From starting line to finish, this marathon was a pleasant experience! The start is set in the backdrop of the state capitol, which, in the dark morning hours, is really cool to see in the horizon. Also, the bag drop off is well organized and there are heaters near there - very nice!

The starting guns were accompanied by fireworks, and then as the miles went on there were many awesome bands and music, like people set up in their front yards, and even a military band!

However, no one wants to be boppin' (and jogging) on a full bladder! And no one wants to take five minutes in a timed race to wait in line for the bathroom, and I think it is fair to say that most of us (especially the ladies!) do not want to have to resort to shedding our dignity as we relieve ourselves in the bushes and roadsides (or see these things either, thank you!), all for the sake of a good race and time! So please, more bathrooms along the course!!!

That said, despite having to make a few (prolonged) stops, I still knocked around 5 minutes off my last time, which was a nice surprise! And then after, we were able to check our times through computers set up at the end, which was a great way to give very updated results and save paper!

Overall, sights along the course were enjoyable, and it was pretty flat with agreeable weather. A good out-of town race.

Running a marathon is something I wanted to do for more years than I can remember. I trained for this event for almost 5 months. I enjoyed the training and the entire 26.2-mile event. I found the course to be challenging, well staffed and well tended. My hat is off to Austin and I hope to return again.

Pax et amor,
Mick Stamm, Abilene, Texas

This was my first crack at Austin. I was very impressed by the attention to detail. Reading through past years' comments, it seems like they have taken a lot of previous advice/criticism on-board.

The course was hilly, and tough, and I cursed the spectators who kept saying, "Last hill," or "All downhill from here," because it was never true!

But overall it was awesome - a fairly scenic course, great crowds, good bands, challenging hills, and a great finish in the shadow of the Capitol. Aid stations were well manned and organized - I never wanted for anything. I liked that they had water and PowerAde at every stop. I also like that you got a cotton shirt at the expo and a technical shirt for finishers. Very cool. Great medals.

I hope to be back in 2009 for another crack at that sadistic, hilly course.

As a Floridian, I was not used to the hills but that is the ONLY thing I found difficult about this race. It has just about everything - lots of helpful spectators, great course support, and a terrific way to see the city. I loved the way many spectators brought their dogs out with them to cheer us on! Austin is one of the few places I have raced that I am eager to return to. Plus, wonderful restaurants for fajita lovers!

Great crowd support, especially on the last miles through Crestview, Brentwood, Hyde Park, and downtown! Tarrytown was great too! All the cheering from locals was fantastic.

Volunteers at each water stop were from participating charities - they got to advertise their charity, and the volunteers were very enthusiastic. I always had water or PowerAde handed to me without even having to ask.

The 26 bands were ok, but there was definitely some big gaps in between the bands. Still, they helped!

The finish down Congress Avenue is fantastic, and they should definitely keep the finish on Congress.

Parking was not as big a problem as I thought it would be. I parked in the state capitol visitor parking lot.

I liked the fireworks to kick it off, and didn't have any problems with the smoke like others here did.

One big disappointment: they need a lot more porta-potties along the course. I lost about fifteen minutes waiting for a free porta-potty, or waiting for my friend to get a free porta-potty. It was a warm day, and people were drinking a lot of liquids.

I ran the half as a training run for the Shamrock in March and I could not have been happier with the entire experience.

Pros:
1. Organization was topnotch. Much better than other big-name marathons I have run in the past.
2. The people of Austin were friendly and helpful.
3. Race support was fantastic. My thanks to all the volunteers who manned the water stations along the race.
Cons: None really.

I had a great time and cannot wait to return to run the full.

Lastly, I recommend the Omni for runners coming in from out of town. Great location and friendly staff.

Thanks y'all.

Can't imagine how one could improve this race. Great course (including the hills), great city, great crowds, great music, superb organization. Bravo to all the sponsors, organizers, volunteers, bands and the city that turned out to cheer us on.

I'm a veteran of 2 NYC Marathons, which were great, but after doing a "smaller" race, I'm hooked! The race field was manageable (no tripping over other runners), the crowds were awesome (gotta love Southern hospitality), and the course was beautiful (even the hills). Sign me up for next year!

From start to finish:

The expo: Picking up numbers was fast and easy, with lots of fun booths to check out. The DryMax socks booth had some great new socks; everyone should check them out. If you register early enough, they print your name on the race bibs. If you're from out of town, beware: trying to catch a cab from the expo back to your hotel is not easy.

Pasta einner: This was well organized and fun except the the Hanson team, which includes Brian Sell, who dominated the half marathon, decided not to show up after it was announced that they would be there.... Boo to them.

The course: Obviously everyone knew this was going to be very hilly, but if you prepared for hills, they weren't a big deal. No, the hills did not end at mile 18; there was a big one at the end of mile 23 and one last one on mile 25. But at that point you either still have energy, or you don't. The course surface was mostly blacktop with very little bare concrete, which made it a little softer than some courses. The crowd support was very good for a 5,000-person race. My only complaint was they should have gels on the course. To be fair, the race did inform everyone that they would need to bring their own gels.

My race: This was my first time with my name on my bib, and 42 people called out my name along the way; that was awesome - thank you Austin. Also, this was my first negative split race by almost 13 minutes, and since the last 10K are the flattest 10K of the course, it was my fastest 10K of the race. Oh yeah, and a new PR... beating my San Diego and New York City times. ;-)

This was my second marathon and my husband and I ran this as a training event for Big Sur. We knew is was going to be hilly, and there were a lot of corners. The water and Gatorade were sufficient so that you don't need a fuel belt. We started in pace groups and that was very helpful because you don't need to pass a lot of walkers and slower runners. I loved the fireworks and since we ran the Disney in January I can honestly say the fireworks were more spectacular! Loved it! The smell of fireworks in the air will now always remind me of the Austin start.

On the downside, the finisher shirt is great but by the time I finished (4:55) there were no more shirts left in my size. I think this should be more controlled.
I liked the loop course because we could stay close by and had no need to drive. Austin can be a traffic nightmare if you have to get from point to point and previous experience with bad weather and cooling down too much whilst waiting for the shuttle is not a good thing.

They were supposed to have 39 bands along the way, but I must not have seen them because I was disappointed at the lack of loud upbeat music. I expected much more because of all the promotion the bands got.

The only reason I will not do Austin again is because there are so many other places I would like to go, but if you have not done Austin yet, I will surely recommend to put it on your list.