This is just a fabulous marathon! I cannot say enough GOOD about it! I loved it last year and I loved it even more this year.

Yes, there are hills. But there is a lot of flat too, and when they say flat, they mean flat! I am a back-of-the-packer who was cheered on by the plentiful water station volunteers and spectators! There were oranges, ice cold sponges, water, Gatorade and gel at 2 stations... they even had gel left for us in the back! The volunteers are just SUPER! The course is awesome! There is only one stretch that I don't care for... but the rest (hills and all) definitely make up for it!

I love the medals! I've got 2 now and am immensely proud of them! They are the BEST! The fly-overs were awesome! This is not a big spectator race, but the volunteers more than make up for it! It has great organization. I'm not sure why someone would think differently. They even fixed the parking problems from last year! WAY to go to this marathon! (Oh, and it was my worst time posted ever for a marathon, but it is still my favorite out of the 6 I've done).

Next year I hope to train better for it and break 5 hours! This CAN be a PR course (it was for me last year), if you train for the hills.

Everything about this race was exceptional! The constant support from military personnel was motivating...You could tell that they REALLY wanted us to have a great day. The sights on the normally 'Off Limits' Air Force Base were very entertaining for this curious civilian. And the hills weren't nearly as bad as the map made them look. Post race was great with the Stealth Fly-By, and the Air Force Museum is a world class family attraction (amazingly, it's FREE).

Not many crowds, as most of the course runs through the base. But those occasional clusters of heavily armed soldiers were pretty motivating.

This will be an annual highlight of my running calendar.

Again I was challenged by the course, coming from Ft. Lauderdale, I get beaten by that last big downhill.
I am curious about the true distance of the course, how is it measured. My GPS showed it much less than the 26.2.

Taking next year off for another event, but will come back for sure. Just wish there was away to allow the spectators on the course.

This is my second year and every year it's been a great experience. This year was my first marathon (last year ran the half) and glad it was the 'AIR FORCE' Marathon. The volunteers were wonderful and SOOO deserving of a 'job well done'. I was so surprised by the 2-star general walking towards me at the 18 mile mark, but I thanked him for the support. Leadership support is crucial for the new AF fitness program to work! THANK YOU! AGAIN THANK YOU!!! See ya, next year!!

Packet pickup - Free parking, easy to get to, open late, there was a problem with the ages on the chip (mine was off by two years), for some reason my after marathon party pass was not included in the bag.

Race morning - Lots of parking, took all of 10 minutes to drive from Days Inn and park car. Lots of port-a-potties. Started on time. I was expecting a fly-over, but there was none until the 5k at 10:00 a.m. I liked that the relayers and 1/2s started after the marathon, which allowed us to set our pace. Even though there were 3000 runners, never felt like I was in a race of more than 200 folks.

Race - Plenty of water stops, decorated aid stations and enthusiastic volunteers, road closed to traffic lonely for 26.2 folks from mile 7-19, although basically flat from 7-19. Quite hilly from 1-6 and 20-26, but for every up hill (and there were many) there is also a downhill. Miles 20-26 difficulty was compounded by quite a few 1/2 marathon walkers to avoid. They allowed headphones. Nice finish through airplanes, handshake with two star general.

Post race - Massages offered, food was weak (only bananas, cookies, water and some new protein bar.) Graet medal, great t-shirt, best off all is the Air Force Museum. I spent over 4 hours there after race looking around.

Overall - If the weather is right, and you can handle some lonely stretches, this is a potentially fast marathon. After touring downtown Dayton, I can see why it is not included in the course.

This was the most organized and respectful run I have done yet. Wide streets which were all closed to traffic, aid stations seemed like every mile or less, great volunteers! I really enjoyed it!

Great course. Yes, there were some elevation changes, which keep things interesting. The young military people were very involved, some running with heavy backpacks, some working the aid stations while others patrolled the course on bikes. All were very polite and inspiring. Running through the planes at the finish was so cool, as was the medal with the F-117 Nighthawk on it! We arrived a couple hours before the start and had no problem parking. A wonderful event that I would recommend to anyone.

This was my 89th marathon and I loved it! It was a tough course...thanks to the two hills, but the rest of the course was beautiful, well marked and very well hydrated! I have never seen so many aid stations!

The end of the marathon was most memorable...the aircraft as the finishing chute - incredible. The pasta dinner in the museum was extraordinary and the medal presentation by officers was very special.

Thanks to all the volunteers...they really made the difference.

I thoroughly enjoyed this race in 2004. The weather helped enormously: 50 at the start and never more than low to mid 60's. At the finish line you get a medal almost immediately after crossing and it is handed to you by uniformed U.S. Air Force personnel. Not obvious to me that it was a commanding officer, but that's not important anyway.

I never did find post-race goodies: food, drinks, etc. Did I just miss that area?

As to the course: I have run Big Sur and the first hill is sort of like a mini Hurricane Point: about half as long and only as steep as the gentler parts of Hurricane Point. Still it was a challenge. Coming back the hill between mile 23 and 24 wasn't nearly as long or steep, but once again is was a challenge. I thought the freeway on ramp that came just before it was harder. Also - running back down the first big hill when you get to mile 24 was seriously painful - my hips and quads were screaming at that point.

The course itself is definitely deserted except for the water stop personnel. There were 26 aid stations and the volunteers couldn't have been more enthusiastic. I especially liked the themed stops: there was a Wizard of Oz stop, a Rock 'n Roll Radio Station stop, and others which I'm having trouble remembering right now.

I wouldn't have any hesitation about running this one again.

Train for hills is my first thought. The beginning and the ending are very hilly. Lots of aid stations, so many that I felt I could skip 2 and be ok. What support there was on the base was great! I liked the expo too. The course can get a little monotonous around the flight line, but all in all I liked it (well maybe not the hills so much). I highy recommend this one. The medals are fabulous and the shirts are great.