This race has the potential to be a PR if the weather cooperates. This year, unfortunately, it was cold and windy. Aside from that, it's flat, fast and very well organized. The miles are marked, the aid stations are plentiful and my family was able to see me at miles 10 and 15 on the course. On the downside, I ran the entire race by myself, which usually doesn't bother me, but due to the weather it was tough. Good value at $30 too.

The best marathon value I've seen: $35 for a marathon with well stocked aid stations, a shirt, a medal and a beautiful course in a small town. Check this out: I called the race director, Arnie, the night before and he called me back to let me know they had race-day registration - beat that for service!

This is a nicely organized small town marathon. Course is on a paved bike path, so is flat and fast. Since it is run on a bike path, spectators are few and far between. There were aid stations every two miles, manned by enthusiastic volunteers. My only complaint is that there were no porta potties at the start.

This course is a nice flat course to PR on. The weather was perfect for running. I could not have asked for a better course and better weather for running.

The one issue I did have with the course is there was no place to use the restroom at the start of the race. There were a few places where one could go throughout the course.

At some of the water stops there were bananas and oranges, along with gatorade that really helped me during my run.

This course did not use chip timing, which might bother some people with having an official time. Other than that, I will probably train for this marathon next year, because it was a great course to PR on.

This is a well-organized, low-stress type of race on a very pleasant course. Once out of town, the rural course has gentle slopes on a well-maintained, tree-lined bike path. There were no herds of runners to negotiate around--you could really run your own race. There were a few bikers from the general public on the trail to watch out for, but not really a problem. The organizers and other volunteers at the water stations, etc. were very helpful. The finish on the soft, college track was sweet and what a nice touch announcing the name of each finisher. Great shirt too, I will wear it often. The medal is like the race: not pretentious, but very sincere!

The 2003 Athens, OH marathon was a terrific event for me. It was my 4th marathon and 1st of 2003.
The course was advertised as flat and fast, and it was exactly that...unlike some other marathons that say they are flat and then sneak in a series of killer hills around miles 18 & 19 (Harrisburg, PA). The course is out and back on a paved bike trail. There are very few spectators but the fluid stations were very well staffed with some offering bananas and oranges. The volunteers were helpful and the race director answered my questions through email the week prior to the race (Neither of which happened at the above mentioned marathon). The finish is at an athletic complex with a track and each runner is announced as he/she nears the finish line.
The medals were nice and the shirt was a long sleeve mock turtle neck with a nice design. The town of Athens had alot of road construction going on near our hotel but it is a beautiful small, college town.
I entered to qualify for Boston needing 3:20...I missed by 1 minute (arrrggh!) but I would recommend this race to everyone and especially those looking for a PR or to qualify for Boston.

I enjoyed this marathon because I entered to qualify for Boston and I did. But, being my sixth marathon, I was shocked at the lack of organization. No one in Athens that we talked to even knew there was a race that day! We stayed at a recommended dorm/hotel and could not sleep for the parties. Between the 11th and 14th mile there was only water. Nothing but water at the end and only a handful of spectators. I enjoyed the race but probably wouldn't run it again.

I ran Athens (as many did) as a training for the upcoming Flying Pig. This out and back course is on the flat (though It seemed like it was uphill both ways, but go figure) bike trail, that follows the river and railroad. Its a quiet, scenic run, with just a few hundred runners (this year, maybe 150 marathoners and 250 half). The Start, in the center of Athens, was rather loosely structured. There were no race officals (that I could find) till about 10 minutes before the start. There was no 'Start Here' banner (The one banner that I was there was 2 blocks away, off of the race route). There was pleny of water/gateraid along the route, and many had oranges/bananas. There were no aid stations (that I saw), but there were race officials with radios at most of the water stops. There are very few spectators on this course. I personally need them for motivation, so that was a drag. The transition from the bike path to the sidewalk (to the entrance of the stadium) was brutal. The lap-and-a-half around the stadium would have been nice if the stadium were full, but since it was mostly empty, it was just cruel. Nice finishers' medal, but no race photographers (I live for the picture). Overall, a good experience.

Thanks for the great organization and effort put out by you all. Four of us from Findlay area came down to check out your race and the area. Many of us have run the Hocking Hills Indian Run in the hills. Appreciate your flat course, nice scenery and lack of cars. Excellent job. The lack of spectators mattered little. The water stops were handled very well and organization was done well. We Findlay Striders appreciate all the hard work that goes into putting a race on. Thanks for the enjoyable race (well as enjoyable as a marathon can be). Hope to see you next year. Surprised by the vast diversity of people and the distance people traveled to get here, like from Atlanta and Dallas. Thanks a bunch! joe

I've run this race twice and it is my favorite race. If you like the solitude of the trees and the river then you will like it. If you need the excitement of running through city streets and people on the sidewalks watching then this is not your race. There is not one uphill the entire course. The first mile is slightly downhill and the last 25 miles are totally flat. The one problem is that Athens is sort of isolated and quite a distance from any major population area so it takes awhile to get there. However if you live in Athens County or anywhere nearby then this is a most excellent race. I can't imagine a better race geared towards local runners. The race this year is April 8, 2001. It looks like it may be a cold weather race this spring since the winter here has been so long.