Ran this 42.2 when NYC was cancelled. Conveniently located only an hour away (Toronto). Very bleak course. Almost no spectators. Lots of slow halfers to get around. 3k of gravel trail is terrible. Out and back...and out and black is brutal so late in the race (comes at 30k). The 6k downhill is generous, but trashes the legs. Times will be fast but not a great experience. Would NOT run this again.

When I ran Hamilton in 2010 and 2011, it was a well organized race with a course that was fun to run and just happened to be fast. Now, it just offers a fast course. The race has gone downhill faster than an elite on the Red Hill Valley Parkway.

PROS
- you will get a better result than you would get on a neutral course because of the 6 km downhill
- bag check was efficient

CONS

- to avoid problems with train crossings that had plagued previous races, the course was re-designed to include (1) a narrow gravel-paved portion, and (2) a double looped out-and-back
- the double loop caused serious confusion, and it was discouraging to be sent back out for another lap
- the narrow sections of the course were littered with slower half-marathoners that clogged up the path for passing marathoners - at times it was a serious cluster
- parking at the finish was terrible - there were serious safety concerns as cars were parking on the shoulders of on-ramps to the highway
- drink tables were too short - there's not much opportunity to grab a cup

I skipped this race last year for fear of a train interrupting my race. I came back this year to find that the changes to the course were definitely for the worse, and the organizers have tried to cram too many people on to it for the race to be enjoyable. This used to be such a nice little marathon. Now, unless you want to make the Faustian bargain in pursuit of a BQ or other PR, I think you'd have a better time running one of the other races in the region.

I would like to thank the organizers of this marathon for making a quick decision to add 250 spaces for displaced New York City marathoners. I was so excited to be able to run after 3 months of hard training. I even ran a personal best.

This was my 3rd 1/2 marathon, and my second Road2Hope. I loved it. There were over 2,000 in the 1/2, and everyone seemed very relaxed. The volunteers were great. There were lots of water stations. Beautiful waterfront finish, and I cut 5 minutes off my finish time from last year.

This is an amazing and beautiful race run by some of the nicest folks I've ever met. With the closing of the 2012 NYC Marathon, we scrambled to look for other marathons going around the same time. My girlfriend and I hopped in the car and fled to Canada! We were thrilled that they added 250 spots for New Yorkers (all were filled), and they went out of their way to find us lodging and give us a warm welcome to Canada. I ran the half, my girlfriend ran the full, both cover roughly the same course with the marathon having a longer out and back along Lake Ontario, and an additional loop at the start. Almost all of the course is downhill, leading to fast times and many Boston qualifiers. I think we both wished there were more spectators, but you get the sense that everybody in the town who would be cheering is with you in the race!

This is an impeccably run race that raises money for a great cause. Everyone involved is incredibly nice, from the organizers, to the participants, to the city of Hamilton. If you train, you will PR on this course. We can't wait to come back!

Pros
-Fast course with a nice 7km downhill stretch.
-Buses fromthe park to start were very well run
-Lots of space at community centre to keep warm before the race
-Line ups for bathrooms were minimal beforehand

Cons
-In my opinion, the biggest mistake the organizers made is having the half marathon runner/walkers start 15 min AFTER the full marathoners. Since part of the route is different for the half marathoners, faster runners (<3:30) will have to pass the slower halfers TWICE. This becomes tough towards the end, with the last 7km run on a waterfront trail. I was weaving much more than I would have liked towards the end and on a couple of occasions I had to ask for walkers to move to the right so I could pass. I have no problem with walkers, but either have them start earlier so we don't have to pass so many or have course marshalls move them to the right so runners can pass.

2 minor areas for improvement
- there was no room for spectators to park at the finish line. We were told there would be plenty of parking, but that was not the case.
- if you consider running this marathon, study the course beforehand. There is a double loop in the second half. I saw one runner take a wrong turn and get called back, while I heard of another runner who missed the loop and was DQ'd after crossing the finish line after 38km.

Overall a good and fairly well organized marathon. A simple adjustment by having the half marathoners start at the same time, or even 30 min after the full marathon, would eliminate the frustration of weaving through walkers on tired legs.

This was my 8th marathon. I rank it very highly. A small expo but some good deals. Extremely well organized, with a big school to accomodate everyone pre-race. Excellent shuttle service to the starting line, with a fine young man on the bus describing his charity work. Well run baggage checks. A long downhill makes this a truly fast marathon, although it does have some hills - so it gives and takes both. The one recommendation for improvement would be to provide a more popular sportsdrink such as gatorade and to offer more fluid per cup. A nice grassy area for relaxing afterwards with good live music. I enjoyed this small event more than the big-city Toronto Waterfront. Congrats to all the people who worked hard to make it a success. Good job.

Though small, this marathon was as well organized as any of the big ones I've done. The course was pleasant, with countryside for the first half and a nice lakeshore park trail at the end - and the 6K downhill in the middle was almost like cheating! Volunteers were all great.

The course was beautiful and very easy. I improved my best time by 14 minutes and got a very strong BQ as a result. Very happy.

I found the spectators to be very enthusiastic and encouraging. Yes, there isn't a huge crowd out there, but we're in Hamilton, not Toronto. The cheers I got were more than enough for me. Thank you to whoever was out there cheering for us!

Organisation was #1. Nothing bad to say about it. Water and e-load at every 3km was fine with me. In November, no need to drink every 10 minutes... E-load instead of gatorade is fine, no problem for me with that. The volunteers were extremely pleasant and worked hard for us. I'm very grateful, thanks guys!

Finally, the size small shirt I received was the first TRUE size small I have ever received. Thank you! Finally a shirt I can wear. I love it.

I will be in Hamilton next year, for sure. We loved the town, did the Warplane Museum, great restaurants, etc... Don't miss this awesome marathon!

My 33rd marathon! The racekit pick up was easy and the free parking and buses were nice. I liked the fact that we started at the school. Some of the signage for parking was a bit confusing but this can be changed next year. I wish the course had more water stations (every 2 km) and used Gatorade instead of E load. The shirt was nice and the medal was fine. Great to see a monkey run a marathon!
Host hotel was very accomodating and well priced. The race expo could have used a few more vendors and the fans were very sparse.