The run was great, nice course, you could see most of the city, good and not so good. The weather was perfect, sunny and cool. A lot of fans came out, a few bands even beer around mile 22. The the expo was disappointing, very crowded and we tried for an hour to find out where the bus was to get to the dinner and NO ONE at the information booth or the people selling the tickets knew. So we hung out and the buses showed up 1/2 hour late. Then on the return to the expocenter the bus got lost twice, until a local sat up front and directed the driver. It seemed very disorganized and we were disappointed. I ran in SD and it was better organized and 1/10th smaller.

I can't complain about the race course, because it seemed fast enough--even though much of it was through the low-rent neighborhoods of Austin. For such a great city, I expected better organization and pre-race support. The 'goody-bag' was among the cheesiest I've ever seen--nothing worth keeping. It was a shame to see how many people threw the majority of it in the trash. The t-shirts were also a waste. Why not spend the money on one nice shirt instead of two cheap ones of poor design? Organization--nobody at the expo (also marginal) or course talks could answer any questions about the location and type of aid on the course. People want to know what they can expect in terms of energy replacement. The 'GU-Rep' was even vague and told us not to count on anything, because they would not have enough for everybody--I thought that was something we paid for...SUPPORT. OK, enough constructive criticism...cool music and good food at the end, but I'll never come back.

What more can you ask for? Fluids every mile, great fans, best route that runs through the heart and pulse of the city, and a town that loves to run and shares their enthusiasm along the way.

First, let me say that I set a PR on this course. It's not that I'm whining! The course map for this marathon has a steady drop, basically, for an over-all drop at the finish. There were as many ups as there were downs! I would surmise that if there is an overall drop at all, it is under 100 feet. Next, for 75.00 as an entry fee, you would expect a nice Expo and a large goodie bag. You get worthless papers and a basic t-shirt. Austin needs to re-evaluate their goodie bags, they're a joke. Take a look at Chicago, Crimm, they don't charge 75 bucks and you get worthwhile stuff. Even in Detroit, the Flagstar Bank Marathon gives you a lot more with fewer people at a much cheaper price. The crowd support was non-existent. There were 4 places(half way, and finsh mostly) where there were crowds. Otherwise, it was thin. If you live in the Austin area, and you want to tune up for a real marathon later, then run it. Otherwise, this is a must pass event.

I got my PR in this race. The course has only two uphills of any note and even those rise only about 50 feet. There are perhaps a dozen gentle downhills, with only one steep downhill, so the net loss of 400-500 feet doesn't hurt your legs (any more than running 26 miles would without hills!). Weather was perfect in 1999, but it has been known to be a bit humid

The race was very well run. There was even a band playing at the start. The amount of food at the finish was great. Perfect weather, perfect course, nice size race. The best I've seen.

Would have to look far and long to find something wrong with this course. Everything's there!

I have run in at least a dozen different marathons and the Austin Motorola Marathon has to be one of the best. The course is fast. Yes, there are a few small hills at about mile 20, but overall there is a gradual net drop of about 400 feet from start to finish. I set a PR for myself on this course and went under 3 hours for the first time. The race is not overcrowded and is well organized. The one improvement I would suggest to organizers is to install more chip timing mats at strategic points along the course.

What else can you say. To run a marathon and to be in Austin, Texas is like a little bit of heaven. It was a great race, great support, great fans. Lots of HILLS!, but not that bad. I think it is a fabulous, must run marathon and I wouldn't miss it for the world.