Raleigh marathon at all. Thanks to all the people who I'm sure put in countless hours to make this race happen. I hope it continues for years to come.

We ran the half marathon. A challenging course with the rolling hills, but Raleigh is beautiful. Early Nov. is the PERFECT time for this race. I was very impressed with the organization and volunteers - didn't feel like a "first time" event. Parking was logistically tough, but the start at the fairgrounds was a great idea. We'll definitely be back.

Oh, a volunteer slapped my wife on the butt at mile 11, which was a little awkward and inappropriate, but I guess he was just excited to be helping.

This was an overall great experience. The organization was flawless, the course was scenic and challenging and the support was enthusiastic. It's already on my calendar for next year.

My wife and I have run around 40 marathons and would rate this one as a difficult course and definitely NOT a PR event. However, the marathon is worth the effort because the hotel (Comfort Suites), convenient start/finish area, and enthusiastic crowds made it really fun and satisfying. I normally don't comment on these sites but wanted to give the Raleigh RoadRunners a BIG THUMBS UP!!

At this point I have come to expect certain things for race directors: good pre-race organization, a good pasta dinner, easy to get registration bags, a nice course layout, liquids and gels on the course, and good post race food. If anyone one of the above is missing, well the race director failed at their venture.

Starting off I have to say the RDs did a great job at most things: organization was really good, race support was excellent, and the course was good. Watch out for all you flatlanders like me, when they say flat they actually mean a slight up hill and when they say hilly you are running straight up and straight down. I don't think they understand flat in Raleigh (not a knock at all just a stmt of fact). A good challenging course none the less.

The issue I have is the RDs need to make enough money so they open the races up to 1/2 marathons and then forget about the marathoners at the post race. This really makes me angry!!! I was out there busting my hump for just about 4 hours and to come back and have no food except some stail bread and a green banana!!! O'yea there was pizza that was being eaten by everyone except people that ran the race. It is simple, if you have not run the race don't allow people to eat the food It is there for the runners not the general public! It turned an otherwise great day into me not recommending this race yet. I have to thank the bag check girls since when I went and got my bag they gave me muffins and bagels to help me replenish. Also, where was the sports drink after the race? Ultima tastes horrible but sports drink is still needed after the run. My best guess is that there was plenty of food when the 1/2 marathons finished but, as usual, the RDs did not plan accordingly for the slower marathons (although I never thought 4 hours was slow).

With that being said, I would skip next year '08 and wait for '09 to see if they have made improvements to the post race coordination.

I thought that the organizers did a great job with this event. The race started on time and the weather was beautiful. I knew that this was going to be a difficult race because I trained on most of it at some point. Running it in its entirety was really nice and really challenging.

I thought the spectators were fantastic. This is not Boston or New York so you can't really expect to have the course lined with fans. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people did come out to show their support.

The finish line was well organized. There was water, fruit, pizza, and local beer. That beer was good!!

Since I knew what the course would be like, I trained well for it and did manage to get a PR. For anyone running this next year, I highly recommend weight training and practicing for the hills (definitely tougher than Boston).

The course has some very nice aspects, including a beautiful stretch through Umstead Park. The last five miles are dull and dreadful, and they get progressively worse as you approach the end. After mile 24 you are literally running around the parking lot of the RBC Center. Organization was pretty good, although a 7:00 gun time is absurdly early, made all the worse by the fact that the first 4 miles headed due east into a blinding sun. Spectators were few but supportive. It's a race worth running, but don't put it high on your list.