I've been somewhat lamenting the fact that marathons have become traveling circuses - large spectacles and parties on feet. This is NOT one of them. With a field of just over 160 people, if you're not a serious runner, you have no business being in this race. Which is why I enjoyed it. Great price, and for so few people out there volunteering, they gave so much! Loved it and ran my PR.

There were split clocks at the one-mile, two-mile and the six-mile markers. The other miles were plainly marked on the bike path or road in spray paint. The volunteers and police were excellent. The water stops were great. Even at 70 degrees, do you really need water more than every other mile? Spectators were few, but the water stop people made up for it. For $20 you received a tech shirt and medal. Plenty of food and great soup at the finish, plus hot showers at the YMCA. What a deal. If you need cheering crowds, then go to the big-city marathons and pay big bucks. If you want a great value and a great marathon, then this is the marathon for you.

This is a small marathon, but well organized and supported mainly by other runners.

It's a rural course. Most of the marathon is on rails to trails, with a few excursions on country roads. The trail part is flat.

There are cheering crowds mostly at the start and end. Mile markers seemed to be limited to on-trail sections; there was one on-course clock at the 10K mark; and water is available about every 2 miles.

After the half-marathon split, I ran alone for the rest of the race. By the turn, it was full sun, no shade, and 70 degrees, which was hot for me this early in the season. I could have used water every mile towards the end. I don't usually race with a personal hydration system, but it would have helped in this case.

If you like low-key races, then this is the marathon for you. I don't think it would be a good fit for the typical first-time marathoner. Bring your GPS watch; you'll need it.

This was my second year running the ORRRC Half Marathon... and once again, I was not disappointed at all! This really is a very friendly, low-key, awesome race. The course is very scenic, the volunteers are incredible, and the race director really goes the extra mile to ensure a great experience for everyone. I love this race and will continue to run it every year. Oh yeah, the price is right too - $20!!! What a deal!

This race is a bargain. For a very low entry fee, runners get a short-sleeved technical shirt and nice medal. The aid stations were well-supplied. The YMCA was open before the race for late registration and packet pickup. Packet pickup was very organized with no wait. The Y being open meant that runners could use the restrooms before the race and showers after the race. I strongly recommend this race!

I've run a lot of smaller, hometown races and this marathon/half provided that kind of an experience. The course volunteers and local police were extraordinary. I don't believe I've ever felt as cared about or looked after as the runners on this course. Being a way-back-of-the-pack runner, I don't always finish to a table full of food or treats - but not this time. There was plenty of good chili, fruit and cookies. And HOT SHOWERS! Now about that mysterious "all-uphill" course...

I really enjoyed my first marathon run in the States (I recently moved here from Leicester, England.) I couldn't believe that for $20 I got a great medal and nice t-shirt.

It was nice and simple to just turn up on race morning, collect my chip and number, and just run. The course was a long, straight track out and back (apart from a couple of small detours). It was a real mental battle, and I clocked my slowest time out of 6 marathons. The marshals were great. I asked one guy for some Vaseline at 20 miles, and he said that he had none. Then, another half-mile on, he came running up behind with some, which really helped me finish.

Very impressed. I've done London twice and it was nice to not have the crowds watch my pain in the last few miles here. This was the best value for the money I've ever seen at a marathon.

My intent in running this marathon was to find a small, flat, close-to-home marathon in the early spring, and I found exactly that at the ORRRC Marathon. For what it was, this marathon was very good. For me personally, I found that my first small marathon, completed primarily on a bike path with little to no crowd support, made it extraordinarily tough mentally. I have completed two other marathons, both the Flying Pig, and found as I ran this course that I greatly missed the large crowds, many fellow runners to chat with, and running through greatly supportive neighborhoods. No fault of this marathon; it is just personal preference. The road was very lonely after the first seven miles, as the half-marathoners made the turn, leaving only 136 of us tackling the entire marathon. The course was monitored very well at intersections and water/Gatorade stops were staffed by friendly and supportive volunteers. A beautiful, chilly spring morning, a PR, and finally breaking the four-hour barrier made for a good day. In the future, this event would be a fantastic training run in preparation for a later marathon in the spring, which is what I found that many were there for that day. It had many nice, small-marathon perks and was extremely well organized.

I had a great time. It was cold and windy at the start, and then it got hot. But the volunteers and police get an A+. There was plenty of food at the end - a great way to kick away the winter blues. I will be back.

I really enjoyed this marathon.

I have run some of the bigger ones (Detroit, Los Angeles, Cincinnati) and find that these smaller runs are much more to my liking.

The race day check in was a nice convenience and having post race showers available was great.

The course was nice and flat, and I finally met my time goal and PR'd on this one, so it will always be a special run to me.

Being mostly on a bike path, there were not too many spectators, which is fine, but the volunteers were all absolutely fantastic.

I look forward to doing this one again!