This is a decent small/mid sized race

Goods:
Even with all the turns, I thought is was a respectable course. The stretch (9-11 and then 22-finish) along the coast was good
People out on the course even with the steady rain were enthuastic though small in size
Medal is ok, not spectacular
No real expo so getting your number was very easy.
Nice jacket for the marathoners

Not So Good

Don't know why, but there were no water stops between mile 9 and mile 13+ and then again nothing after mile 22
The race is two loops, with the first 11 miles or so with the much larger half marathon. Some people like this, it drives me a bit crazy
The finish seemed a bit disorganized to a runner who brain was a little fried after 26 miles. There were some cups of water but you had to ask to find anything else (food/heat blanket/ medals). No one directing the runners where to go
For a good part of the race you are running with traffic at your back on open roads. I never had a problem and the cars behaved, but it was a bit unnerving at first
It seemed like every runner had ear buds (personal pet peive)
Be careful of your travel plans. Many of the hotels have 11:00 check out (and our hotel was not real friendly about late check out) and with a 9:00 start, you need to be prepared. (though the race does make deals with some of the hotels so you can shower)

The bib pickup was simple and easy. the spectators were wonderful in the rain. It felt like the full and half marathoners were treated equally. Port a potties and all amenities were adequate. However to me a marathon comes down to the course. There were some short stretches of wonderful scenery. BUT I counted 52 turns. Not curves in a road but 90 degree turns from one road to another. Hard to get in a rhythm when every half mile you would have to slow and make a sharp turn.My GPS said 26.7 miles which I assume came from not running the tangents on the corners.

This marathon is still going through some growing pains and there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Pros:
Great Marathon jacket included with entry.
Great volunteers
Plenty of free parking
Plenty of public rest rooms

Cons:
The course is flat, but not as fast as you would think. There are way to many turns on this course. I'm not making this up. At one point they have you turn into a street, go down 20 feet turn around a orange cone and go back out to the street you were just running on and continue in the same direction, I'm not kidding.

Water stops need improvement: Water stops that should have been at mile 11 and 24 were not even there, Marathon web site states crew never showed up.

They should consider using larger cups at the water stops. Using 6 oz Dixie cups, and only filling them half way is not going to cut it.

I really enjoyed this race, despite the bad weather. The course was great and well marked. There was plenty of water (and thanks to the locals who set up extra water stops in front of their homes!), and the people who stayed out and worked the water stops and/or cheered were awesome!!
We even had a dry place to wait before the race.

This was my first marathon and even though the weather was LESS than ideal it was an amazing time. I was inspired and thankful to each and every spectator and volunteer and especially LOCOs who braved the conditions and cheered, directed, poured glasses and handed out gels to us lunatics who run no matter what. From the bottom of my heart thank you for making this day so spectatular.

This course was spectacular even in the poring rain. Only the course could keep my mind off mother nature's cruelty. Second year marathon and the second time I have run the marathon. Couple of course changes did were not really felt either way. Medal was mildly better this year as was the amount of beer left for the marathoners. There was also food for the tail end marathoners this year which was improved. Really great job for the second year. Look forward to running it again next year.

I am a 50 State marathon finisher. I enjoyed this marathon course even in the all day rain. My best finish time this year.

IMO I wouldn't describe this course as flat. The first half of the course was very hilly. Other runners were commenting on the same thing along the way. Miles 9-13 were definitely flat, right on the water. It was beautiful! For improvement, I would have wanted another water stop around mile 12. Not much in the way of music or spectators because it was pouring rain and chilly. Small medal, but that's okay for a fun hometown-type of race. Race organizers communicated very well on race details, maps, etc. Packet pickup was well organized.

This was the first year for the full marathon so there were a few growing pains. Having been to many of the races that are put on by this group - i am sure that anything wrong will be fixed next year.

Thumbs Up:
Fast course to qualify on.
Scenery on-course is great: best ocean views you could ask for.
Beer after the race.
Perfect weather.

Thumbs down:
Food was running out for slower marathoners.
Start/finish area was in the middle of a construction zone this year.

Can't wait for next year! Very commendable job for the first year!

First off, let me say that the volunteers were awesome. This course is absolutely beautiful. I wish they had had one more water stop, though; it felt like they were too far apart. The crowds were decent for such a small race and the double loop course helps it feel like the crowd is bigger than it actually is. The beer tent at the finish is a nice touch, though food was few and far between for the slower marathoners. The organizers gave the marathoners a nice windbreaker, which I found a nice change from a race T-shirt. All in all, I will run this race again because of how great this course was.