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.

I stayed clear of the '08 one because of the course and signed on for '09 because of the course - it is an excellent BQ course. There were no hiccups in the race organization. The finish was terrific; the post-race was well done; the expo was nothing special and there wasn't much gear there; the worst part of the course (the ramp at the end of the bike path at mile 25) will be gone next year, which would improve my 4-star rating up to 5. Water stops could be distributed a bit better; fans were supportive though sparse in some places. Providence did a great job hosting this event.

I did the half-marathon with my husband. The half and the full go to about mile 8 together and then break off. The hills in that first section were hard, but the flat after that made up for it. Great goody bags. The start was well organized, with water and bananas and tents from sponsors. The finish was great too! Very organized. So much food and drink (water, sports drinks, and beer). There was music at the end. There were people all throughout the course. SO many volunteers! All were encouraging. Two tiny things: one was that the expo ended at 5, and coming from out of town we only made it just in time, and the other was that after mile 8, the half-marathon mile markers were forgotten until mile 13.

Pros: Nice neighborhoods, traffic control and a great police presence.

Cons: Water stations were few and far between for the marathon distance.

There were very few spectators, but that's not the fault of the organizers. I passed some homes where the owners were mowing their lawns, and they didn't even bother to look up to see us go by.

The course was hillier than expected.

I'm disappointed in the medal because all events are clumped onto one medal: marathon, half-marathon and 5K. For those who see your medal, there's no way to distinguish what you personally did. :-(

Food for purchase? At least that's what it looked like. A food truck was there anyway, for those who just ran 26.2 miles. What the...? All I got was a teaspoon of chicken salad and a bottle of water.

I ran this just to check it off my 50-states list.

After 30+ years of running, I decided to choose this marathon as my first. I definitely made the right choice. I loved the course, as it provided some beautiful scenery and just enough elevation change to keep my pace honest. There were plenty of enthusiastic volunteers and spectators spread along the course. There were plenty of well-stocked water stations, many of which had Gatorade and GU. The mile markers were very obvious and there was a clock every 5 miles. Getting in and out of Providence was a breeze, as there was plenty of parking within a reasonable walking distance. Other positives: there was an abundance of porta-potties and enjoyable live music following the race. I only have two minor constructive criticisms: 1. the expo could be punched up a bit and; 2. although plentiful, the post-race refreshments consisted only of pizza, bananas, water and sports drink. I would definitely consider running this marathon again.

This was a very nice, small race. As a 5 hour marathoner, I have run my share of the big and the small races. This race is on a course of some rolling hills and a good part of it is on bike paths and some bridges. There was very little crowd support, so it felt much like being out for a training run once the half-marathoners split off.

The start area was easily, especially if you were staying at the Westin or the Marriott. There were lots of parking garages for those driving in. I carried my own water since the water stops were a bit far apart for my own taste, but all the stations were well-stocked. I had a friend who ran 45 minutes faster than me who had several stations in a row that ran out of cups and that could not get water. There were a variety of Gatorade flavors.

It wasn't a closed course but there was good traffic control and the intersections were clear. Some bikers on bike paths rode a bit too close to the runners for comfort, expecially on the bridge at mile 24.

The path was so skinny that if bikes didn't stop, you could not get through, but this was a short section. The course was mostly well-marked with orange cones, although I had to ask for directions twice from bored police officers along bike paths connections.

There were great race volunteers, but I had to search for food afterwards. There were no signs or anyone giving directions, so it was easy to miss. There were a few pizzas left but some people that finished before me said there where none when they came through. It's not unusual for a small race not to have food for the 5 hour people--points for this race for having some food and Gatorade.

Some of the mile markers were placed wrong and there were two 24 mile marks! There were no splits, as there were only timing mats at the start and at the finish. There were time clocks running at 5, 10, 15 and 20 miles. There were very few spectators. The expo was decent and the weather near-perfect this year.