The course is visually beautiful, over rivers and bridges, through a skyscraper-filled downtown, old and new neighborhoods with interesting architecture, and small enclaves that came out to cheer even under a steady rain.

The organization was superb and the start area was the most composed and stress-free I've seen, with no one crushing toward the front even with voluntary corrals and a field that stretched hundred of yards. There were also plenty of easily accessible potties near the start right up to the gun.

The course is as tough as the Flying Pig's, with over 1,000 feet of uphill running.

Only about 1% of the field (55 of 5,000) was under three hours; 2% is typical for a tough but fair course, with fast courses having about 3 to 4% under three hours.

I was extremely pleased with the overall organization and crowd support. The volunteers did an amazing job given the fact that it was raining almost all the time during the race.

As much I hate running in rain, I was surprised to see that I really enjoyed the rain and it also helped with keeping my heart rate in check. I shaved 22 minutes off of my PR, and what else could I ask for?

The Gatorade and water stops were plentiful and probably the best of all five marathons I've run. The course, though hilly, was very well organized. Every mile was clearly marked and it was good to see the mile markers spray-painted on the road. They organizers did a pretty good job with the finish festival, even with the rain. Good job and thank you for putting together a wonderful race experience!!!

This was a wonderful race despite the rain. The course was relatively flat, crowd support was terrific, and there were more water stops than I can count. Post-race was a bit challenging and could be improved if things were spread out. Overall, a great race. I recommend it and will do it again!

What a great event! From organization to spectators, a runner couldn't have asked for more!

Thanks to the RD and her staff for a great marathon.

Overall, I enjoy the actual event - running 26.2 miles. I do appreciate the volunteers and the sponsors for their efforts and energy.

I feel that we could always have room for improvements, being that I did do the marathon last year. I thought things were much better last year - especially at the finish line.

Food was terrible! This year!

Warm banana, rolls! Plain bagels!

Certainly not enough room to move - very congested!

I feel that all runners deserve special treatment - NOT PAYING $100 for special treatment like having ice. This was much NEEDED at the finish. There was none to be found. They wasted a place for VIP tents, when this place could of been more open for all runners and their fans. First aid areas need more space.

The bathroom situation has not improved! With 8,000 extra runners, we need more (and that's not even including volunteers, fans, media, etc.

The starting line has moved up, but it should have been moved up farther. :)

Overall, this is just my opinion and I understand that several things come into play when planning a huge event. Thank you for your efforts!

This was my first marathon, and despite less than ideal weather, I loved it. The course is wonderful - fantastic views of the city (very nice, gradual downhill from mile 23 on) - and best of all were the PEOPLE of Pittsburgh, cheering and volunteering. It just seemed like everyone had a heart of gold. The expo was great, especially with Meb Keflezighi attending! The finisher's medal this year is really nice bling with a ribbon design of Pittsburgh bridges - very, very nice. I will definitely be back! Just moved here a year ago and love the place more than ever. THANK YOU, PITTSBURGH

Wow. All 5's. Very pleased with everything about this marathon. Fan support was great. Organization was great and the course was perfect. Couldn't be more pleased.

My 10th marathon. I didn't train well for this one... my longest run was only 16 miles. Weather was terrible, but I still had tons of spectators and the volunteers were amazing. Organization was great for me; however, after there was a bomb scare and they changed the course, a lot of the runners were very confused on where to go and they re-routed them through the finish line area. I'm sure there will be tons of negative feedback about that but runners need to understand that the race did a good job taking the situation under control. The medal was great, aid stations were great, the shirt was pretty good, and the expo was great with some great running celebrities. Post-race food was decent. Runners typically don't want to eat stuff they were just offered on the couse... such as bananas, water and Gatorade.

A great race, and I'm looking to do it again.

Somewhat of a hilly course, but maybe that's just because of my lack of training.

Thanks, Pittsburgh!!! Seven states down - 10 marathons total - and 43 states to go.

It was incredible the number of spectators that turned out in the constant rain. Also, there were volunteers everywhere along the course, standing in the rain. The course is completely closed to automobiles. There were two GU stations and an impressive number of Gatorade/water stations.
There is nothing to dislike here. It is easy to see why this marathon filled up early in the year.

Getting to the parking lot on Smallman Road at the end was a struggle. I went up to Penn then to Liberty and was turned away from walking down both streets. Normally both streets would have been open.

Despite being in Pittsburgh, which is surrounded by the Alleghenies, the course was fairly flat; and the last 2 miles were actually downhill, which gave everybody an extra push at the end.

Kudos to cheering crowds and volunteers - they were just awesome. Everyone had something for runners - be it water, energy bars, orange slices, gummy bears and even beer (at mile 24). Volunteers were also handing out Vaseline on popsicle sticks to prevent chafing, but I almost mistook it for honey! Lucky for me, I asked what it was in advance. :)

I completed my run in 4:01, and it's still my personal record. I was so inspired that I ran two more marathons later that year. It is a wonderful first marathon in a wonderful quirky city; I highly recommend it to runners of all levels!