I came from northern Alberta so any weather that isn't 'real' winter is fantastic. Everyone was so friendly in Seattle. I trained for hills so although the course was tough, I knew it was coming. The race route was very scenic which I enjoyed. Even with the monorail crash, the walk did me good, both before and after the race. Thank you, Seattle!

The monorail crash the night before the race added an extra mile to my hike to the start line. The chip strapped to the ankle did dig into me pretty good. I did not feel it till that night, but it still hurts, two days later. Those are my only two complaints. Everything else was very positive. Previous comments sum up how great this race is. Having run an aggressive Portland just 7 weeks prior, I took this one easy and enjoyed the scenery. I will run this one again; not for a fast time, but for a fun time.

I waited until the last minute to register, with the forecast still calling for showers the day before and was surprised by a mostly sunny day - so don't count on the weather for anything.

The course is beautiful, with spectacular views of Lake Washington, downtown, and you can't miss the great view of the Space Needle as you come down the last couple of miles (and I mean downhill!). As everyone else points out, lots of hills towards the end. Course is more challenging that my other reference point (Portland).

Few fans along the road, but who cares? The aid stations were plentiful. Extremely long lines (10-20 people) at the porta-potties in the stages that were shared with the half run and the two walks happening at the same time.

What a gorgeous route for an urban run! Across the floating bridge, twice. South along the Sound, a loop at the edges of a penninsula-park, up through the Arboretum, then south into town with views of the Space Needle and downtown architecture. Even the hills (frequent and steep during the 2nd half) were fun. Roads were clear of traffic--thank you!-- water/aid stops frequent enough and friendly, and one can register the day before if you want to increase your chances of running during one of Seattle's momentary sunny moments. Thank you, Sunshine 2005! Very few spectators, but all supportive, and after NYC, I'm still not averaged out to a comfortable roar. The inclines the last half mile, the last .1 were ludicrous; who cares by then except to laugh? Thanks, Seattle and sunshine, for a great fun race.

Seattle is always a great event with a manageable number of runners. Fans come out despite the cold weather. You'd think with such a small field they'd work out the problems with the chip timing. It was like pulling teeth to get my time and get it posted - I was not alone in this. This was frustrating since I was using this time to qualify for Boston. All in all though a great event and a tough course.

Breathtaking city (Mt. Ranier was visible), wonderful volunteers, a course that separates the men/women from the boys/girls, spectacular weather, classy medals and great people to meet along the run.

I'd encourage anyone looking for a challenging marathon to sign up today. We trained for the hills and were prepared, so we weren't shocked at the course, we embraced it and owned it. It gave us bragging rights to bring home to Wisconsin. I even qualified for Boston (but I'm over 40).

I only wish there would have been more crowd support. We were there earlier in the week, and when we mentioned we were running the Seattle Marathon, we were shocked that many people had no idea Seattle sponsored such an event.

Expo was great!! Lots of goodies and good advice.

This was lucky #13! Seattle was a completely spectacular course. It was more difficult then I expected but the beauty of the course more then made up for the challenge. The spectators were wonderful; sure there were not thousands out there - it was me and the road, the way a marathon should be.

My one complaint was the porta-potties. I do not always 'respect' a course so to speak, but this course is so beautiful that it required respect and there were not enough porta-potties. What is up with 10 at mile 20 and 3 and mile 6?

The expo was great; lots of freebies and the vendors were glad to be there (not a usual sight). But when you are in Seattle with good weather and a great course, you cannot help but smile.

I ran the half marathon (first time ever!). Beautiful scenery - good timing - and all kinds of difficulty in the course to challenge. I love it! Good course for first-timers, like me. I might try the full marathon next year!

This was the best organized marathon I have run. First of all, the value for the money was great. $45 early registration pays for a technical shirt, as well as running a big-city marathon through an entertaining course. The expo was great, easy packet pick-up, and good deals. Too bad that only pay parking is available around the Westin Seattle. The volunteers were nothing short of great and even encouraging. The recovery area was nice and warm, though the temperature on the course was great for running. Also spectators were very supportive, and quite numerous for this type of marathon.

My first suggestion for improvement is that the chip be of the shoelace-type. The ankle strap version that they used will hurt during a marathon. I have cuts in my ankle from it. Also I would suggest that the recovery area be free from friends and family of runners. It got a bit crowded. After the marathon, it is hard to avoid distracted walkers in this enclosed space, and I am in no shape to take them on.

This year had a far better expo than previous years with short or no lines for picking up numbers and tons of freebies and interesting vendors. The only problem I had was getting to the start from the Mercer Street exit. I should have remembered how bad the traffic backs up from previous years -- next year I'll park on the west side of Seattle Center. It was definitely short-sleeve weather this year with virtually no wind. This is the first time I have run this course hard and without wind it can be a fairly fast course, but you can expect to lose 5 to 10 minutes in the last 7 miles due to Madison Street and the Arboretum. You just need to have a time cushion before the hills. This is my favorite race and I'll continue to run it every year that I am not sick.