I was worried about running this marathon since the comments were negative about the organization and the high temps. I am very glad I did run it as my Indiana marathon to join the 50-state marathon club. Everyone from the start to the finish was very nice, supportive and ready to assist you in anyway. All 24 water stops were stocked with water, Gatorade, gel packs, etc. Medics on bikes keep a caring eye on us. It was very hot and humid from the start, but that was out of their control. The course was nice, threw the parks and around the River walk. The finish at Notre Dame football stadium was SPECTACULAR! I was one of the last finishers and I still had a great welcome by the spectators, volunteers, and cameraman. They announced my name as I finished and greeted me with my medal, a wet cold towel and plenty of food and refreshments. My favorite was the cups of watermelon, grapes and cantaloupe. The only thing to complain about was the high temperature and humidity. Thank you to everyone who helped me finish this extremely HOT and HUMID marathon; I couldn't have done it without your organized staff. Very challenging but rewarding!

My comments will be a bit different because I was the last runner through the stadium. I'm normally a slow runner but the weather really got to me so that's why I wasn't running my best. But... the course was nice and flat. The water stops were plentiful and manned by wonderful, nice, smiling people willing to stand in the same heat and humidity as the runners for hours. The med escorts were wonderful gentlemen - checking up on me - and the police were great too. When the 10K, half, and marathon people merged, that was a bit crowded, but the spray paint sunbursts helped lead the way. No complaints here, and I recommend it highly. Thanks for a great race, Sunburst.

This was my third marathon in six months, and turned out to be my best. The aid stations were well stocked with beverages and smiles. Since I trained in Tampa, the warm weather in South Bend was a non issue. I did not have any problems on the course, and in general thought it was pretty nice, with the exception of the lack of time clocks. The crossing of the one intersection through other runners was not that bad, we just made it into a fartlek.

The short and sweet packet pick-up gave me more time to rest and relax. The marathon t-shirt could have been replaced with a technical race shirt. The cold towels at the finish were so refreshing! Smoothies would have worked well here also.

Overall the organization was good, despite some of the negative comments previously posted. The only other suggestion would be to stage these races earlier in May. This would ensure a better opportunity for cooler temps.

I ran the half marathon and absolutely loved it. The course was beautiful through the South Bend neighborhoods and the finish in Notre Dame Stadium is really unlike anything else.

One great thing about this race was that it was so easy - not running it, but everything around the event: the packet pickup, parking, the festive start line, the finish, the food and drinks and the shuttle buses back to the start.

The organizers of this event know exactly what they are doing, as evidenced by the fact that this was the 25th anniversary.

As a Chicago resident (and runner), I would highly encourage folks to participate in this event - there is a 5K, 10K, half and full marathon, so something for everyone.

Cannot say enough about this race - will definitely be back next year.

I've run different marathons, from San Francisco to Boston, and there isn't one of them that I appreciated more than the Sunburst Marathon in South Bend, IN. The 6 a.m. gun time was great. The first time I felt the sun on me was at mile 14. From someone who ran Chicago in '07, I loved it! The course is absolutely beautiful. From the tree-covered streets to the beautiful parks, it was mesmerizing. There were 24 - yes, 24 - water stations along the course. That was great. The volunteer service was the best I have ever had. People were so friendly and nice. They must have handed out GU four to six times throughout the course. At mile 25, you mix in with the half-marathoners who started an 1.5 hours later. That gave me a boost passing many of them. Running into the stadium was... sorry, no words here to describe the feeling. It was a dream come true, running through that tunnel with the fight song playing. I tip my hat to a marathon I plan on putting in my curriculum for years to come. The fan base is very low, which meant my family had no trouble finding me multiple times along the course. First time I ever got Dri-Fit socks with the logo on it too.

Comments from 2007 had me worried about this marathon. There were not that many good comments at all, but I was willing to take a chance since there aren't a lot of marathons this time of year. I'm glad I did. I don't know if they changed a bunch from 2007, but there is nothing that takes away from the race. Water stations and GU were plentiful. If I had to complain about something, it would be the cotton t-shirt. (For someone only to complain about a t-shirt tells me that it's a great marathon.)

This was a very nice smaller marathon. Sure, the humidity was a bit high, and the temps were getting up there - so slow down a bit and stay well hydrated. No big deal.

Some of my positives:
- Registration and packet pickup were a breeze.
- Starting area parking and the return shuttle were very smooth.
- There were plenty of water stations and an endless supply of GU.
- As usual, the volunteers and staff were very courteous and helpful.
- No long lines for the porta-potties before or during the run.
- The College Football HoF start and ND Stadium finish.
- The new path between miles 7 and 9.
- The iced towels at the finish. Very refreshing, but please, no double dipping.
- The Sunburst socks(!).

Just a couple of not-so-positives:
- Mile measurements/markings. Specifically around mile 7 this year. Please triple-check sign placements.
- The endpoint turnarounds (mile 6+ and 17+) seemed a bit "flexible." Two volunteers standing there who you run to then turn around, I guess? Maybe there was an oops there leading to what many clocked as a "short" mile 7?

Overall, I really enjoyed the event, and I PR'ed. Kudos to the RD, staff, and volunteers. Something like this isn't easy to pull off and you all seemed to do a pretty good job. See you next year.

Having read the comments from previous years, I was a tad concerned... however, I signed up anyway and am very pleased. This is the smallest event that I have done and I think I am now a fan of the smaller venues. The course was nice, the neighborhoods were cool, and the interaction with the residents gave it a homey feeling. The volunteers were great, and traffic control was excellent. I LOVED the finish with hearing the ND fight song (I hate ND football, by the way), seeing the fans in the stadium, and finishing on the 50 yard-line made it all worth it. The ice towels came in handy, given the temperatures over 70; and AS slow as I am (under 5), I did not have to contend with runners from other races, so it was all good for me!

I would never run this marathon again nor recommend it to other runners. Due to merging courses with the 10K race and inadequate course marking between miles 10 and 11, I (along with at least 6 other runners), ended up running one of the neighborhood block loops twice, which added another mile to my "marathon." Being back at the end of the pack, I found it inexcusable that during official race time limits, I had cars driving up from behind and passing me. That's just not safe. If you are going to call a 6 and a 1/2-hour time limit, then keep the traffic off the course or don't host a full marathon! At one point a volunteer asked my partner to finish with his cup so that he could put it in the trash and not have to pick it up. I could go on, but it's not worth my time.

I said I'd be back to report, and here I am. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sunburst Marathon this time. Maybe because I ran a solid race, maybe because it's nice to run a small marathon after running Chicago 9 years in a row. I'll agree with everything people have written the last couple days, except I do enjoy the 6 a.m. EST start (and I do live in the CST time zone). Organizers have to start it that early in case it's an excessively hot day. They couldn't call it the Sunburst if it was 6 weeks earlier. The intersecting of the races was a bit confusing, but there were course monitors in there to direct traffic and it wasn't that confusing. I actually didn't mind all the people at the end, because I was passing a bunch of them. I'd definitely recommend this to someone in the general South Bend area as a low-cost spring marathon to inspire training during the early part of the year.