I was very surprised at this very scenic marathon, running on some of the bike trails and in residential areas! I ran the marathon, and it was tough with the hills at the beginning. It was a hot and humid day, and more Gatorade on the course would have been great! The water stops were well managed and volunteers were great! I thought the porta-johns at the starting line were cleverly placed! I would recommend this to others, but tell them to train for rolling hills! Thanks!!

This was my first marathon, and I think I was expecting a little more excitement. The course was very pretty, with lots of shade, beautiful views, and a nice breeze from the water, not to mention 90% flat. However, running on the bike path for at least half the course definitely got boring, especially since there were barely any spectators in these areas. Unfortunately, this race seemed to really cater more to the half marathon runners. I would probably not run this race again, as I prefer the excitement of a big-city race.

This is a wonderful, well-organized race that is characterized by a positive, energetic vibe from both participants and spectators. The course is great - very scenic, and really gives you a taste of Providence and Rhode Island. The post-race festivities were an added bonus. If you're looking to throw down a solid marathon or half-marathon time on a pretty course, be sure to run this race. Thanks for a great race experience!

This race is chaos. Nothing seemed to be in place, and nothing seemed smooth. The course takes you by buildings that have been spray-painted. The water stops were off throughout the course. I thank the spectators and volunteers, but there were not any good places for spectators.

This was my first and it will always be special for me. The weather was perfect but we just got lucky with that. Everything was run so smoothly! The course was great... not completely flat but not difficult at all. Most of the inclines were during the first several miles anyway, and none of them were anything to be concerned about. Crowd support was so much better than I expected. What a difference it makes to have an enthusiastic crowd throughout! Organization and logistics were great. There were no hassles whatsoever, from picking up my entry package to the post-race party. There may have been a couple of mile markers missing (either that or they were there but I missed them), and either the 24- or 25-mile marker was misplaced, but no big deal. That did not have any influence on my finish time so I am not concerned about it. Plenty of water stops/Gatorade when you needed them. Nice shirts too! Overall they put on a great race. I like the fact that this is fairly small marathon with a big marathon buzz on race-day!!

I have run 15 marathons, all in the Northeast. Other than Boston, this was my favorite. Fantastic support, well marked course, great aid stations. The best part is parking one block from the start. There were water views and woods for most of the course.

After reading the comments from the 2008 race, I expected a heck of a lot worse. The course was challenging but not overly challenging. The field of runners wasn't too heavy to make congestion much of a problem. The aid stations were plentiful and well-stocked. Volunteers were courteous and supportive. The expo was decent. Nice technical shirts and pretty medals with a picture of the canal in downtown Providence on the back. I had a really terrific time running Providence and would be happy to run the course again. Whatever was wrong in 2008 definitely improved this year.

I was most impressed by how much of the marathon was scenic. There wasn't a single ugly industrial stretch. Lots of river views, and a lot of it was on a bike path. The course was pretty flat, especially in the last 7 miles when you needed it to be! My only complaint was the inconsistent water, and a mile 24-marker that was so far off-base, that I almost gave up on breaking 4 hours until I passed the 25th marker .6 miles later!

Thank you for a great race! It was an absolute blast. I ran the marathon and I thought the course was terrific. Very fair, not too hilly, not too flat, the paved trails were awesome, and the scenery and neighborhoods were great. The water and Gatorade stops were plentiful and just right; please thank all of the volunteers who manned those stations. The boys yelling encouragement up on the bridge around mile 24 were clutch, as were the girls after the bridge. I needed a 3:30 to qualify for Boston and I ran a net 3:29:59! It was absolutely NUTS! My friend picked me up at 25.5 and ran in with me screaming to get moving. The 5K runners were all converging from their race; it was pure madness - a buzz I will never forget.

We had dinner in the Italian section on Atwood St. at a place called Mediterreano Cafe. We ate outside at the sidewalk area, and it was a great place to get a pasta feed.

If I had to offer a criticism, I would say that I didn't love coming in with 5K runners after busting it for 26.2. There is something off with that idea. The mile marker at mile 19 was also 1/4-mile short (unless I ran a 5:53 19th mile - not) and some nut drew 24 in chalk on the path up towards the bridge before the real 24 mile marker showed up a 1/4-mile later (unless I was hallucinating, which is possible at mile 24). It doesn't take much to get confused late in a marathon. Other than that, I had a ball. I hope this race is an annual for years to come. The first weekend in May is a great time to run a marathon in New England. The weather was perfect. Great job, race organizers!

The race director heard our comments from last year, and made major improvements to this year's race. I loved the new course, and especially enjoyed the bike path section. It was great having the start and finish at the same place. The expo was much better and the band was great. My only complaint... no Dunkin Donuts at the finish line, bummer! I'll be back again next year.