This was my 5th marathon and I had a blast. I found the town of Burlington super friendly and warm. The course was OK, with a lot of hills (more hills then NYC).

I like running up battle hills (the drum line was fantastic) and also running through Church Street. I also enjoyed the bike path (potholes are to be expected, and as a runner, you should always be watching your step).

I would definitely run this race again (wife permitting).

This marathon is an excellent one. It was my 19th and although there is something good about most of them, I loved this for the size - apparently 3,600 in the marathon, and a lot of relayers. Burlington is a wonderful town with energy and life, and it's easy to get around. The organization was wonderful, and the course was a bit of an out-and-back, with lots of turns and neighborhoods (maybe too many)?

The host hotel was a couple of miles away; why not use one of the hotels downtown, close to the start/finish? It would be much more convenient, and if you had a choice, it would be the place to stay. My only suggestion for major improvement would be to ask the city to fill the potholes that were along the route, that was the real danger factor. The overall experience was great - well done, I wish I didn't have a rule that says I can only do a marathon once.... There are just too many. :)

Wonderful city and a very well organized race. The expo is small, but who really needs a lot at that point? The transportation provided (shuttle buses) is adequate, but plan on getting on one earlier than you think.

The course is ok. This was my first time to VT, so I enjoyed the "newness," but it does criss-cross over itself a few times, so you see the same stuff 3 times. There are more hills than the elevation chart leads you to believe - the course is more "rolling" than you would think.

I was disappointed with the food/beverages after the race. The food tent was too close to the finish area, so people were standing all over each other. There was no electrolyte fluid (that I found) at the end either, which was a surprise.

If you're a 50-Stater, this is the VT race to do. I would like an earlier race start to help avoid the heat and sun, but that might just be my preference.

A very enjoyable race with crowd support in all the right places. An awesome finishing chute that makes you want to run faster because there are so many people right there next to you.

This was my 34th marathon, and 2nd time for VCM. I'd recommend VCM to anybody.

There are a few hills on the course. The Battery Street hill is the toughest; it's 1/3 of a mile long, fairly steep, and it comes at a tough time in the race. From there on in to the finish there are no significant uphills - just a short steep downhill at 21.5 at the far north end of the course.

The organization is great. We drove to the start/finish area and parked free of charge on Bank Street. It was a short walk to the start where there were plenty of port-a-johns. Unlike the big-city marathons (Chicago), there was no stress in getting to the start. It was so easy. Then out on the course, there were plenty of aid stations and friendly volunteers.

The spectators were good, with most of them congregated in the Church Street and Battery Park areas. There were some stretches, like miles 4-8, where there were hardly any spectators out.

Though it's not the flattest or fastest course I've run, it's one of the best. The hills aren't as bad as they might appear on the elevation profile (okay, the Battery Street hill at mile 15 is tough, but once you're at the top, that's it for the hills), and there are some nice views. My only complaint is that the running surface is pretty rough in places. You have to watch our for potholes an cracks in the pavement in places.

And after your marathon, treat yourself to a trip to the Ben and Jerry's factory in nearby Waterbury.

I'd recommend this race highly to anyone looking for a nice spring marathon in the Northeast. This was their 20th anniversary race, so they've got race management down pretty well. The race support was great, and fans turn out en masse with great enthusiasm and encouragement at almost every stage of the race. The course has some rolling hills, and one notorious but short hill at mile 15 or so. A couple of lovely long sections use the Burlington Bikeway, which runs along the east side of Lake Champlain, and others go through the downtown section and several neighborhoods. It's a pretty course overall, and not terribly difficult in my opinion.

Burlington is a friendly town, not too big, with lots of nice choices for food. My one complaint was that it was difficult to find a nice hotel room, especially for one night, when I tried. Admittedly, I was a bit late in looking, I'd recommend that you make arrangements early if you decide to run this race.

I really enjoyed the race: the crowds, the course, and the water/Gatorade stops were all fine. The start is rather narrow, and getting in place was difficult. Maybe make an adjustment?

A suggestion regarding relay runners: have them wear tags behind so that we full marathoners can distinguish them.

Finally, I would like to see my splits, but could not find a way to that information on the results website.

My first marathon - a great day!!! Wonderful race for family and friends - they get to see you multiple times when you run through town. Lots of water/Gatorade stops - and great volunteers, always ready with their cups. Well marked course, easy-to-see mile markers, and the Taiko drummers are awesome. Burlington itself is a beautiful town with wonderful restaurants and fantastic residents cheering you on. The sprinklers that people put out after mile 16 or so were so refreshing after having trained all winter in freezing Boston weather and running the marathon in 70+ degrees! I did get a pretty impressive burn (with white marks on my arms where my friends wrote my name!). Great post-race treats - including Ben and Jerry's! While you're there, make a point to watch the sunset on Lake Champlain behind the Adirondack Mountains - breathtaking! Really well organized! Yeah, first marathon!

Being so close to Lake Champlain, the course could have been a little "greener with a view." The crowd was great. The run was fun. The organization was exceptional. The lodging choices were excellent. The food choices were numerous. The shower at the YMCA was an easy walk away. All in all, a great place to run. I wish more of it was along the water and I wish it started a little earlier. No real complaints.

An enthusiastic spectator held a sign for the runners proclaiming "Feel the Love!" It was a totally appropriate representation for this run, from start to finish, including registration and the expo, the run, the spectators, the scenery. There is nothing like the views of Camel's Hump and Mt. Mansfield as seen from the Intervale (AKA Route 127, the Northeast Connector). As the temperatures were warming up a bit, spectators provided their own sprinklers, water stops and watermelon (not to mention orange slices and the like) for runners.

OK, I have to admit, I did not feel totally loved on the last 3 of 4 miles of the course, which run along a remote bike path near the lake (sorry, the lake views are rare on this section!), but overall, the VCM is a rare treat for runners.

One additional thought... I ran this race previously in '04 and '05 and remembered a candy and/or cookie stop at the top of Battery Street Hill, something I looked forward to this year. It was not there and I was a little disappointed. What happened to the goody stop? Replaced with Carboom at mile 18? While I appreciate the addition of technical foods to the marathon, I do miss the plain old fun food.

The VCM is a great Memorial Day weekend tradition. Thanks to all for a memorable event! :)

The weather was very nice and the course very scenic. Burlington did a very good job, including all of the support personnel (police, volunteers, organizers, etc.). I will mention that the course seemed hillier than I had anticipated. The streets and paths had a rather large number of potholes, some of which were quite large and deep. The nice touch was that there had been a good effort to mark them all. However, at times it was difficult to see the holes, particularly while the running crowd was still dense at the start. The start of the race was too crowded, however. For the first few miles, the streets were too narrow for the number of participants. Hence, decreasing the number of participants would of course be one option, but I would suggest using 2 or 3 waves, just 30 seconds apart. It would have been nice to have the shuttle buses going back to the hotels start a little earlier. We had an early flight out and had a lot of difficulty getting out of downtown in time to make the flight.