Loved the fly over prior to the start. At the start/finish area another runner described the porta potty area as porta potty heaven! I would have to agree - no wait 1/2 hour prior to the marathon start. Only issue was the last few miles joining back with half marathoners at a 2:30 or greater pace had to weave through a few. Other than that great job. Thank you to all who serve our country!

My 38th Marathon! Woo hoo!
This was well worth the 12 hour drive from Ottawa. It is a well organized race with a few glitches. The course has just a couple of hills and is very flat and picturesque. The other runners are great and if you are a maniac you will find many to talk to. The best part is the food - pizza, bagels, gatorade, etc., There were water stops every mile and very friendly volunteers. The Stealth fighter launch to start the race was something and the Air Force Museum (free!) was good. There should have been a free shuttle bus from the finish line to parking and better signage for the running expo (missed most of the vendors!)

The half-marathon was nothing short of a disaster. The second pack of elite runners took a wrong turn at the 3.5 mile mark (no marshals at a key intersection) and more than 500 of the most talented runners followed. These runners became confused while running backwards on the half-marathon course intermixed with marathon runners running forward on their course before getting redirected back to the course in various directions. Most ran in the neighborhood of 14.6 to 15.6 total miles with essentially none of the potential age group placers getting a valid time. If you examine the results, you'll see a complete disconnect with the distribution of the finishing times and almost half of all the runners not getting their splits off the intermediate mats. Extremely disappointing when your training was essentially pointed towards this race and you were running well only to have it turn into a nonevent. A total waste of airline tickets, lodging and rental car expenses.

No jet planes this year, 1 fly over from the Stealth makes for just another dead town marathon. In the past the planes made this race great, now it's barely worth putting up with Dayton for. And don't get me started about the lame cargo plane fly over for the 5K, it was stupid.

Run it... You will NOT be disappointed!!! For some reason the weather is always perfect. The B-2 fly over gave us chills. The Air Force gives it their all, and it's deeply appreciated.

Bottom line up front - If your a serious marathoner looking to run a good race and enjoy it, I would think twice about this Marathon. While it has a lot of good points, two issues really compromise the integrity of the race. First, the merge of the Half Marathon race with the Marathon at mile 21 creates a bit of havoc, crowded roads and upsets the race pace. I was running low 7 min mile pace and was merged with runners running 10+ min pace. Doesn't mix well, especially when your sharing the same finish line. Also, mile 26 was LONG by .2. It was 1.2 miles by my watch and GPS while all other miles were relatively consistent in length. No fun when trying to go for a PB or qualify for Boston.

Besides these two critical comments, it was a nice event.

Race organizers did a very good job with the pre-race bib pickup and expo. Great goody bag with nice tech shirt and running cap. Easy access at the Nutter Center. Pasta Dinner was average, location was extraordinary at the Air Force Museum. Pre-race and post race logistics were great. Parking was on base and easy to get parked and over to starting area. Baggage drop was very efficient and easy...no lines. The B2 flyover was awesome...very cool. The course was good. Pace groups were available and water/gatorade stops were plentiful and well done.

Also, two gu and sponge stops were terrific. Really enjoyed the sponges. Fan support is limited...The last 13.1 is around the flight line and back area of the base with few spectators. Mile 26 was LONG..1.2 miles. Obvious based on my splits, GPS tracking and the course map comparing the 26.2 and 13.1 courses that shared the same course over the last 5 miles of the Marathon. While mile 12 and 25 are in different spots on the course map that share the same terrain, mile 13 and 26 are in the same spot. This math doesn't add up.

Sharing the course at mile 21 was problematic. Had to zig zag around slower runners which is not the way to finish a Marathon. Crossed finish line with Half Marathoners. No distinction at finish line for either race. Excellent large medals with great design. Post race food was OK but rushed as you had to get it after receiving medal. Post race food included bagel pieces, pizza, banana, soda, water, gatorade. Could not re-enter food tent. One free beer was nice and opportunity to pay for food was also available. Post race logistics were fine.

Don't think I'll run this race again until they decide to treat the Marathon as its own race without merging wit the Half Marathon and with a separate finish. Also, the extra distance at mile 26 needs to be corrected.

This is one of my favorite marathons. I have run the full 3 times and the half 4 times. It is always extremely well organized with great volunteers throughout. The support along the course is top-notch with water, gatorade, GU, fruit, Fig Newtons and sponges. The medal the the best in the business with a featured plane every year.

Medical stations were available throughout the course as well.

Beer, pizza, gatorade, water, bagels, fruit and chocolate milk at the finish...not to mention live music for entertainment in the family re-union area.

I signed up for pasta feed only to hear Dean Karnazes, suddenly during dinner it was announced Dean is in Wisconsin running some ultra. I love AF marathon otherwise, my favorite race, but someone dropped the ball on this one. Come on Dean, did you not know about this race before committing to speak? Is it all about you, that's how it looks. Felt bad for the substitute speaker, some Dr, but his speech was so weird, he kept talking about monkey bars on a playground! He said 'monkey bars' at least 10x & I had no idea what that had to do with running a marathon! No speech would have been better I think. If the RD knew about Dean, we should have been offered a refund. Race itself is excellent, highly recommend it. This was my 3rd AF marathon.

This is my third marathon and the best so far. On friday night, the packet pick up was very easy and lots of vendors at the race expo. Parking was very easy and I walked right up and got my packet in under a minute. The next morning my hotel was running a shuttle to wright state nutter center and i hopped on the bus to get to the start line. This was so easy and if you are worried about the traffic in, take this option. it only took a few minutes from hotel to start line which meant I had a hour and a half to kill before start time.

The opening ceremonies started around 7 and the general did a great job and the fly over from the B-2 Stealth bomber was incredible. I feel so lucky to be an american. The race started with a small hill around mile 2 and the only other hill I can remember was another small one toward the end. The course was interesting to me because it was a lot of different sights to see. You start on the runway, run past a golf course, through the neigborhoods of the military personal, of which I must add, is one of the most beautiful neigborhoods i have ever seen. There were even military familys handing out fig newtons and water from their front yard. Around mile 8 you enter a town and for a few miles the crowds are big and very supportive. I have to mention that it seems like there are water stations every mile and the volunteers were great. The stations have different themes, of which the zombie one wins the best of award.

There are also bands every few miles and the heavy metal band or the Alanis Morrissette sound alike wins. There are not a lot of spectators except at the finish line and around miles 8-10 but I kind of like a race like that. The finish line was very well thought out. You get your medal from an air force officer and then you are through the food tent with so many different choices and out the back and it is easy to find family. I also like the baggage check system and the clear backpack from the expo for baggage check. I hope more races copy this.
in summary, the air force marathon is awesome.

Where else can you run where the Wright Brothers started, run where the top air force in the world flies out of, and be so close to aircraft such as the b-2? The organization is great, but what else would you expect from the greatest military ever? Everyone from the enlisted personal all the way up to the general were all very nice and helpful. Keep up the great work. I will definitely be back to this one.

The organization for this large a marathon was exceptional. The Air Force did a fantastic job of making this a very exciting memorable event. The volunteers were all very friendly and helpful. The B-2 bomber flyover just before the start was excellent!

The course isn't completely flat but the hills are not too steep or long to really be much of a challenge. The weather was sunny but not hot- just right! The Dayton area isn't the most picturesque but the marathon route certainly wasn't tedious or boring.

A word of advice (that I didn't follow): make sure you know where you park your car. It was so dark at 6 AM that I couldn't really locate any good landmarks in the giant grassy parking area and it took me over an hour to find my darn rental car after the race!