Where do I start? The volunteers were great! It seemed a bonus to have a 5K and fun run, but these races were Friday evening, giving us little time to fly to Myrtle Beach, check in at the hotel and expo, and get situated before hiking to the beginning of the races. Tickets to the after-race party were available for some races, but not for others? Shuttles to the start of the marathon never came.

The course was flat, but not scenic, even in such a beautiful city. There were cars on the course nearly all the time. I even nearly missed being backed over by an errant van!

Fan support was almost nonexistent.

I recommend waiting a few years for this one to improve.

I am referencing a comment made by the runner who didn't have a time. The same thing happened to me, but I had all the splits and no finish time. I e-mailed the timing company and today I received an official time. Although I believe it's my clock time and not net time... for me it's about having a finish time not looking like a DNF. I think the time they took to answer my request shows what type of dedicated people you are dealing with in Myrtle Beach. Yes, if you wish to qualify for Boston, this is an easy course. I loved the heart medals and beach towel; it added to the whole theme. I really enjoyed the race, and kudos to the organizers for having rain slickers at the finish line since I was really wet from the storm!

There seemed to be some kind of malfunction with the 8-mile checkpoint, as many people did not register as going across. One trains all year only to have this malfunction. That puts doubt in people's mind as to whether your time was legitimate! Two other years have shown difficulty getting chip times separated from gun times, and finisher's certificates that were not anywhere close to actual times! This year some people had higher chip times than gun times. Not sure how that happens. The finisher medal folks had to be sought out to collect medals. They looked like they were doing some community service. Water was a long hike from the finish line. Wonder what happens if someone is dehydrated really bad when they finish???

It's always something at good ol' Myrtle Beach. What a great course though!

Will I be back? Heck yes!!!

I really enjoyed the race, and yes, it was flat; however, I believe that some of the mile markers were off. Several people near me commented that their GPS's were off with the markers. I ended up on my GPS with 26.46 when I crossed the finish. Not sure if it was off, but it sure made for a confusing run. I still hit my PR! But I fell 1 minute short of a BQ!

Overall, great race!

This is a great marathon. The course is fast, and has some nice sections along the coast. The volunteers were great, and there was always plenty of water and PowerAde (not watered down). I was able to cut off a half-hour from my previous personal best and beat the 4-hour mark (just partly with the course's help... I really vamped up my training)!

My only suggestion is to add another food stop or two earlier in the race.

I'll definitely be back!

Excellent early season marathon for first-timers as well as veterans. The expo was small but adequate. Well organized with friendly vendors, volunteers and participants. The grab bag, race shirt and towel were very nice. The race start was a little congested and around mile 12 due to the combined half and full marathons. The course was well marked and the clocks were visible. The water stops were hectic because of marathoners who stop to get a drink but do not get out of the way. There was no warning; they would just stop in front of you. The water stop volunteers were energetic and encouraging. Plenty of fluids to go around. Plenty of oranges, bananas and GU in the later miles. The crowds were enthusiastic. Overall the course was scenic with a good mixture of residential, commercial and high-rise hotels to see. Earlier comments reflected on how boring the last 4 miles were on Kings Highway. This was not a factor for me. I met several people during the race and had a wonderful time. The finish line was good, with no congestion. I would have liked to see a free short massage at the end rather than having to pay. The post-race food was typical. The weather was perfect until it started to rain 3 1/2 hours in. Myrtle Beach knows how to put on a fantastic marathon experience. Go ahead and sign up for 2010!

I had planned on running Tybee Island, GA until the marathon was canceled in August. MB Marathon was a very nice mid-sized marathon. The course, start area, and spectator support were great. The weather was OK and the rain held off until my last mile. The only thing I would suggest is to make the finish line area easy for friends and family to meet you after the race. If you're looking for good mid-sized race to travel to in the Southeast that you don't have to spend a lot of money at, I would recommend this one.

This is a great race to run. It has a nice, flat course; the spectators are great; but did anyone else have trouble with the new and improved timing chip? Unfortunately my chip did not register at the finish, which is too bad for me, since I ran a BQ time. I have e-mailed the organization but they have not yet responded. This will be my only complaint will be if this is not worked out. I probably would not trust this marathon to run another BQ.

As flat as you could want, and not congested at all; there's no excuse for not hitting a PB here. For me, 3:30 pace crossed start within 20 seconds of gun, and everyone was running free within 1/4 mile. Miles 21-26 were flat and boring (through a strip mall), but by then I was past looking at scenery and into grind-it-out mode. Good support, especially from the schoolchildren manning the water stops, they were great! Yep, I got a PB. Can't say I will rush back until I want another PB, but this is a must for anyone wanting to see just how fast they can cover 26.2 miles.

I have run 8 marathons. This one was great. It is small enough that you don't get caught in crowds. You can run your pace. But it's large enough so that when the half marathoners peel off, you are not alone. I generally hate having the half marathon end while the full people have to keep going. You do hear the half marathoners talking about being "almost done" at mile 9. Nothing you can do about that.

The course is great. It runs through cool beach areas and into nice neighborhoods. Mile 21-23-ish were not so nice (or was it 24?). You were in one lane of a big road with lots of traffic.

It rained, so there were fewer spectators. The town did not seem to come out for this one. Tourists were out at the hotels. Very few people in the neighborhoods (rain). Yet, the volunteers were great. There were retired people wearing race shirts standing in the rain and encouraging runners. That was nice. The cops were great also. They talked to you and did a great job stopping traffic.

Good expo. Good schwag. Nice technical shirt. I would like to do it again.