Since this was my first marathon, don't have any to compare it to. However,I thought it was a great experience due to the fantastic weather, terrific sceenery, and fluid stations between every single mile. The course was completely flat with the exception of one tiny hill which was very do-able. Great volunteers!

This was my first marathon and I really appreciated the flat course! The race was really well organized, with plenty of fluid stations and porto-johns. My only suggestion is to please save some bananas and oranges for those of us who are slow! It was a little disheartening to get to mile 20 and find banana and orange peels all over the road but no fruit left. Yeah, there were M&M's, cookies and Mike & Ike's, but frankly I would have upchucked at that point if I'd eaten them. A big thank-you to all the volunteers out there, and to the spectators who cheered for everyone-not just their friend/family.

I echo the positive comments made by others about yesterday's race. What an outstanding event. Pre-race staging was excellent, shuttle service to the start was not a problem and, unlike what I read about other years, we did not arrive too early. We had about an hour before the marathon to use the port-a-potty, hydrate more, etc. Volunteers were outstanding.

The course itself is a joy for the most part. Yes, some of it is tedious, but I think you find that in any marathon.

My only issue was the finish and running on to that grass after 26 miles. Probably not much can be done about that, but perhaps there's a different approach from the school to get on to the track to finish it up. All in all, though, a great event that I highly recommend.

This was my 14th marathon, and believe that the organization, from volunteers to water stations was outstanding. The course, flat and sometimes mundane, does provide some spectacular views of the east coast. The weather was hot, but the directions by the organizers for proper hydration etc were outstanding. I ran this event with four friends, all echo my opinion... Excellent job. Check it out.

This was my 10th marathon and the most enjoyable so far. Extremely well organized and a really flat course (one small hill around mile 12). Great course for a PR. Also, the size of the race, under 2,000 runners, makes it really manageable. Top notch support, with water and Ultima every mile or so, and Cliff Shots and other food at a few spots in the second half of the race. Pretty good fan support, although it is concentrated in only a few locations. Nice finish at the local high school track, with plenty of food. Massages afterwards are always a welcome touch. You can even get there the morning of the race by train from NYC, and avoid a hotel stay. I plan to return next year.

I just ran this yesterday and it was EXCELLELENT! The weather was great, the orginazation was AMAZING, there were an ABUNDANCE of bathrooms and port a johns at the start and at every fluid station, GREAT Long Sleeved T-shirt and cool finishers medal! Great Volunteers and some sections with good crowd support. Some nice views of the ocean at point! All in all a GREAT Marathon experience!

Two suggestions...

1)ditch ULTIMA and serve Gatorade! I can't tell you how may people said they were feeling nauseous from the Ultima (I was)

2) No chip timing. They should switch to chip timing because even though it's a somewhat small race (1300 people) it still took over a minute to cross the start.

Otherwise an AWESOME race

I've run many races, but this was my first marathon. The organization was wonderful. The volunteers were great! Lots of food, Gu, and drink along the course (even M&Ms at mile 22!), plenty of Porto-John's (very helpful after all that Ultima), and Tylenol at the FirstAid station at mile 14 (thank God!). Buses to the start line were very convienent. FedEx trucks to bring our gym bags back to the finish line, where changing tents were available. And the volunteers were great! Good DJ at the starting line and at a couple of places along the route. Lots of good food at the finsih line, including pickles (they really hit the spot.) And, a great long sleeve T-shit. Oh yeah, and the volunteers were GREAT!

This was my very first marathon and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The weather, strong winds and decent rain, couldn't put a damper on the day. However, I realize now the additional feat that we all accomplished that day because of this inclement weather. The organization of the race was fabulous and even though the bands were canceled and the crowd was very light, everyone made this experience a wonderful one. I now hang my certificate, received from the race organization, proudly. It is a very flat and scenic course and would recommend it to everyone!

Well the course is as flat as any rumor claims, like running on a pancake. I've run in 2001 and 2002, and will run it again. This years day was as bad as weather gets, pouring rain, headwind for 20 miles, but there was heart in the runners and supporters. Thanks to the volunteers who came out in that mess. Watching the ocean and running through the coastal towns makes it a good experience.

Completed: Ocean State (Providence, RI) and Hartford.

Course: beautiful, flattest of the three I've done so far. Nice jaunt through Sandy Hook area. Mainly runs along ocean heading South, we had 20 mph head winds all day, yuck! Worse part was start. Shuttles dropped us off 2 hrs before start, state park limited shelter.

Organization: Times posted nearly every mile, water/ultima drink every 2-3 miles, baggage handling good, shuttles to start, shuttles to host Holiday Inn. Organizer sent along personal note in correspondance and e-mailed me various pictures they took. Very personal touch.

Fans: Rain, Wind, but large contingent of supporters, they were outstanding.

Net-net: on day without rain or wind, this would be a great race, still managed a PR.