Very well done - congrats to Ron, and the staff, and all of the volunteers for making the race go on without a hitch. Very scenic, and the people very friendly. If you are looking for a small-town race with lots of hospitality, this is the race for you.

This was the first marathon I completed. Although it was out-and-back (twice), and I was worried about mental fatigue, there were enough bends and dips, and a wonderful bridge such that one of my fellow runners described as "it feels like it has energy in it!" And having an abundance of aid along the way to make it anything but boring. I love not having to trip over and dodge in between thousands of runners. Few spectators, but everyone was so friendly and encouraging, including each runner I encountered. What a wonderful experience! Bonus: there was an art fair going on in Charlevoix. My mom (who rocked her first 10K!) and I enjoyed puttering around town and the fair afterward, and we ate a great whitefish dinner. Thank you to Charlevoix and the Red Rock Company for this event.

This is a nice, small race in a really pretty town. The people were nice, but I did expect a little more from a race put on by a company (rather than community volunteers). The course is a double out-and-back, so you could see other runners all along the way. They did have mile markers for miles 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. After that, you were on your own to figure out where you were. They also advertised that there would be GU at each aid station. However, they really had Power Gel and for some people that matters a lot.

This is a nice race if you moderate your expectations, and it's one of the few in the Midwest at this time of the year. I may well do it again but would be more likely to do so if I knew that some of these small things were addressed.

I ran this marathon a few days ago, so I wanted to write down my thoughts while they were still fresh in my mind. This race takes place in Charlevoix, Michigan which is a small resort town on Lake Michigan. This is the second year they have offered the race, but my first time running it.

CONS: To begin, I had been told that the course was mostly flat. This was not my experience. It seemed to me that about 1/2 the course was pretty flat, but the other 1/2 had noticeable elevations. And since it's a double loop, you really notice the elevations the second time around. Also, even though the race was chip-timed, there was no starting chip pad (many races do this to save money). So, be sure to start at the front if you want an accurate time. In addition, it was a pretty humid day, which is not surprising given the time of year. And there were parts of the course that were very windy - but that's also not surprising, given that it is right on Lake Michigan. So be prepared for "lake weather" when you get there. Several runners had complained that the course cones were not set up properly in certain areas, causing some people to run extra distances.

PROS: On a more positive note, the aid stations were great (mostly local Cub Scout groups) - plenty of water, Gatorade, Gu, and other things to eat/drink on the way. The packet pickup was easy, and the pre-race pasta dinner was well-organized. The post-race events were very nice, with lots of pizza, pop, and other things to eat/drink. In addition to top-runner awards, they also had bib number raffles with some very nice prizes. I rated the spectators as 4 stars because there were hardly any. At times I did not see anyone on the streets at all, except for the aid stations.

Overall, I had a good experience and would consider this marathon again.

Highlights:

1) Organized and easy-to-find packet pick up
2) A+ volunteers
3) No rain (though it was pouring cats and dogs until 6:30 a.m., the race began at 7)
4) Cool long-sleeved t-shirt
5) Enthusiastic fans (especially the little girl with her kazoo)
6) Seeing my husband and dog several times because they drove around to see me
7) Red licorice and pretzels on the course; pizza at the finish line
8) Ambulance in plain view that, thankfully, no one had to use
9) Awesome view of the beach that I got to see four times (see below to find out why)
10) Being able to take my ice bath in Lake Charlevoix while giving my dog swimming lessons

Low-lights:

1) Humid, humid, humid
2) Two out-and-back "loops" that I thought would be OK, but gave me the worst case of deja vu
3) Sparse water stops (I recommend either carrying your own if you do this race or bringing along your cute water boy/boyfriend/husband, whatever you get your hands on to follow you around the course)
4) No timing mats on the course (not even a starting mat or one at the turn - hmm... did I do one loop or two?)
5) No "hills" per se, but several long "inclines" that were worse than the Ambassador Bridge
6) No mile markers or time clocks on the course
7) Course marked by a few cones and running, unmanned (un-womaned?) cop cars - at some points it was unclear about where to go. If I hadn't seen it three times previously, I surely wouldn't gotten lost.
8) Dixie cups of water at the finish (I hate this. I've just run a marathon. Do you think I can have more water than I can gargle with?)
9) 20 mph winds on the return portion of the "loop"
10) Having to hobble nearly a quarter of a mile up a hill and across a busy-ish street to return my chip and pick up my medal after I crossed the finish line

Congratulations to Race Director Ron for a well done marathon. The course is out and back, and well marked. A lot of the course was on a bike path that included a "knee-friendly" bridge. The bridge was great! The views of Lake Michigan were great! There weren't a lot of folks on the course, but they were in full force at the aid stations! Thanks for making me welcome and for a good marathon!

I ran this marathon two days ago, so I wanted to write down my thoughts while they were still fresh in my mind. This race takes place in Charlevoix, MI, which is a small resort town on Lake Michigan. This is the second year they have offered the race, but my first time running it.

CONS: To begin, I had been told that the course was mostly flat. This was not my experience. It seemed to me that about 1/2 the course was pretty flat, but the other 1/2 had noticeable elevations. And since it's a double loop, you really notice the elevations the second time around. Also, even though the race was chip-timed, there was no starting chip pad (many races do this to save money). So, be sure to start at the front if you want an accurate time. In addition, it was a pretty humid day, which is not surprising given the time of year. And there were parts of the course that were very windy - also not surprising given that it is right on Lake Michigan. Be prepared for "lake weather" when you get there. Several runners had complained that the course cones were not set up properly in certain areas, causing some people to run extra distances.

PROS: On a more positive note, the aid stations were great (mostly local Cub Scout groups) - plenty of water, Gatorade, GU, and other things to eat/drink on the way. The packet pickup was easy, and the pre-race pasta dinner was well-organized. The post-race events were very nice, with lots of pizza, pop, and other things to eat/drink. In addition to top-runner awards, they also had bib number raffles with some very nice prizes. I rated the spectators as 4 stars because there were hardly any. At times I did not see anyone on the streets at all, except for the aid stations.

Overall, I had a good experience and would consider this marathon again.

This was my first Run Charlevoix Marathon, and overall I had a very good experience here. There were a few snags, such as Power Gel on the course rather than GU (as reported on the website), and I didn't notice many mile markers after around mile 6 - although it was an out-and-back repeated twice, so this may have been a factor for the lack of mileage markers. The water stations and volunteers were great. There was a gun start with chip timing for the finish and the marathon runners went out ahead of the half-marathon runners, which was nice to reduce any congestion. The marathon field was relatively small (around 200), so there wasn't much congestion at the start or anywhere on the course. The course was nice, running through residential neighborhoods before hitting the bike path and a nearly 1-mile wood bridge. Easy access for spectators, although not many spectators on the course. We stayed at the Americinn, which was right across the street from mile 3.6, so my family was able to see me several times without any inconvenience. Packet pickup the morning of the race was nice, as I couldn't get into Charlevoix before the 7 p.m. deadline for pickup the night before the race. I loved the out-and-back, out-and-back course, as I got to see my running friends several times along the course. One hill in each direction, and a gradual downhill heading north meaning a gradual uphill (and this year into the wind) when you turned around and headed back south. The finish area was small; I didn't spend much time there as the hotel couldn't give us a late checkout. Overall, a nice race and one that I would do again - but next time I'll make sure to have my own GU!

If you like simple, no-frills marathons, this one is for you. Charlevoix is a beautiful lakeside town in northern Michigan (not the UP), making for a scenic course. 2008 was only the second year this race was run. Last year attracted about 50 marathoners, and word has it this year there were about 200 (which allows me to say I was passed by fewer runners than I have ever been passed by before). They also have a 10K and a half marathon on the same day.

Pros: Mostly gentle terrain, very nice folks, easy hotel accommodations that do not gouge you (ahem, Grandma's). Small-town charm, inexpensive. Very few spectators along the course, but those who were there were very supportive. The pasta dinner is held in a church hall within easy walking distance of the center of town, and was staffed by very nice and friendly ladies who fed me like my grandmother used to. The water stations were fully staffed even for the back-of-the-packers and there were plenty of fluids and GU for everyone (ahem, Chicago). Two of my friends won age group awards. Nice long-sleeve shirts, and a nice little medal too.

Cons: The marathon course was a double out-and-back (the half being a single out-and-back). This was not really a con, as some of the course was run on a wooded bridge, which was rather nice. The con part came at the finish line, where you are met by 2 or 3 officials, then told to walk a block across a draw bridge to a small park where the unofficial finish line party is located. Made it somewhat anticlimactic, but I do understand why they did it that way (you don't want a drawbridge going up right in front of you if you're trying to qualify for Boston).

I'm very glad to have run this race and would recommend it to others.