The course is mostly through forested areas. Several miles from the start, the road turns to gravel and a long challenging climb ensues till about the 1/2 way point. It's mostly downhill from there but don't think your hill-climbs are over, especially at the end. Trail races and workouts on hills will definitely help prepare you. There was a heat wave over the race weekend, with full sun and a temp approaching 70 degrees by the end of the race. No doubt contributing to the overall difficulty, but maybe also contributing to there being none of the infamous mosquitoes around.

This was my 5th, and certainly most physically challenging marathon. The others being, Indianapolis, Boston and St. Louis. PR-ing here would be difficult, though I wasn?t off by too much. Rather, enjoy the scenery (mostly trees), and the friends you will meet before, during, and after the race. The crowd support was small (only reason for the sub-5 score), but enthusiastic. The post-race refreshments were great. Plenty of a variety of fruits, and the fresh bread was superb! The finisher's medal was on a par with other marathon medals, and unique in that it was consistent with the Midnight Sun theme of the race. About 1 month after the race, a nice metal paperweight arrived for placing in my age group.

Stayed in a nice B&B about 1/2 mile from a shuttle bus pickup that took me to the start line. The B&B was also about the same distance from the finish line. Very convenient!

The expo was on the small side, but I got still some clothing on sale. My only complaints (and these were minor): there weren?t quite enough porto-lets at the start, and it was said the nearby woods got a little crowded about 10 minutes prior to the gun; and the award ceremony only recognized the overall winners and not the age groups. The busses were on time, and the organizers ran a great event. I?d recommend it to anyone who has done a little training on hills and enjoys the clean smell of the forest.

After the race get in the car (or take the train) and go to up to Denali. Raft, hike, sightsee. Or go down to Seward and see glaciers caving into the ocean

This was my 5th marathon and was, by far, my favorite. I was fortunate enough to able to train on a lot of hills/trails so I felt right at home when we hit the trails around mile 7. The spectators were great, the pit stops were frequent, and the hill at mile 25.5 wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. This marathon is a 'must do' for anyone who has a sense of adventure.

This is the second time I have run this marathon, great course, fantastic support given the terrain, and the water stops were just right. Good job. Amazing how the second time around is easier. This marathon is one of my favorites. Love the friendly people.

Of all the marathons I've run, this one is by far the most beautiful! Although the Ultima was not palatable, the water stations were staffed by great volunteers. Few spectators, but the challenging trails easily made up for this. A great marathon!

This was my first visit to Alaska, and the scenery was great. The course is challenging (especially in the army base area) and probably not worth pursuing a PR. Water/aid stations were well placed and filled with volunteers and spectators.

My only thoughts for improvement:
1) the hill at mile 25.5 is at a tough point and if possible...
2) the last part of the course is on a bike path through the city parks. Placing signs along the path to inform families that a marathon is in progress would be helpful. Small children on bikes and tired runners don't mix well.

PS: I did see a moose at mile 22 - he was at a steady pace and hardly sweating...

This was my first marathon at age 40 and with zero previous running history (except the training for this event). I loved it! I especially enjoyed the off-road portion of the race. The section through the Army base is not as bad as it sounds. There are no hills where I live so I think I might have done better with some hill work. Next time I'll have to use the treadmill for that purpose. There were not a ton of spectators, but the ones that were there were awesome!

Alaska is a beautiful place and we had great weather, IMO. It was warm by their standards, but you can't beat a high of 75 F when your training low temp has been 77 F!

One bad thing - Ultima. Why? Take your own sports drink of choice. I drank some by mistake thinking it was water - the stuff is nasty!

Well, there really isn't a bad thing to say about Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon. The volunteers were amazing, the aid stations well-stocked, and buses, bag handling, etc. were well organized.

If I have one complaint, it would be that I agree with previous comments that it's not as scenic as I would've hoped. The course was interesting, and the varied terrain challenging in a good way, but there wasn't much in the way of views. But I think I only am saying that b/c it's Alaska, and expectations are extremely high in that regard. Overall a GREAT race. Make sure you extend your stay to take advantage of all that Alaska has to offer.

This was my first marathon experience. The weather was cool - but very comfortable. The most difficult part of the run was from mile 8-17 when we run through the Army base on a very rocky and uneven course. The organization is amazing! The crowds are quite small, but those that are there are pretty supportive. I ran with TNT so I had a built-in cheering section and boy was that appreciated. Alaska is a beautiful state, so when you go to do the mary, be sure to build in time after to discover the beauty of open spaces.

If you enjoy trail running and hills, you will love this one. As for me, I was very glad to see asphalt again after the long trek through the Army base. I don't get the opportunity to train on either trails or hills, so that portion of the race took it out of me. I doubt that too many people set PRs on this course. I've done eight marathons and thought this was among the toughest, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. The aid stations were well stocked, and the volunteers very nice.

This is a great destination marathon because Alaska is such a terrific place to visit - I would go back in a minute, but would probably try the Humpy's Marathon the next time as it seems to be a flatter course. The weather was perfect for running - it had actually been warm in Anchorage the previous week. I was concerned about that, but race day was overcast, drizzly, and in the 50's. Dream marathon weather.

I thought the course was pretty, but I've done the Lake Tahoe 1/2 and the Big Sur 10-Miler, and those courses are spectacular. I agree with the comment about the medal - very small, and the finisher's shirt was just OK. The post-race food was nothing exciting either. The expo was also very small. I thought with all the Team in Training people there, the expo would attact more vendors.

Since I usually run in the city, it was wonderful to breathe clean air for 26.2 miles! Alaska is wonderful - if you need an excuse to go, this marathon is a good reason.

Harriet Ottaviano
Seal Beach, CA

The Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon was everything I had heard it was, and more. This was my sixth marathon and it was by far the best organized. Sound systems that you can hear at both the start and the finish. Plenty of porta-potties and aid stations. And the pristine beauty of the 5-17 mile segment was everything I was looking for. I could find nothing wrong with this event until they were out of finisher's (my size) shirts at the end. If indeed we give them only to the finishers, have someone spring for the bags and bag by bib number and have them at the finish. BE SURE to take extra time to 'do Alaska' before and/or after the event. We found an awesome smoke and alcohol free BnB just outside of Palmer... about 36 miles from the start. Check them out at www.alaskasharvest.com. The wife of the couple that owns this BnB is a marathoner also. It was a fantastic facility and ULTRA reasonable. We went to Denali Park and cruised Prince William Sound. I WILL be back, and my wife and I are going to investigate seasonal employment in AK when we retire. ALSO, be sure to train for the hills... they are there, they are frequent, and they are tough. Great event Mike.