I totally loved this race! It was so well organized, The volunteers were so supportive, there were aid stations every mile, the t-shirt is cool, the medal featuring a beautiful Canadian goose was so gorgeous and huge. I loved the age categories - this was my first age group medal in a marathon ever! How fun that was! Of the 31 marathons I've run, I would rank this #3 behind Chicago and San Francisco. I loved the solitude - what a welcome break from the huge crowds of most of the marathons I've run. The Santa Ana River Trail, especially in the early morning is alive with wildlife and beauty. It was a delightfully quiet and peaceful run! I will do it again and again and I wish more than one a year!

I hate to go too big on comments because I don't want this race to get too big. But It's a GREAT Race: course = well i counted 132 canadian geese in the first 10 miles then lost track. There were so many types of birds along this very scenic waterway/bike path. I loved that it was small but with more porta poties than some of the medium races..seriously! And the course support they ran up to us to give us water pretzels and a cheer....very enthusiastic. I am ready to sign up for 2014 today! Oh and the Medal...A honking big medal...and yes the Fulls should get a bigger really big medal compared to a half marathon. Thank you!! Pizza at the end, 5 deep age group winners, no cut off makes this a very friendly race for beginners or the hard core maniacs and fanatics who are running Sat and Sun every weekend...loved to see/hear the stories out on the course!! Same day expo would be the ONLY thing I'd offer as what could you do differently so we don't have to drive 40 miles to pick up a bib.....less gas, traffic, etc.
Bottom line....great race, great course, great support, great medal, great price, great motivation to run again next year...oh and another one next month...Thank you!

I was very impressed with the organization of this race. Great course support with aid stations nearly every mile. It seemed there were as many volunteers as there were runners. That was awesome! I really enjoyed the course. The views were fantastic. The course was a double out and back, mostly flat with a couple of hills. There were occasional dips where the trail went under a road. These were nice little changes for your legs.

I'm not sure that this race can actually grow much larger given the narrowness of the trail. Also, it didn't seem necessary to give the awards 5 deep in 5 year age groups. I think everyone got a second medal. Costs could be kept down by going with 10 year age groups for a race this size, and only going three deep in the age groups.

What was supposed to a 'fat ass' run with 25 friends turned into a first class marathon with all of the amenities!

The RD capped the marathon distance at 100 runners and half marathoners at 200 (I think), which was a good size group for the bike path we ran along. The park was fully permitted so we had the whole place to ourselves.

The certified course was chip timed and was accurately marked. Volunteers also recorded bib numbers at the turnaround points.

There were more aid stations than I could count! Clif Bloks were given out on the half marathon portion of the course, while Clif Shots were given out to the marathoners only for the second half of the course. All aid stations had water and/or electrolyte drink.

The finish line festivities were everything you would expect from a big race but I never expected this at a small race! Flat screen TV clock, chip timing, PA system with a great race MC, 2 massage tents, numerous vendors and a ton of food (water, Martinelli's apple juice, Clif Bars, bagels and more).

Bling!!! All marathon finishers received a huge 4' x 4' dated brass medal, and half marathoners received a smaller version of the medal with 13.1 written on the front. I can honestly say, the Honkers medal is arguably the nicest finisher's medal I have ever received! The RD also gave out age group medals 5 deep in 5 year increments for male and female in both the marathon and half marathon. That was a very nice surprise for many runners! The long sleeve Green Layer shirt is awesome. Thanks for not overdoing the shirt with ads. The goodie bag was great as well. Runners always need ChapStick and Clif Bars.

Overall, this race exceeded all of my expectations. Especially for an inaugural race.

One suggestion is to invite a volunteer photographer for free photos to your runners or a paid photography company like Brightroom or MarathonFoto.

Great first effort!!!

This marathon was well organized with lots of volunteers, water/sport drinks and bathrooms. The trail was lovely with landscaped paved or gravel bike path for most of the way. The course was flat and fast downstream with a gradual rise upstream until the 20 mile mark and turnaround to downstream again. Recommendations: move packet pick-up to a race headquarters (hotel) near the starting line. Without GPS, there was no way an out-of-towner could find it. Have more information about shuttles, breakfast, etc. available at race hotel and sent out prior to race. Except for unusually cold weather, this race is a winner!

Note I ran the half marathon.

Organization was very good and eager. They seemed friendly at the marathon expo where I signed up and were still on race day. A good, good sign.

Bonus fun was seeing one of the London 2012 olympic torches.

The course was mainly a bicycle/recreation trail alongside a flood control channel. Well-maintained, clean ... so totally unlike L.A. county! The views of the mountains on the return were really awesome and seeing the hockey arena and baseball stadium on out leg were nice focal points. I did see lots of Canadian Geese as well, befitting the title of the race.

The volunteers were incredible. Best of ANY race I have ever done, bar none. Excellent support!!!!!!

Post race the food selection was good and plentiful.

Fans I have as a 3 star only there were not many; but, they were nice as well.

It was a small race but a great time.

I was chugging along having done a long run the day before; but, I truly enjoyed it.

I definitely plan to return and recommend it.

Running the peaceful river trail was a welcome change from the usual city course. The organization was superb. My 5-star rating for 'spectators' is really for the amazing birds as well as for the volunteers - the friendliest I've ever met. As a hiker myself, I also enjoyed seeing all the hikers nearby. The medal is fantastic - a real gem in my collection. This race was an absolute delight. I plan to run it every year.

Almost entirely on paved bike path along river. Very easy and enjoyable! Helpful staff and great volunteers!

This small new race was a treat.

Here's the notable plusses:
- The race director is a bundle of positive, friendly energy . . . she was out running, meeting/greeting and cheering everyone on.
- Well-socked pit stops were about every mile!
- Nice scenery along a quiet bike trail
- Neat t-shirt / graphics
- OUTSTANDING medal - high quality and very distinctive/creative

OK - in the spirit of continuous improvement, here are a couple items that were slight detractions:
- packet pickup was a $45 round trip taxi ride away from the host hotel . . . not an issue for locals but a costly hassle for out-of-towners without a vehicle.
- weak audio system + lots of chatty participants made the pre-race prayer inaudible
- race started almost 10 minutes late . . . just seemed unnecessary as it was pretty cold waiting around and sometimes an extra 10 minutes is an issue when you have participants with afternoon flights home
- host hotel shuttle driver (who was supposed to come pick you up when you called the hotel) didn't show up so I ended up stranded at the finish for a long time.

One can only imagine the challenge in putting on a new marathon . . . the Honkers team really stepped-up!

My complements to the race organizers. They put on an excellent, well organized race every step of the way. I often go to big marathons that have been run for decades, and shake my head at some of the decisions made by race directors. Then, I go to this small, inaugural marathon expecting the usual kinks in a first effort. I sure didn't see any. Pre-race communications were clear and accurate. Packet pick up was quick and easy. The technical shirt was not plastered with ads. The course was clearly marked. There were aid stations every mile, with really eager volunteers, and a sports drink offered at every other station. Every mile was marked accurately. Gels were offered at 3 or 4 stations, and oranges at a couple. The race finished with a very friendly expo at the end. And probably the largest medal in my collection.

The course itself is a loop that runs along the Santa Ana River trail. While you don't have to put up with auto traffic, the trail cannot be closed to bikers, most of whom respected the race.

If you are looking for a Boston Qualifier, and fast local course in the winter, I would probably pick this course over either Surf City or Carlsbad. It is not completely flat, as there are many ups and downs where the trail goes under bridges. But I think it's the fastest of the three. After a hill around mile 21.5, most of the way to the end seems like a gentle decline. Also, while this race holds a half marathon as well, the half marathoners start at the same time and just run the first part of the loop. So you don't have the constant merging issues that might affect your time at other races.

Other runners were also impressed by the attention to detail by the organizers. We were told that the race was created by four experienced marathoners. Thank you for a great race. I hope you do it again.

(I gave 3 stars for spectators. Not a criticism. This is not the kind of race you run for spectator support.)