I ran the 1/2 marathon, and was disappointed that they did not have necessary gels and GU at any of the aid stations. At the finish line, they had no Gatorade, no bananas, and no bagels - just water. There was no medical tent either.

As a preface: This was my first time running a "first" (inaugural) marathon, so I don't know if it is really fair to compare it to the many other marathons I have done, which were all long-established. But here goes....

All in all, I think it was fine. It was a loop that was run twice, which had two bridges that each had moderate inclines - for a total of four uphills. But otherwise, it was mostly flat. Organization was ok; one aid station ran out of supplies on the first lap, and at the finish there were two bananas and two Nutri-Grain bars left, and some water (but there were definitely more than two more people remaining on the course!). I think there were enough aid stations, and it was nice that there was an abundance of Gatorade and some fruit at them, although there was no GU (only Clif Shot Bloks).

The music was lovely, although perhaps not the most inspiring to get you pumped. But it was great to have the local bands out there.

Weather was hot 'n' cold, alternating off and on - never too extreme of either, but also never "perfect."

Pre-race was ok. They allowed you to pick up packets on race morning - always a nice convenience. However, by that time they only had large shirts left! Also they waited until the bathrooms had cleared out to start, which meant we started a bit late. But we all together, so that was cool.

Overall, it was fun. I'm sure that it will get better, but I think it was pretty strong for the first event!

Yesterday was the inaugural Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon. (There was also a half marathon that served as the USATF Masters Championship.) Both races started at the same time, and the marathoners (myself included), were simply directed onwards to a second loop of the course.

This was my first marathon, and overall I was very happy with the race organization, the course, and the many friendly volunteers and racers alike who were involved. I haven't seen the final stats, but I believe there were around 1000 runners, with about 75% in the half and 25% in the full. This was fine by me... but for runners that like a lot of company on the course, this may not be the one for you. I tend to just float and soak in the scenery, which was gorgeous in this race.

There were several music bands across many genres that were playing for the runners throughout the course. That really pumped me up and definitely helped through the later miles. In terms of spectators, there weren't a ton, but the groups that were out were very encouraging and friendly.

The aid stations were well equipped with water, Gatorade, and fruit (orange/banana)... as well as tons of awesome volunteers. One station had run out of water late in the race (20-mile area), but the next station had plenty.

There was a fun awards ceremony after the races, as well as a great pasta dinner the night before. Since this was a smaller race, it gave everyone a chance to mingle and meet during the weekend. Some of the best masters distance runners were on hand to compete in the half, and I must say it was a pleasure meeting many of them and getting some training tips.

More than anything, the people at this race are what really made it so wonderful. I would most definitely recommend this marathon to others next year. Great race!

Expo/packet pickup was unorganized. I was attempting to register a family member for the 5K, and they couldn't quite figure out how to register on site; they didn't accept credit cards for site registration. Each water stop had one porta-potty, so there were approximately 12 porta-potties on the whole course. The course was awesome; the two bridges were slightly difficult but manageable; they had great spectators and bands along the course; and there were great police, controlling traffic with barriers they had set up. The start line was not marked at all, and while we were standing in the area approximately 5 minutes before start time, they put up the markers for the paces - and then continued to move them two more times. The race did not start on time.

This race had a lot of things going for it. The organization was excellent, right from the expo to the finish. The course is well marked and there were plenty of aid stations along the way. The music along the course was outstanding. I almost wish I could have lingered a little longer at some of the venues.

This is a PR course if you can do hills. You have to cross two bridges twice and they are whoppers when you consider that the rest of the course is flat. I was able to run up the first three, but the last one just after mile 23 was too much for my legs to handle.

The big negative I had to deal with was running with the half marathoners. It was mentally tough seeing 8 out of 10 runners peeling off to finish the half. There were only 300 marathoners, so the last half was spread out.

I would definitely do this one again. Next time, I'll stay an extra day to enjoy the area. The host hotel was also very nice. All in all, the organizers did a great job and I highly recommend it for those looking for a winter marathon.

As usual, the first order of business should be ensuring there are something close to enough port-a-johns, which there were not. The start had to be delayed almost 20 minutes due to the long lines. The bands seemed pretty uninterested in their contribution to the event, so the draw of the musical addition to the course was a no-go. There was no GU but there was plenty of Gatorade and water. All of the after-race festivities seemed to be geared toward making a buck. The awards ceremony was pretty disappointing. All that aside, I love to run and I love to run marathons, so it is always great to have a reason to get up on a Sunday morning. The weather was good and it was fun to run over the bridges. Next year, though I'll pick a different venue. As tight as money is these days, I plan to spend my entertainment dollars for a run with more heart.