I have run 27 marathons and this was the first without water or gatorade at the finish, and I finished in the top 50! The headwind on the very uninteresting course was brutal. The boring out and back between miles 20-25 were discouraging. I had looked forward to spending an extra day or two in Charleston, but left the next morning, the race left a bad after taste. The tent needs to go! How about a real expo and finish line location? I will not be back, there are better races closer to home.

The course isn't much on scenery particularly except for the first few miles, but I knew that going in. It's a complex course with lots of turns, but it seemed adequately marked. There was a big police presence so there was no problem with cars on the course. The last five miles- just when folks are hitting the wall are pretty desolate until you are right at the finish, which doesn't help, I have two real complaints with the run. The water stops were frequent, but the cups were too small. Even worse, when I finished there was no water or Gatorade at the finish. This is nearly unpardonable for any race, especially a marathon. Changing a course is difficult to do, but fortunately, actually having water and gatorade at the end should be easy to do for next year.

This race needs some improvement, if they expect to continue drawing a crowd. The positives I can speak of (compared to some others) were the shuttle service to the race start and the porta potty situation. I had no issues with either of these.

I agree about the expo... it was dusty and dark and easily could have been set up on pavement instead of in a dirt lot.

As for the course... like most race courses, it had nice and ugly parts. The most disheartening portion was the last 6 miles. Knowing how close the finish line area was, the full route turned into a wasteland of nothingness, following a line of cones out for 3 miles, knowing you had to turn and come back 3 miles. It was terrible. In what normally are the hardest miles of a marathon, this is where you really need something nice to look at, or at the very least NOT a down and back route.

The biggest issue of the day was lack of fluids. With aid stations approx every 2 miles, I went past three stops in a row where there were no cups. People were picking up used cups off the ground, or in some cases, drinking straight from the pitchers used to serve runners. NOT GOOD! So for 6 miles, I had no fluids. This was before the half route split off. After the split, there were no issues with this. However, once I finished, there were no fluids there either, or space blankets. It was a cold, very windy 40 degree day. This would have been nice after a cold run.

I love the city of Charleston and would love to return. But without some changes, I don't think I'd run this race again.

The race organization and race staff assistance was extremely poor. There was no water at the finish which is inexcusable. There were no bottles of water and I all I saw was the green tea. The expo/finish tent was dirty/dusty which covered everything including the food. There was not sufficient porta johns and there was no toilet paper at all in any of them after the finish. I needed assistance from race staff regarding some confusion with my registration and the staff was rude and never addressed my concern. I am from this area (two hours away) and have brought my family for this event starting with the half marathon two years ago and both last year and this year's marathon. The continued lack of organization is very disappointing. This was my 13th marathon and I have enjoyed some very nice both big and small marathons, but this is not one of them.

Overall I enjoyed this race very much. A chilly start but after mile 8 the weather was nice and sunny with a slight breeze. The course was nice and flat, the scenery was southern (and I have a hard time dissing a race that's nice and flat). The spectators were enthusiastic, at some points few & far between but for crying out loud it is 26.2 miles! Honestly my one and only complaint is not enough port o pottys. I didn't want to miss the gun so I skipped out of the line after waiting 10 minutes anyway. There was one potty every 2 or 3 miles, and for the first 8 (I'm guessing also because you're running with all of the 13.1 mile people as well) there were HUGE lines. Finally stopped at mile 8 because I couldn't wait any longer, and still stood for at least 5 minutes in line. I enjoyed the post race boiled peanuts, beer & grits, the medal and shirt are nice as well. Overall well done!

This was my 19th state and I enjoyed it. This was a
flat and scenic course with a great start and fun finish.
If you want a lot of port of potties and huge crowds along the way this is not a course for you. But if you want a well organized race on a fast flat course with a lot of southern hospitality - I would recommend this race. I loved the area, my hotel near the airport and how convenient everything was.

I've done about 40 marathons as a mid- to back-of-the-pack racer and feel compelled to offer a more positive view of the race.

Most comments focus on the race course. Yes, about half is pretty gritty. That shouldn't surprise anyone who's done any research before the race. The course runs through about 2 miles of downtown, followed by 2 miles of working-class neighborhoods, a long straight slog through low-slung industrial areas, some pretty neighborhoods and parks in N. Charleston, then the bleak transitional area around the navy yard.

I actually found the grimier parts more interesting than the boring stretches lots of other marathons offer through office parks and suburbs. I gather the organizers needed to combine the draw of historic Charleston with the logistical ease of the N.C. navy yard area. Maybe the race could be renamed or re-marketed to more accurately reflect the N.C. aspects of the race and give credit to the obvious effort made by N.C. Other observations:

-Packet pickup was simple. Good directions to the venue, easy parking, nice expo, good music, friendly folks.
-Race-day parking was easy. Lines for the buses got long toward the end of the pickup period since most of us waited til the last minute in order to avoid the chill at the starting line.
-There was a well-run bag drop at the start, much appreciated given the cold starting line conditions.
-Traffic control was outstanding; no vehicles anywhere on the course. Volunteers were cheerful (especially at mile 15.5: made me feel like a star!), water/Gatorade stations were spaced about every 2 miles. Local bands along the course. Nice personal touches: name printed on bib, so spectators cheered me by name; and I was welcomed by name at the finish line.

-Beautiful medal and t-shirt. Finish line included shrimp/grits, two free beers, more music in the warm expo tent.

To the extent other racers were deprived of liquids during or after the race, that's a serious concern that will need to be addressed next year. But I had a lot of fun and thought the marathon was a thoughtful, well-run event: especially for a small race in its second year.

First, I want to say that we were aware of the course and knew that the majority of the race would be run in a less than scenic area and being chilly didn't expect many spectators. I'm glad that I was running with my husband, I may have felt a little uncomfortable had I been running by myself. The course is flat, with only 1 very short hill. Also, there are never enough port a potty's at any race I've ever ran. We began the race about 4 minutes after the start and our chip time did work. Luckily we were only running the half because the last 3 water stations were running out of water and cups. I know that there were a lot of people behind us. When we finished there was plenty of refreshments. However would have preferred water along the course. We did make the first shuttle bus back to the start, however it didn't leave until 10:45, many other people had been waiting in the cold for awhile. Also there was no signage posted for the shuttle pickup. Not a total bust, but the most important things - water and transportation back to the start were lacking.

This was the first marathon I've ever run. I thought this race would be a great, flat course through a beautiful city. This was partly true. The course was very flat and the scenery during the first few miles was great. The last six miles being an out and back, along with the blight of the city in between, was
disheartening.

Major problems with this race include but are not limited to: inadequate supply of water, Gatorade, gels, bathrooms, and volunteer/crowd support. I couldn't find any water or Gatorade until after mile 10. This is unacceptable. The liability of leaving runners on a course without adequate fluids and volunteer guidance is a quick way to ensure your race will not flourish in the years to come. The race organizers and directors need to really address the water issue first and foremost. With so many runners on the course, and being so spread out throughout the city, volunteer support was critical and severely lacking considering the lack of available fluids and the distance of the race. I understand there were last minute people who registered for the run which depleted the supply of cups, medals, etc., but race organizers and directors have a responsibility to the runners to deliver what was promoted which were numerous water and Gatorade stops, gels, bathrooms, and volunteer support. If there was such a shortage in donated goods for this race, then the number of participants should have been limited or cut off before the actual race day. When I finished the marathon there was no water to be found. None.

This race was such a disappointment. Although the city was welcoming I will not run this race again until these major issues are addressed. I've run many half-marathons throughout the southeast, and was really looked forward to my first marathon being in a beautiful city on a flat course. Sadly, the race organization and support is a major deterrent in me coming back for another race in Charleston.

The expo was outside in a dusty (VERY DUSTY)and poorly lit tent. Everything at the expo was covered in dirt. There weren't enough port-a-johns at the start, and probably 300 people were still in line when the gun went off. First 5 miles of the course is the most beautiful, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The next 21 takes you through blight, railroads and abandoned industrial complexes. No entertainment, no crowds. The topper? Mile 21 begins an interminable out and back. Just a horrible, cruel way to end a marathon. I live in SC, and I want my state to do well, but I wouldn't recommend this race to ANYONE until the course is changed.