I totally enjoyed the 2012 MHM. I happened to be traveling to the area and came across it, and really enjoyed it. It's a hilly and challenging course, but quite beautiful in parts. Excellent organization by super nice folks.

As long as you have the right mindset, you'll have a great run. The course is challenging w/ a series of climbs of varying grades and distance capped off my a body jarring LONG decent at mile 16. The scenery in the first 16 is beautiful and you understand why the course went up the hill.

miles 17-26 are run along city streets with a small jaunt through a winery area. Of course, with some small hills at 20, 23.... and 25! (did i mention this was a hilly course?). There is a reprieve that you get a nice downhill the final half mile or so to the finish line.

Don't think PR, but enjoy the scenery and know you'll have a great feeling of accomplishment  this course makes you dig deep.

Event organization was top notch, well-stocked aid stations and spaced just right. The 2011 medal is very nice as well.

Since this was my first marathon, I don't have much to compare to. The first part the course is beautiful with vineyards, rolling oak woodlands, and couple reservoirs. The hills were gradual and didn't feel too tough. The downhill is all at once at mile 16, and being someone who doesn't like downhills, it was a bit of a killer. The hardest part was at the end, in the hot flat part of town. Temperatures reached up to 85 degrees that day, the end was brutal if you're a slow runner. I also had a GPS watch and noticed whoever did the mile pacing was off by 0.01 miles, which doesn't sound like much, but at every mile marker, the sign is an additional 0.01 miles further, and the course is actually 26.46 miles, not 26.2. Great organization, great aid stations, not very many spectators, but I'm used to running alone. And very little marathon traffic to deal with!

The first half of the run is through some very nice rolling hills with a nice final climb and steep descent about mile 16. Alas, then you drop back to the flats where the course recombines with the half marathon. So you share a shoulder of the road with large groups of much slower people. The marathon course splits off again, and this time marathoners in different directions share the shoulder of the road. It all seems a little crowded.

The staff and volunteers were top notch.

Expo and organization were great; 5 GU stations are great! The course was very scenic (although hillier than I expected, the downhill on mile 16 crushed me, and the dead cow in the ditch at the bottom of the hill didn't help make it more pleasant). The first 15-16 miles had a lot of changes in camber on small windy country roads, and the roads weren't fully closed so we had to run on the shoulder as opposed to having the whole lane to ourselves (with CHP yelling on the loudspeaker to keep us on the shoulder). Post-race food comprised pizza and bananas. Overall the race felt larger than it actually was (a good thing) - if we can get the whole lane closed, I think it'd help the course a lot. Spectators were sparse but enthusiastic. A good, local race that could be great with a couple of minor changes (I'd have enjoyed the course more if run in reverse of the layout from this year).

I ran the half. This is my 3rd half and the one that I have enjoyed the most. The start/finish point is a great city park and the course winds past beautiful estates, some estate vinyards, and a stunning reservoir. A few hills added to the challenge but were manageable and not too extreme. The aid stations were perfect.

Scenic course with gentle hills. The organization and volunteers were top notch. It felt like a big-name race in a small-town setting. Would have liked to see more crowds, music, etc. to create some energy throughout the course. It was raining so that may have been a factor.

This was everything you could wish for in a small marathon. Organizers were constantly updating us through website and Facebook as well as responding to questions. Course was beautiful. Volunteers very helpful. Plentiful water, gatorade, and GU - and pizza at the finish! The medal and shirt are top-notch. And the announcer made each person feel like they just won their own race!

The race organizer and the volunteers did a fantastic job putting this race together. The marathon course was scenic, and the little rain enhanced the beauty of the gentle, rolling hills. The downhills at mile 15 and 25 are a big treat, not to mention the slice of pizza at the end.

As a 50-state marathoner, this one is on my top 10 in all categories. Put it in your bucket list.

I ran the half, making this my 7th half. The scenery was beautiful, with the changing fall colors, and there were gradual, rolling hills. I considered it to be a fast course. The pace groups were awesome. Frequent water stations, Gatorade, and GU for those who want it. Organization was great overall, especially for the inaugural event. There wasn't a lot of fan support, but the volunteers and spectators who helped out were awesome. Post-race food wasn't ideal for me: bananas and pizza. I wasn't able to stick around for the post-race expo, but it looked fantastic. If I didn't have an hour-long drive back to Pacific Grove, I would have done the wine tasting!