This was my first marathon, so I do not have anything to compare to. However, I have to say that overall I was very pleased with the experience. I give it two thumbs up! As advertised, the course is pretty flat, and the fans and volunteer staff were great! The only thing that I think needed improvement was the number of porta-johns on the course ... there were just too few ... I saw people, even women, having to use the bushes everywhere along the course ... they need to double the number of porta-john locations, and increase the number of johns at each location. There was one water station that was understaffed (I think it was the second one) ... the poor lady handing out Gatorade was working frantically and her hands will probably be stained Gatorade-red for a few days ... the rest of the water stations had more than adequate staffing.

I ran the half only, but most of my comments would pertain to the marathon as well. The race director answered my many questions by e-mail leading up to the race. Thank you Terry. We were able to stay next door to the race headquarters for only $54.00 a night, decent rooms. Didn't do the pasta dinner as $15.00 is a little pricey for pasta. Plenty of other places to eat nearby. Pre-race organization was good, expo was good. Volunteers and staff were friendly and supportive. Shuttle problems to the start seemed to be have taken care of since last year as there were ample large buses to get you there.

Race day was warm (for a mountain boy) 60 degrees and there was a fairly stiff head wind down by the ocean which the marathoners had to face twice since it is a loop type course. If you find a race where they can control the weather, please let me know. Spectators were okay but sparse. This is a very spectator friendly race as it is easy for friends family etc. to see racers at several points in the race without moving too much. Traffic control was good. I would have given the course a 5 if there was more scenery. But if you want a fast course, this is a good one. Flat with a very few gradual short inclines; you should be able to PR here or qualify for Boston if you have trained well. Food at the end was okay and baggage handling was efficient. Unless you need screaming people for mile after mile or need outstanding scenery to take your mind off of the run, this is a great race. We'll be back.

I ran in 2002 and qualified for Boston. I am coming back for more this year. Good race.

All in all, not a bad race. Reasonably well-organized with a good start area. The course is mostly flat with limited rolling hills. Solid volunteer-staffed water stops. Only negatives are having to share a busy road with cars (breathing exhaust fumes is not fun). Also, not much in the way of crowd support. I will run again.

Myrtle Beach is an excellent marathon, with no hills. An easy pace will get you through. If you need a Boston time I would recommend it as well. Whether it's just to complete it or if you are running for a time MB is one to try.

I must disagree with the majority of people here. Although the marathon had a good packet pick-up, the next day was a disaster for me and I in part blame the organizers for the race. I stayed at the host hotel and waited for an hour for our shuttle. We had over a hundred people waiting and the shuttles only held about a dozen people. The bus drivers were rude and it turned the runners into animals. After a long wait, runners started cutting in front of each other to get on the bus. The bus drivers would not let people stand and actually kicked people off the bus. I drove all the way down from New York with a goal of breaking three hours and had to hear some bus driver tell me that he wasn't moving unless people got off the bus. I got to the start five minutes before the gun - no stretch no bathroom, just go run 26.2 miles. As for the course - if by scenic they mean a shopping mall and the streets of Myrtle BEach - then it is scenic. The ocean was pretty much a rumor as far as runners seeing it. The fans were good when there were fans and the aid stations were fine. It is just not the gem people are making it out to be. I have run 20 marathons now in many states - done the big ones and the small ones - Myrtle Beach does not even come close to measuring up to a Boston, New York or even a Charlotte. I must say I was disappointed.

I only had three weeks to train for the half-marathon once I decided to run it. My nephew Fred McBee was running the marathon and I decided to surprise him by training for the half-marathon. I had ran from 1981 until 1994. I had ran 14 marathons, 20 half marathons and many other smaller races in those 13 years. I hadn't ran any races since that time. I had anticipated running about three hours or possibly a little longer to complete the distance of 13.1 miles. My longest training run in the three week period was 10 miles. I was not looking forward to the last three miles of the race as I anticipated they would be very tough miles for me. I got caught up in the excitement of the race. There was TONS of excitement race morning. I went out a lot faster than I anticipated. I had put about 10 to 15 minutes in the bank when I hit the 10 mile marker. I kept moving and felt very good. I finished in 2 hours 33 minutes and 22 seconds. I was extremely proud. I was thankful that I was given the opportunity to run. I am going to be well trained next year and run about the course in 1 hour and 45 minutes or better. I loved the race. It was an EXCELLENT race. Danny A. McBee, Gastonia, North Carolina.

The race is run over the main streets of Myrtle Beach. The ocean views, the excellent care the city provides to each runner is outstanding. Those responsible for the race should publish the book on how to hold a marathon. The post race at the House of Blues was the best I have ever seen. The video and being in a room full of runners was exhilarating. Thanks again Myrtle Beach!

This was my 30th marathon, so have a few to compare this marathon to...no complaints here. Although the course is advertised as flat, you could sure tell when you hit an incline no matter how small. The course also loops over itself but is not boring. (The only way I could tell we did one part three times was because of a trash pile which included a dirty sofa cushion that looked better and better each time I passed). We ran close to the water in several places, but never saw it because of the fog. I'm sure it was beautiful. The weather was OK, but humid, and there was a bit of a headwind the last few miles which made things tuff. The volunteers, most who I think were 'snowbirds' were very encouraging and looked to be enjoying themselves as they cheered. This is a marathon worth doing. My suggestion is look for a hotel near the start/ finish as traffic in Myrtle Beach is heavy. Good thing it was off season!

They might be bigger but they don't get any better. Great event all the way from top to bottom. From expo to post race party. Great organization, sponsors and GREAT volunteers. I definately will go back to this one next year and I drove 13 1/2 hours to get there.