Wow, what nice day. It was very well run, with lots of water stops. I like the time of the year. I have done over 70 marathons, and this one was awesome. I'll be back for 2010. Great job.

I traveled from Chicago, praying for good weather, and the temps were perfect! The race was very well organized and volunteers were amazing. Given the ease of public transportation, I'd recommend adding more information on public transportation for getting to mile markers. The finisher's jacket beat the usual cotton shirt give-away, and the outdoor expo was a nice change.

This race was the best race ever! It was completely organized, with check-in, packet pick-up, and parking. I was impressed with the crowds along the route. It was a gorgeous route with plenty of beautiful views of downtown. I will definitely be running this again next year and hopefully be running the full instead of the half!

I ran the half-marathon. I thought the course was very scenic and well marked. There were some pretty steep hills, but that would be the only negative that I can think of for the course. The water at the finish line was in tiny cups, and there wasn't very much of it. I would suggest bottled water or bigger cups next time, especially for such long races!! The sports drink was gross. There were very enthusiastic spectators along most of the half's course. I would most definitely run this race again!!!

This is my one of my favorite marathons I have run. It was my first marathon under 4 hours, so the course was pretty good - no complaints. Plenty of water stops. Pacers were great. The city was beautiful, and there was a good turnout of people cheering you on. I flew in from NY and stayed right there at the Depot Marriott. It was just an overall great experience.

For me, this race has raised the bar and it will be difficult for any other marathon to compare. Team Ortho organized a training group that motivated me to commit to training and to give it my best. The course was challenging, but the quote flags, the spectators, and the water station crews along the way kept the motivation alive to keep plugging along. People cheering out on the course sincerely cared for the runners and made sure we knew they supported us. How could we not keep going?

Minneapolis Marathon, I feel fortunate to be part of such a marvelous event and inspired to continue with my training so that I can do it again next year. Team Ortho, you made me feel like part of a family. Thank you for an experience of a lifetime!

Mile markers were off. When I got to Fort Snelling, it was very confusing as to what the course was. They didn't have course markers where they needed them. I saw all kinds of people running on different trails/roads around Fort Snelling. I counted about 17 runners that were running a different route. I was very disappointed with the organization. After all that training, the course officials did not do their part. I will never run this marathon again.

For my first marathon, I couldn't have chosen a better event. The organization was fantastic, the event well planned and the experience unparalleled (in my brief experience)! Will definitely do it again next year. The course was a bit hilly, but what marathon (or race) course is perfect? If your are after a great time, good fun and a wonderful running experience, THIS IS THE ONE!!!

There wasn't much advance buzz about this race, so I was very pleasantly surprised. Weather was beautiful, which helped, but the course was great too. For its first running, organization was impressive (with the exception of the mismarked first mile). The low-key finish line was refreshing - it was the first time that my kids were able to join me moments after I crossed the line. Details like the finisher's jacket, top-notch medal and post-race party were great too. Nice job, Team Ortho.

I live in Hawaii and run select mainland marathons to avoid the heat. I watched the weather report with vested interest as race day approached. Anything above 70F for my aging body (63) is risk for leg cramps after 18 miles. The day before it was 71, but race day shot up to 84F, catching slower runners like me in the afternoon peak heat. I cramped, as expected - at 22.5 miles. It was a grueling and disappointing final miles for this walking wounded. (Somebody later said to try taking in ionic calcium.) The next day it dropped back to 71, and then the following day, to the 68F that I had prayed for. Guess the marathon gods had it in for me! :=(

But the race, even after the weary layover flights from Honolulu to Minneapolis was, overall, a pleasant experience. I loved the trail route along the Missisippi River, even if most of the run is along it, backtracks on it, making all of the trees and the river then become a bit monotonous.

Accommodations at the sponsoring Depot Rennaissance Hotel were wonderful, especially since I love old trains, and the place was the train station in its heyday in the 50s (think Lionel trains!). The cooking was delicious in the sponsoring hotel's restaurant. They even thought of having chicken liquini for carbo loading the evening before the race. It is a great convenience to out-of-towners to have the packet pick-up, start, and finish line all at one location.

As Hawaii's only participant in this inaugural race, I appreciate the woolly "fleece" long-sleeve pullover, with nicely designed logo of the marathon. The organizers were also more generous than competing events by awarding quality long-sleeve shirts to the finishers - with "Finisher" printed on it. Nowadays, as everybody knows, participants have to BUY finisher t-shirts at sign-in expos, at $35-45. What happened to the good old days when the challenge of finishing was earning the finisher t-shirt besides the medal? You couldn't buy a finisher's shirt - unless you earned it!

The most fantastic moment during the course for me was when I came upon Ft. Snelling along the forested Mississippi trail. I never heard of it before. Its stone ruins were so fascinating. Now I realize it is a national registered historic site. Union infantry soldiers, Civil War volunteers, and WWII recruits all did service at the federal site, first built in 1820 to guard the spot were the Missisippi and Missouri Rivers join up. As a professional artist, this juncture of the run turns out to be the inspiring scene that I shall oil paint in order to reminisce about my Minnesota once-in-a-lifetime marathon run. And I thought I'd be painting trees in this award-winning "green city."

One disappointment is that the Metrodome was not on the course (I am a Viking fan). In New Orleans, the start is the Saints' home field, and in Nashville (I ran both this year too) the finish is the home of the Titans.