This was my first marathon ever (2003) and while I have nothing to compare it with, running Detroit taught me to love marathoning. I will do this race again and I thought that the course was beautiful, the spectators wonderful!

What a great race! Fun, interesting course, great organization. As a veteran of over 60 marathons, this is one not to miss!!!

My son ran it in 2002 and I ran it in 2003 and will run it again in 2004. I was 52 when I ran my 1st Marathon in Detroit. I enjoyed it so much that I am planning to run it every year until I am no longer able. It was one of my life's most enjoyable events and it is worth repeating. Who knows, it may even add years to my life - what a benefit. Thanks Detroit Flagstar for a memorable marathon. See you in a few months...

James Varner
Dearborn, Mi.

I completed the marathon in 2002 and 2003. Both years were really great, but I liked the course change in 2003 even more. All in all, I think the event is well planned, well organized, and very well executed. I've been really impressed both years. Keep up the great work! I look forward to being a part of this awesome event for many years to come.

This was my first marathon, and to be honest I was not expecting much from Detroit, but I could not have been more wrong. I have lived in this area my whole life, and I never knew that there were so many nice areas of Detroit. The fans that were there were fantastic, and the course was set up so that your family could see you several times during the race. The water and support stations were every mile. I especially loved running through the tunnel. Everybody started to yell like little kids as we ran in there, and when we came out the fans were amazing. I know that some people didn't like the Ford Field finish, but I thought it was so cool to run into the stadium at the end, and my family could watch me finish.

Overall it was a great race. The only negatives were the stairs at the end of the race and the lack of johns at the start. I will be back.

2003 was my first full marathon, but I'd captained relays and volunteered in past races and can tell you this was the best course yet. I would just echo others by going on, except for this: very family spectator friendly. My family was able to see me start, then walked a few blocks south to see me exit the tunnel, (did breakfast in Greektown, and hit the casino) then walked back a few blocks to the stadium to see me finish.

Also, while I understand the stadium entry issues (ramp, darkness, then the steps back); I've been at other finishes when the weather was an issue. I'll take these small issues for the protection and the excellent spectator view of the finish line. My family was able to see me enter the field and finish... something not available at a lot of street-level finishes.

Part of the reasons for the crowds is that this course has changed so many times. In my opinion, set and keep a course, then the crowds will be better each subsequent year. That's why the Indian Village leg is so good.

I am from Detroit and frankly didn't expect much in the way of organization and spectator support. Granted, there were too few porta-johns at the start, but overall I was pleasantly surprised at the way it was all put together. I brought Gu in a fanny pack but water and Gu/gel stations were so abundant I never had to stop and use my own. The leg through Indian Village was great; bands, fans in costume, and the famous stop where one could get a beer (and a cigarette if insane) before proceeding. Yes, the last leg through the tunnel at Ford Field was dark, but hey, it was unique. Only one gripe. PLEASE don't make me climb 100 steps after running a marathon to get water and a bagel (NO BEER???).

Although there were many good aspects, I?m not as enthusiastic about this race as I expected to be. As many postings have pointed out, the start area was terrible. There weren?t nearly enough porta-potties, and the half-hour line-ups for these went right through the start area, so the beginning of the race was chaotic. The start area was a little far from the host hotel, and there was no public transportation or shuttles. There were mixed messages about the availability of the People Mover. As the marathon web site says, it wasn?t available, but several people at the expo and the host hotel thought that it was.

The finish in Ford Field is nice, though the ramp is a little steep, and should be better lit. It?s hard to adapt to the dimness after 26 miles in the sun. There was no information given about the finish area ? your friends can?t come onto the field, and you can?t go into the part of the stands where they are without exiting the stadium first (and save some energy for those stairs!). I understand the space constraints, but the organizers should put more information out about this so people can plan a meeting place.

At least a few of the mile markers were wrongly placed in the early part of the race ? very confusing when you?re trying to sort out your pace. Things were a little crowded on the bridge ? it was too early in the race to force all those runners into one lane. Hopefully this was a one-year glitch due to the construction on the bridge.

The good things ? a tremendous group of volunteers! Water stations every mile ? fantastic! There were several excellent bands, and a bagpiper. Crowd support was great ? lots of encouragement at many points along the course. Belle Island was beautiful. And although some didn?t like it, I thought running through the tunnel was pretty cool.

Hopefully the start and finish problems can be addressed, because this race has a lot going for it.

This was my second time walking the Detroit Marathon. The course and volunteers were the best! I really enjoyed the race and will be back next year. However, I was disappointed that the walking division was dropped and that walkers' results were mixed in with runners'.

I agree that more port-a-johns are needed at the start. It would also be nice to see more entertainment on the second half of the course.

I agree with most of the comments concerning the lack of porta-potties at the start. However, it was a great event. I have run NYC, Chicago, and Columbus. They all are good. But I was really impressed with Detroit. The host hotel did an outstanding job allowing late checkout--something most other places won't do. This made a great race better. I will be back--and I'm bringing more friends!