This was my 4th Portland Marathon. I registered at the expo, coughing up the $150 fee. I had a great race, and ran a PR of 2:55. Only bummer is that my name is not in the results. After several calls and emails to the Portland Marathon office, I'm disappointed.

I've run Portland 4 times - once on a previous course, three times on the current course. It's a convenient marathon for me to get to, but I don't expect to run it again. The volunteers are wonderful, but the rest of the race is ordinary at best. I think it's overrated. If you know how beautiful Portland is, you'll be amazed to find such an ugly course. The amount of time in the industrial area is excessive. The stretch of highway out to the bridge is ho-hum (and it's open to vehicle traffic). The bridge is lovely, but the climb is pretty steep. Also, the marathon's website doesn't show the steep downhill and subsequent climb after the bridge (check out the MarathonGuide.Com elevation profile for an accurate take). The marathon is run by an all-volunteer staff, and that's great. But I get the feeling that the upper ranks are phoning it in, as they say. I never received a finisher's certificate or results book (both were promised in the registration materials for 2007). In April (six months after the marathon), I emailed the organization via their website and got a response telling me they were still working on the book. Subsequent emails and phone calls have gone unanswered.

It's not that anything is horrible about the Portland Marathon. It's just ordinary and overrated. Maybe it's me, but it's seemed a little less special each time I've run it (first time in 1991, last time in 2007).

This was my 10th Portland Marathon and it sets the standard for me to evaluate other races. They do a great job pre-race, along the course and post-race. Throughout the year, they also send you communication to make you really feel like a part of the Portland Marathon family.

As for the actual race, the course has a few minor hills, so I would suggest driving it before race day. There is a slight, steady incline after mile 11 that can sneak up on you and the climb up to St. Helen's Bridge can be a bear, but overall, nothing you shouldn't be able to handle. Be sure to have some fun and launch a gummy bear off the middle of the bridge! =)

Weather is usually perfect for running. Can be cold at the start, but you could easily hand off gear to family around along the waterfront. There is usually a slight headwind along miles 6-9, and again on St. Helen's Road. Conversely, if the sun is out, it can get very warm in the later stages of the race along Greeley/Interstate Blvd. Support along the course is top notch. Entertainment is okay... but this is not supposed to be the a rock 'n roll run, so enjoy what you get!

The last several blocks to the finish are inspiring with lots of people cheering you on. The actual finish area is about the best in the business and they do a great job limiting it to just runners. As your reward for finishing, you'll get a space blanket, nice medal, pine tree seedling and lots of post-race snacks. Just be sure to coordinate where to meet your family/friends after wards so you can share all your great memories from your awesome day of racing!

The Portland Marathon has doubled in size since I last ran it, so it must be doing something right. The race is held at the perfect time of year in Portland, a very pretty city with great neighborhoods. However, the marathon course does not highlight the city. Instead, the course includes runs through rail yards (out & back) and down long industrial stretches.
The organizers of the Portland Marathon do a good job in putting on this race. They have corrected all the past mistakes and handled the growth well. In my opinion, it has gotten stale. The same finisher shirt, the same old course, even the same course entertainment.

I ran the Portland Marathon in '06 and '07, and I found it very well organized and executed. While 2007 was slightly different in the start due to construction downtown, it was no problem for me to stage appropriately 15-20 minutes before the gun. Later than that, you will probably have to climb over barriers to get up to stage.

I would recommend going on the bus tour ($5) on Saturday. I took it in 2007. It was very informative, and I wish I took it in 2006. There are a few hills/overpasses/ramps/bridges in the last 10K, I wish I knew about beforehand. I thought the course was harder than I was led to believe from the website. You can sign up for the bus tour at the expo.

There are not many spectators on the West side before the St John's bridge; most just seemed curious and were just standing with hands in pockets. Conversely, the crowds are pretty supportive on the East side.

I really enjoyed the event pictures; they did a super job.

Please be aware the pacers may not be that accurate. I believe in both years the 3:30 pacers went out too fast. In 2007, I ignored them, and was able to reach my BQ goal. Other online forums refer to problems with the pacers for other target times.

Weather conditions were good both times; '06 was cool and clear while '07 was overcast with some perceptible wind from the south (TV said 10 mph).

What an amazing experience! I PR'd by 18 minutes and turned in my first sub-4 hour marathon. Portland is such an awesome city to run a marathon in! The weather was absolutely perfect! I thought the course was fabulous. Running through the industrial area was fine by me! It's a part of Portland you don't get to see otherwise. I felt a little toasted on the hill up to St. John's Bridge; however, it was somewhat short and the view was amazing from the top. Running on the other side of the river was totally cool and very different from the city side. The support was great and the crowds were very encouraging. The people of Portland are so friendly and really embrace the marathon! The pacers were right on! I hung on to a group faster than I wanted to go until the St. Johns Bridge, but kept them in sight. I ended up running over 4 minutes faster than anticipated! Thanks to Les and Nadine for inspiring me to be a better person and athlete!

Organization is good for this race; the only disappointment was lack of food/water at start. Finish area had plenty of refreshments. The race was well stocked with drinks, even handed out gummy bears, gels, and honey sticks.

The course is a little harder than the website makes it out to be. You have two major hills - one early (no problem), in the first couple of miles, and then the long run to the St. John Bridge. The part that isn't shown correctly is the rolling hills on the backside. The weather was very good (mid 50's); however, there was a headwind coming back of about 10 mph, which makes the second half definitely harder than the first.

The finisher shirt is nice (technical), and the medal was well designed.

The people of Portland are very friendly and the food in Portland is good. The city embraces the marathon with plenty of spectators throughout the course.

This was my first marathon and this experience has left me wanting to continue my effort at becoming a runner. The course was just as described, support from the aid workers was outstanding and I have never experienced that much support in other types of road races. The shirt, medal, rose, tree and finish line experience were all outstanding. I really appreciated the fact they allow MP3 players.

This was my first marathon and I am from the area. I had a fantastic experience that has me thirsty for more. I was amazed at the encouragement from the volunteers on the course. I always run solo and had never run with others. They were very personable and at the finish they were very helpful. Getting my bib and shirt was all very easy. Had to go to many places but they had signs up at every turn and entrance. Being from the area I was disappointed in the course. Way to much industrial area. Portland is such a beautiful city, but the course doesn't really take you to those areas. I was also surprised at the hills. Being my first marathon, I thought that the main hill started at mile 14 and ended around mile 19. Had a great time at this race.

If you have never been to Portland you are in for a treat! The city was very nice and the food was beyond amazing! We took the max light train from the airport to salmon st. and walked about a block to the hotel. It only cost 2 bucks. The marathon was great- scenic- amazing- etc. etc. Even the industrial section was nice as it provided for a real feel. You go through a nice mix of everything! If you are a walker you MUST do Portland. You wont be disappointed. My only gripe was a lack of porta potties at the miles 3-7 (expect a 5-8 min wait) and the fact that there were no volunteers at miles 25.5 and beyond and we actually got lost and wound up in a street fair where everyone look at us like we were crazy (oblivious that a marathon was going on) we had to backtrack and wonder around for a while until we stumbled onto the finish. This really upset me. The last miles are suppose to be enjoyable not mass confusion- Btw we finished well under the 8 hour limit. Other than these 2 glitches everything was good. TAKE THIS ADVICE.. It IS Portland so be prepared for piercing cold and rain...You never know. If you can spend an extra day or two there I advise it as well. Yes it is that good!