This was my 2nd Grandma's and this was my hottest marathon to date. The course was good, and road construction was finished the night before, which consumed the major road leading into the city. Aid stations with the conditions should have had Gatorade as a choice; what was served didn't help me. I enjoy the people, as they really try to do everything they can to make you feel welcome. Only a few changes I would consider.

1. Allow each runner to use his or her own chip.
2. Start the race earlier; it gets light around 5 a.m. on race day. A 6 or 6:30 start would have been great this year.
3. Serve some sort of electrolyte at the finish.

I have run Grandma's 7 times - and I never leave Duluth without a feeling that I've just experienced what all runners look for in a marathon. The support, course, and spectators are second to none. This is in anyone's top 10 list for USA marathons and it earns that spot year after year.

I'll admit the weather was brutal this year, but how can you blame that on the race directors? They responded with a medical support team at every mile marker - something that you cannot take for granted.

If you want to have a great first, second, etc. marathon, put this one on your calendar and get in early (January - it fills fast). I've run marathons from Boston to Maui and this one is still my favorite.

Ok, here it goes, the good, bad and the ugly. I will start off by saying I'm a 3:46 marathoner and ran a 4:20.

The course is a great Boston qualifier, only a few hills, but most of the time you're running flat or downhill. The aid stations are the best, thank God for the ice and sponges or I might not have made it, and you see the mile markers very clearly. The volunteers and spectators were amazing. Good food at the end, and they make it easy to find family and friends. Duluth pulls out the red carpet for the runners that weekend. The entire city is involved. The race is very well organized. GREAT JOB RACE DIRECTORES!!

If you're looking for a place to eat you must try Bulldog Pizza, the best!!

Now, the bad and ugly. I was not able to qualify for the Boston due to the incredible heat and himidity, heat index was over 90 degrees. So many runners were suffering and so many didn't make their qualifying times, but congrats. to those who did. The black flag was lifted for the first time, but from what I heard the last few years of the race have been very warm.

We stayed at the dorms, because the hotels price gouge, and it worked out great, but the rooms were of course too warm, bring the fan.

The bus we were on got us to the start 5 min. before race time, not good.

The t-shirts were nice, the medal ugly.

Had the race been in the mid 50's I would have qualified, like I said, the course is great, it was just too hot.

The long sleeve t-shirt for finishers is an extra $20.00 cost - and that is a bad thing!!!!!!!

I had always heard that Grandma's Marathon was a world-class event and that was certainly the case in 2006. The weather was more hot and humid than normal, but what a great experience. The entire city of Duluth supports this event and the thousands of volunteers and spectators on race day indicate that they genuinely appreciate our being there to participate. I was hoping for a positive running experience and I got that and more. Would certainly recommend it to anyone and hope to return one day myself.

I thought Grandma's was good for a first marathon - but having now run others (I'm nearing 15), I would prefer to begin training a month earlier and do Green Bay! Grandma's course is beautiful, but the roads are not the greatest. The hotel prices are crazy! I could fly to Arizona and stay for a few days and it was STILL cheaper than Grandma's! However, not bad for a first marathon when you don't know any better - and you do have that beautiful Lake Superior scenery to take in for awhile!

This is a friendly race. The only real drawback is that there aren't many spectators until you hit downtown Duluth at mile 20 or so.

I really enjoyed this marathon. I ran it hoping to get a PR, which I did. The course is flat and beautiful, along Lake Superior. The crowds are also great. The bad news: it could have been organized better. Even though it is a relatively large marathon, they have no online registration, so I mailed in my entry form. They misspelled my name, I presume because someone had to manually enter the names. I tried twice before the race and twice after the race to get them to correct the spelling, but I got NO response. None. They don't answer emails or phone calls. I got a PR, but you would never know it, because it is listed under John Stobel, not John Strobel. It left a bad taste in my mouth. I really felt like they didn't care.

This is my hometown so it was great to get out there and compete in this event. There was a good hill at mile 22 which was tough but the scenry was good. The weather was perfect and the spectators were a big help.

Grandma's is a great starter marathon. If you are new to the running game and want a good beginner's race, then join Duluth's Grandma's Marathon.