First of all, the marathon involving many volunteers and policemen was a first class marathon. The Hyatt Place host hotel in Bethlehem was first class. Although the marathon was first class, some improvements would make it even better. Having run over 60 marathons, this is the first time my e-mail was not answered when we were in the planning stages of our trip. Some answers would have solved some of our later issues. There were lots of volunteers;however, some of the least enthusiastic I have ever encountered.

Finally, at the end of the marathon a cold soft drink and water would have been fantastic. The key word is COLD. I would gladly have paid extra for ice. Little things mean a lot to a runner.

Thanks again for an overall positive running experience in PA.

This was my 9th, and one of my favorite, marathons. It was very well run. Due to heavy rains and flooding the week before the race the 1st 5 miles and last 3 miles had to be changed. This added some hills but I think the RD did a great job with a tough last minute situation. the rest of the course was nice and flat. a mix of road, gravel and dirt (and mud). It was a very fast course. 11:24 PR for me and a BQ. It was also nice not having 1000's and 1000's of runners on the course.
Parking was easy, aid stations were fine, finish add a nice crowd.
Medal and Shirt were just ok not great but I don't care much about those anyway.
I highly recommend this race.

This is a fantastic race that should not be missed. By far thee most organized race I have ever run, fluid stations every 2 miles, GREAT enthusiastic volunteers, organized easy transportation, parking right at the start, the miles ticked by so fast i think bc of the scenic route (never got boring). If I had to say one negative it would be the looooong uphill at mile 24, totally unexpected, but than a nice looooong downhill on the other side.

Massive flooding a few days before the race didn't stop these organizers! Congrats to them for revising this nice point to point course and getting it ready. The 'new' course was excellent, if a little muddy. Plenty of volunteers, well stocked water stops, efficient finish area/refreshments, and nearby shuttles back to the start showed a lot of planning. (One complaint: the Cokes were hot, no ice available.) Good medal and nice technical t-shirts. I would run it again.

This was a great race. Beautiful scenery, good organization, great effort by organizers to keep the race in 2011 in spite of floods in the area. My only major issue was that because of last minute rerouting of the course, as late as the day before the course, some killer hills got added in which messed up all my timing and plans: a comment shared by some others I talked to. I wish the organizers would have considered this element more carefully and have been more diligent to find reroutes that would have not changed the nature of this marathon. I would have also thought a more significant focus on 9/11 (given its historical 10th anniversary) would have been called for. Otherwise, this is a good race and worth doing if it is not uncharacteristically re-routed.

Nice, scenic course mostly on the towpath which provides a soft surface and is easy on the joints. There are a couple hills but the course is mostly flat and downhill. There weren't a lot of spectators or volunteers but enough and they were enthusiastic. The town centers in Easton (where the race ends) and Bethlehem (where packet pick-up was) are charming small towns with interesting shops. And you have to see the SteelStacks facility - really interesting. This isn't a big race which makes for easy parking and a short walk to the starting line. My wife and I ran about an 11:00 minute pace and there were also a handfull of other runners with us - so you're never running alone. Plenty of port-a-pots along the course and you can use the hospital bathrooms at the start. The shuttles and attendants at the finish line were very accomodating and efficient getting us back to the start. The food at the finish for runners (bagels and bananas) was okay but not great and could be better/varied. The t-shirts were technical- but unisex sized which is okay for men but most women won't be impressed. Nice finisher's medal. And the race supports a good cause. All in all - HIGHLY RECOMENDED.

This was an over all fun low key marathon. I liked the different surfaces from roads, bike paths and gravel trails. The only complaints that I have and they are minor was due to the amount of rain the area had the route had to changed. This was most evident when you got almost to the finish line but no you had to go another 1/4 of a mile to a round about. It was not what one needed at the end of a race. The other issue which was far more of a concern was the only food that was offered to the runners was a smashed banana a dry bagel and a warm coke. Such a great race does not need to end in such a way. Other wise I would recommend this race.

I used this course as a training run for another fall marathon (Steamtown), but think that next year it may be my target race. Most of the course is run on canal path, which is extremely forgiving on the legs. The volunteers were great, and even though there is no official packet pick-up on race day, the race director will make exceptions if something comes up and you can't get there.

It was a bit difficult for me to find the start line... but that's just because it was dark when I arrived. Parking at the hospital was easy, and there was access to an actual bathroom! With flush toilets! Once enough other runners showed up, I found my way.

In one part of the race you had to go around a loop in a park, and it was somewhat soul-crushing to see how far ahead of you other runners were... and at another point you had to circle a random cone... but other than those two very minor details, the course was fantastic. Plentiful food at the end, lovely medal, and efficient transportation back to the start line.

This was my third time running this marathon and it is officially one of my favorite courses. Huge improvements have been made since I ran it two years ago. The medal is super nice now and the food situation was most DEFINITELY improved on this year! It's awesome to be able to high-five Bart Yasso while crossing the finish line. I'll run this course each year as a fun run. I didn't even mind the rain (though, parts of the trail did get slippery). It just made it that much more fun!

I was looking for a fast course for a Boston Qualifier around this time of year and found a good one in this event. Very well organized, small, low-key event with great support from the community and volunteers. the trail portions of the course were a little rougher in places than I expected, but I had no problem with it and was able to maintain my stride. The issue with a shortage of food last year was solved this year, with plenty leftover for even the slowest finishers (even with an increase in entrants). I would recommend it to anyone and would go back again if I had the chance.