This race features gorgeous views of the Grand Traverse Bay and a course that's ideal for anyone looking for a Boston qualifier or PR. The terrain is flat to slightly rolling, but there's nothing that could really be called a hill. I prefer this slight variation to a pancake-flat course like Chicago, as it allows you to naturally vary your stride and eases the workload on your legs. With only about 1200 runners, there is plenty of room to run right from the beginning. Aid stations are well organized. This is an 'old school' race without the bells and whistles--no pasta dinner, giant expo, online runner tracking, huge cheering multitudes, etc. Just solid organization, superb friendly volunteers, good post-race refreshments. The T-shirt is the best race shirt I've seen, a high-quality coolmax shirt by Brooks that I will enjoy training in this summer. Most of the course is not closed to traffic, but this is absolutely not a problem; I only saw a few cars. Spectators are few but enthusiastic. This is simply a great small race, and I thank the organizers and volunteers for helping me reach Boston!

The Bayshore course offers breath-taking views of Lake Michigan with the fragerance of lilacs from the beautiful trees lining the course. The last few miles seemed downhill - thank you! The course is very fast and the people are very friendly. I'll tell all my friends about this one!

Really enjoyed my first marathon at Bayshore. Had never seen this area before and could not believe how beautiful it was. People were great! With the 1500-runner limit, it was big enough to make it very interesting but not congested or overcrowded. Registration and packet pick up went very smoothly.

Looking forward to next year!

This was my first marathon. I will run it again in 2005 as my third, hoping to qualify for Boston. This fast course is great for spectators. With a map and an idea of your pace, they can meet you at several points along the route and still get back to the finish. The weather was perfect, but remember this is Michigan, so be prepared. Traverse City is a wonderful town to visit and our hotel was very accommodating.

Beautiful views while running this out-and-back course! This course is also great to have spectators see you at numerous points throughout the race. With my experiences ranging from Detroit, Chicago, Grandma's (Duluth, MN) and NYC, the race support was second to none.

Traverse City is my home town. Seven years ago, when I started running (at age 43), I could never have imagined doing a marathon. Bayshore was my 8th. It was an amazing experience to run roads I have driven all my life. I felt more intimately connected with the peninsula and bay than I ever have. I also ran in memory of my mom who died three weeks before the race. She was incredibly supportive of my running.

I am biased. It was a perfect day, weather- and temperature-wise. The course has a lovely, gentle roll. Not entirely flat (boring). The spectators were great. Plenty of aid stations. Well organized. Good energy.

A wonderful day, beautiful course, fans were GREAT (although few), h2o every 2 mi, fast course to pr. Perfect town, lots of hotels and food around.
RUN THIS ONE.

Bayshore was my first marathon, and it was an outstanding experience. The out-and-back course is pretty close to flat, and the scenery is gorgeous. My family was able to meet me near Mile 23 and get back to the finish with no hassles, which really helped me through the last miles. The Brooks running shirt was also a cool bonus, especially when you consider the entry fee for this race is just $40.

This was my second Bayshore, and my feelings echo most of the other comments already posted here. Beautiful course, good aid stations, nice finish on a track, neat t-shirt, cool medal, etc.

Bayshore was my 11th marathon, second time I've run the course. Just beautiful. The course is rolling not flat. Great support at the aid stations. They have Ultima to drink, which tasted horrible. The course is not closed to traffic, however, wasn't too bad to deal with in my opinion. I do wish Bayshore organizers would put more port-a-pottys on the course. Just a few were out there. They totally need more, as a friend I was running with had no choice but to wait 5-6 min for the port-a-potty! The shirts were great. I will be back to run this again and again. Running along the water is just beautiful. This race keeps getting better and better every time I run it.