This was my first marathon. The overall experience was fantastic. The event was very well organized and the course was beautiful. I appreciated the updates that were emailed out the weeks before the race. They were very helpful and encouraging. The band members that were set up throughout the marathon was a nice touch, especially the drummers near mile 26. They actually helped me pick up the pace. I am already looking forward to next year. Thank you all who helped put this event together. You did an outstanding job!

I have ran in the Marquette marathon and half marathon in both of the two years (2010 and 2011) that it has been going. I must say, not only is this a well organized race, but truly a well organized weekend experience. I have been fortunate to see the event nearly double in size from 2010 to 2011 to include last minute Boston hopefuls from all over the country and even the world.

The race course is a two lap course on a paved bike path that takes you through parks, through downtown Marquette and along Lake Superior. It is a fast yet slightly challenging course which is a key factor in the high 2011 Boston qualify rate of 19.6% and high level of competition the race attracts.

As a local resident of Marquette I feel like I am on a vacation during the weekend of the race. It is great to see how many fans, and participants there are for such a small town. I also get the opportunity to show off the town and play 'tour guide' to runners from out of town. It's always great to see the positive feedback from the out of towners.
I would recommend staying in town a day or two after the race. The post race awards ceremony/after party is a great time to celebrate with other runners, meet the friendly locals and spend a saturday night out on the town with the rest of the NMU locals.

Use Sunday to recover, Immerse yourself in the active culture by exploring the natural beauty of the area.... if you have enough energy left try kayaking on superior, hiking one of the many mountains overlooking marquette, eating at one of the many local resturaunts or meet up with your new friends from the weekend. Believe it or not, by Monday you will begin to recognize many faces as you visit local establishments.

The Marquette marathon weekend always reminds me of why I am proud and lucky to live in Marquette.

Nancy is one of the most kind race directors I have come across in 15 or so marathons so far. I arrived late Friday evening (I didn't realize packet pickup was only Friday evening until all the hotels were booked up in the area. I came to find out I could have picked up my packet Saturday morning :S) without a hotel and she made sure I would have a place to stay that night..FOR FREE!!! What a wonderful person!

The only reason I give the course 4 stars is because of the double lap for the marathon but there is so much to see it really isn't that bad running it twice to see what you missed the first time.

The volunteers were great, very enthusiastic and proud of the event. The fan support from the town could have been stronger but the volunteers almost made up for it.

All in all, I believe this event is destined for substantial growth with the beautiful area, strong support of volunteers, and unparalleled race director.

The marathon was very well organized. The people involved were very friendly. The town of Marquette is beautiful, and I would recommend this marathon to any runner.

The committee that organized this race - now in its second year - gets two thumbs up!! Very friendly check in, great frequent e-mail updates, terrific volunteers. The course was a little more challenging than the 'flat and fast' they stated in their summary, but it was either a nice bike-path or a groomed trail (just a couple miles of trail in total) and the view of Lake Superior never got old. Lots of volunteers at the numerous water and aid stations. This two loop wasn't well-lined with spectators (I think I saw maybe a couple dozen in total) but the station and road crossing volunteers cheered you on as you passed by. The event shirts were great, the medal could use some design work, but since all profits went to the local high school you have to love the community support!! Overall a great local race that will only get bigger. One strong recommendation - the HEED was tough to drink ..recommend another sports drink for the runners next year!

This race weekend exceeded my expectations on all accounts, due to the welcoming town of Marquette and the dedication of the race director and her team.

The two-loop certified course is a pretty good Boston qualifier: slight rises, but no major hills; frequent well-staffed aid stations; protection from wind and sun for the majority of it.

Transportation around Marquette is cheap by cab, and free if you're up for walking a mile or two. I found a great value hotel for the three nights, within walking distance of downtown. The morning busses were prompt and friendly. Hardly any lines at the porta-potties before the race. There were people cheering and a few bands scattered throughout the entire course.

More importantly though, is the attitude of the people in the town. The race director was kind enough to go out of her way to help me when she had much race prep to do. I had two separate locals offer to drive me from the airport to my hotel (there was no cab stand). I spent the remainder of the weekend with new friends from downtown. On Sunday night, 5pm-empty, don't miss Blackrock's fresh brewed beer and live music.

I highly recommend it. (I also highly recommend drinking more than 1 small cup of water/electrolytes at each aid station.)

Marquette, MI first of all is beautiful and running through Presque Isle Park was mysterious; saw alot of squirrels. Alot of hills, some rolling/steady. I was hoping for the split clocks, but there were none. Perhaps that could be added in the 2012 race. Not alot of people were too happy with the 'Heed' energy drink along the course. It was way diluted and tasted like sugar water. Most people train with gatorade which seems to work very well. Last leg of race is a good stretch of down-hill to help with a strong finish. Hats off to the volunteers and the race director!

I wanted to pick an early fall marathon that was flat and fast. Marquette advertises the course is flat and fast. First of all, I'm learning flat is relative. If you are from Marquette, I'm sure this course if flat to you. Being from Chicago, this course is not flat. Several other runners made this same comment. The first 5 miles are challenging, with a one mile on a challenging dirt road. You will have a gradual 200 foot ascend up to mile 5. Starts to flatten out with a few rollers until you return back to the park, where you are greeted with a difficult hill around 11.5 miles. You have to do this twice. The course is mostly path with little to none spectators.

Where work needs to be done is with the aid stations. First of all, small dixie cups are not ok. I'm a heavy sweater and I knew going into this race the temp+humidity would be a challenge to me. I had to make sure to hydrate well. When they give you water in a small 4 oz dixie cup, you are lucky to get 2 ounces. Second, they said aid stations at every mile. I think they meant there were opportunities to get water, which may have been a water fountain on the path. If you are racing, stopping at a water fountain is not acceptable. Their were plenty of aid stations, but not at every mile.

I DNF'd because I got dehydrated. I would like to think if there were water stations at every mile or water in larger cups (8 oz), I would have hydrated better. If I slowed down and stopped at the water stations, I would have been fine, however, I was racing this event.

Hard to give this race a bad review because the organization was top notch! The award dinner was a wonderful event!

Please fix the aid stations and you'll have a wonderful marathon to brag about.

The course is tougher than advertised but if you run smart you'll be rewarded with a good time. Plenty of aid stations along the course although HEED tasted terrible. Nice shirts and finisher medal. People were as friendly as it gets. I will run this race again and I would suggest this marathon to anyone looking to qualify for Boston or just to cross Michigan off the 50 state list. You'll be glad you came!!

I flew to Marquette to get in an 'early fall' marathon- great change in temperature from DC. I trained in the 90's all summer, so 61 at race time was a plus. Good variety in the course, especially considering that we did the same loop twice. Scenic start in the park, a mile or two of unpaved road, then mostly paved bike trails through. Good change of scenery too, running along neighborhoods, through the small downtown and along the lakefront. What blew me away was the organization of this small race- lots of volunteers; water every 1-2 miles (but get rid of the HEED!) and gels. Seriously, did the whole town come out to volunteer to man water stations, stop traffic, etc? This is a fairly fast, flat course (but a nasty little hill in the park at the 12/25 mile mark). Didn't set a PR, but got a very respectable time given my limited summer training. This one is a perfect work up for fall races on my schedule. Oh, and hats off for a great little after party at the Waterfront Restaurant. If you're looking for a small race, but worried about lack of support, try this one.