Great course and fun. Beautiful fall running. The end of the course is downhill so you can power into the finish. One improvement would be having timers before and after the tunnels. Your Garmin will be thrown off.

Pros:
* The tunnel may be the coolest marathon experience you'll ever have
* Weather was perfect
* Organization good
* Nice, small marathon
* Shirt was above expectations
* Definite hometown feel

Cons:
* Middle of nowhere (sorry to those who live close)
* We had rain recently, so the trail was a little soft and slippery in spots (where there was an accumulation of leaves)

Overall, I would definitely recommend it.

What a unique marathon. Running through a 3/4-mile old railroad tunnel using a flashlight and Coleman lanterns inside the tunnel was great. Thanks to all of the volunteers; this little town puts on a terrific marathon.

This was the third half marathon I have run. With the fairly flat course, I ran a PR! The chickenque was great, and I think the long-sleeve technical tee is awesome!

To make the race better in the future, it would be nice if people at the water stops knew what mile they were on in the course to help inquiring runners.

Additionally, if there could be volunteers giving time splits at the 5K, the 10K, and the 10-mile, that would help to make this course even faster than it already is.

For the Champion Chips to give accurate times in the half marathon, shouldn't we have run over the timing pads to start the race? My gun time and chip time were identical....

I have to admit that the tunnel freaked me out; it is shocking to the system to go from running outside in the light to running in a dark tunnel. If there could be more spotlights in the tunnel, that would facilitate running through the tunnel, and make it easier to see the ground. (It is pretty awesome to be able to say you ran 1.5 miles of a half marathon in a tunnel, though!)

Thank you for a fun run!

This year's Rails to Trails was fantastic. The three-mile out-and-back was at the start, rather than the finish, the tunnel was lit much better, and there were lots of porta-pots at the start. The food was excellent, just like last year. This is the most value for a race fee I've ever had at a marathon. Good job! We'll be back next year!

The race was well run. The course was beautiful. The before- and after-race meals were excellent. On-course spectating was easy, with a little pre-race scouting. If you are looking for a unique experience and don't want crowds, this is it. The course was beautiful. If you don't like running through leaves, you may not enjoy the surface. The tunnel made the race worth it.

The race organizers listened to last year's comments! The barbecued chicken was phenomenal. Water stops were well staffed. Volunteers were plentiful and helpful. Take this with a grain of salt: I can appreciate the course change, but I would prefer gaining 400 feet of elevation between miles 12-19 (as in 2008) rather than 15-22 (as in 2009). I understand that the race director must find the solution that works for the most people, but that's just my opinion. Very well organized for a race of this size in a town with a population of about 600.

Better lighting in the tunnel: Glow stick were a nice idea, but were kicked all over by the return trip.

I loved the people, and the chicken dinner afterward was awesome. If you approach this as a low-key, fun event, relax and enjoy the scenery. You will not be disappointed.

The race hotel was a decent drive away, but a good value and fun for the family.

I think that the organizers did a good job for their first try at this - they are apparently non-runners who just wanted to do something to promote their community. They had a lot more runners than they expected and did pretty well responding to that. Overall, I say, "Good for you!" They did a much better job than the race production company did at Run Charlevioux in June.

The tunnel experience could be improved, and the last 3.2 miles were insane. However, having communicated with the RD since the race, she is looking to change the finish and provide more light in the tunnel.

Overall, I think that they can look to their race budget and re-allocate some expenses - I paid $80, which is a lot for a marathon of this size, I think. If I were them, I'd put money into chip timing and age group awards (all they provided were certificates) and reduce the spending on the chicken dinner at the end, especially as it was served in an open park shelter. A big pot of soup would be better and cheaper.

The aid station people were VERY nice and enthusiastic - though I assume most were not runners.

This was a great race! Good views - perfect time of the year to run this trail. I really enjoyed it. The tunnel was a VERY interesting addition. Considering this was an inaugural race, they did a great job. Pre- and post-race food as well as the extremely nice shirt were the icing on the cake.

Small town with nice people.

The only thing to change would be the distribution of finisher medals when you cross the finish line.

Other than that what a great time, well worth the drive and money.