This course is all it is cracked up to be. The 2012 race gave us sun at the start and cloud cover on the run back and was nearly perfect.

Others have written about the camber in the road. I didn't have trouble with it and it wasn't a big deal.

I found the spectators (who were clustered at certain points) and residents (who were out plentifully, with tunes and cheering) to be a wonderful addition.

The miles simply rolled by for me. The friendliness of the locals, the volunteers and fellow runners was terrific.

I would advise you to register the day it opens...this race fills up very quickly, for good reason.

If I had any suggestion for the organizers it would be to re-think packet pick up. It was a crush of people, gridlock of traffic to get to the high school the night before. The small city of Traverse City just isn't built for such a crunch. Finding a different site, nearer the mall, for example, would really improve that.

I enjoyed my time at this race a lot. It's reputation is well deserved.

Ran my fifth marathon and first Bayshore. Organization was top notch, and everything from packet pickup to the race start was hassle free.

The course was very pretty (being from the Chicagoland area, I was amazed at how fresh everything smelled!), but was hilly indeed. I read past reviews, but could have done more hill training. My legs ended up cramping up a lot in the second half, and I walked a ton.

The crowd support was very good, where it existed. Do not go into this race thinking there will be a ton of spectators, and you will have a fun time. There were plenty of aide stations, with plenty of Gu if you needed it. The energy drink was kind of gross, though. I am used to Gatorade, but they had something else that tasted like soap (but I drank it anyway). There was Coke along the course...yum! There was also 'not water' for the brave of stomach.

I had an overall positive experience and would recommend this race to anyone looking to run a spring race and get away for the Memorial Day weekend. Keep it up, TC!

It's hard to get a better race location than on a bay in northern Michigan. When the weather's nice (and it wasn't in 2011), it can be gorgeous.

That said, this course is about 23 miles of rolling slanted pavement; I was well trained, but it took a toll on my calves. Support is solid at the official aid stations, and spectators sit out on their porches and watch us poor souls run past. Orange wedges were offered, as was 'not water.' Families throughout the course set out stereos and were jamming. That's authentic.

Aside from the typical problems all marathons face (e.g. too few toliets, clusterfu$# at the starting line, and areas of sparse cheering), the only gripe I have with the race is the timing of the 1/2marathon walkers and their etiquette.

Yes, I'm faster than most on the course, but somehow race organizers should schedule the 1/2 marathon walkers earlier or later as to not clog the course for everyone. Walkers tend to be social and walk 3-5 wide, and that causes congestion on the road. Combined with the glossy eyed fatigue one feels at miles 20-24, it becomes really annoying to have to weave or run around walkers. Those going much slower could be told to stay to the right of the road, and that would solve the problem.

Would I run again? Maybe. The gear is great, and the hotels are all close.

This was my First Bayshore Marathon, third marathon of the year and 20th overall. I set a PR by 6 minutes and BQ'd by close to 10 Minutes. The course did have a few rolling hills in my opinion. Most times I ran the crown of the road to avoid the steep cross slope in some areas. I thought the spectator support was great. The volunteers at the aid station were top notch. I had one volunteer make an effort to run down the road to give me water after we missed each other at the aid station. Overall this was a great experience. The City made for a great long weekend with nice restaurants and shops for my wife and I to enjoy.

This race is great I and will do it every year if possible. Great course, great city.

The only negitive i have is it would be nice to line up people by pace at the beginning to help keep people from tripping over one another.

This was my sixth marathon and based upon previous comments I decided to use this as a great excuse to get out of town for the long weekend. The course is beautiful but I do think it should be noted that it is not as fast and flat as I assumed it would be. I read all of the comments here at mg.com and other race reports and had this idea in my head that this was a wicked fast course. It does have rollers and my legs were trashed by the end. If I had to do it all over I would have trained on my hills before this race. Denver might be at higher altitude but it is pretty flat unless you hit the suburbs or foothills to train. The spectators and volunteers were really friendly. The aid stations seemed to be a tad off on spacing but they were well stocked and easy to navigate through. Staying at the Cambria Suites is the way to go as the race packet pickup and start was a quick walk from the hotel. Traverse City is also gorgeous and the locals were very friendly for the entire span of our trip. I'd definitely recommend this race to others but just keep in mind that this course isn't pancake flat. Miles 7-19 were the worst for me. I did BQ and PR but it was very hard fought.

The previous reviews are overflowing with positive comments about the race, most of which are true. Having done it the last 3 or 4 years, I will just mention a few things that you should be aware of, especially fellow penguins (4.5 hr plus runners) who are considering this race.

1- Weather is totally hit or miss this time of year and in this area. I've run it in perfect marathon conditions, extreme heat, and cold and rainy (thanks to 2011). Be prepared for anything, right up until the time the race starts. (also, my g/f did not get her dropped stuff from 2010, so don't wear anything too expensive).

2- There seems to be a lot of debate about whether it has hills. That's a tricky question. Hills in the traditional sense? Not really, just a few small ones. However, the whole course seems to be on one giant hill and titled to one side,which will absolutely take it's toll over 26 miles and is nearly impossible to train for. Fight for every inch of flat pavement you can find, your lower half will thank you.

3- My biggest complaint- things start shutting down too early. WAY too early. This race bills itself as beginner friendly, but every year, even you finish at much after 4.5 hrs (vast majority of runners are between 4hr and 5hr), the tented area looks like a ghost town, and the some of the stations were deserted too. That's lame.

4- This year, for whatever reason, they decided to close the roads and shuttle people to the spectator areas, which I heard was a disaster. And the shuttles stopped at 10:30 and left people stranded. Are you kidding? And what percentage of racers are done in 3:30 hours? Maybe 10-20 percent. Come on.

5- The crowd support you get from the locals is great, and there are few areas along the course where it's decent, but it's really barren in a few areas. It's a smaller race, which is one of the reasons I like it. I'm not really complaining, just relaying that this might not be the best course to get pumped up by the crowd or have large amounts of family.

6- It's technically not a closed course. Very little car traffic in the morning, but again.. if you're a 4.5+ runner, beware...you will do some car dodging and may end up running on a shoulder with cars zooming by at 45mph.

Overall, I still recommend this race. Great city, beautiful course, great volunteers...but 2011 seemed like a leap backwards in terms of organization in too many ways to list.

The BEST marathon means different things to different people. I vote Bayshore as the BEST hassle free marathon in the country and one of the most scenic. Having run nearly 40 marathons competitively over 25 years (I won the 55-59 age group this year in 2:56) I think I know a thing or two about what makes a good marathon and enjoy sharing my thoughts afterwards with other serious runners deciding on a quality destination marathon. After all, when you train hard for two marathons a year you want your travel and race experience to be the most enjoyable it can be. Bayshore is a small community-run marathon with a BIG heart. Course is out and back, traffic-free and extremely scenic (one of the BEST) (not very hilly but not flat either), organization is wonderful, spectators are friendly and enthusiastic and the ease of getting to and from the packet pickup (in a HS gym) and start/finish (same place) is simple. No buses to take to the marathon start and no traffic to get stuck in (our hotel was 2 blocks from the start and finish with a sane 7am start). Ammenities and things to do and see before and after are plentiful. The area is beautiful. (Being from the desert, if I could afford a vacation home on the lake, this would be the place; its that pretty)...My only race criticism (and I wish race directors would address this issue) is the same for many marathons that have a companion half: While Bayshore has a commendable separate marathon start, you still crash into the throngs of pedestrian halfers (who start at the halfway out and back point) over the last 10 to 20K of the course. While I understand races need the half and the pedestrians to keep the numbers up and the event viable (and they certainly belong there), The truth is most of them don't understand running etiquette and make no attempt to get out of the way. I estimate I added 5 to 10 seconds per mile weaving in and out of the halfers over the last 10K. I had to come to a complete stop while in full sprint mode upon entering the track finish not to run into 3-4 halfers abreast. My advice is simple: 1) cone off a lane the last 10K for the marathoners to have clear unimpeded passage; 2) have a separate finish lane/chute for the marathoners (Bayshore could have the marathoners finish on one side of the track, the halfers on the other). Easy fix that many marathons could implement. Other than that, if you're looking for a relatively small, friendly, hassle-free scenic spring destination marathon, Bayshore is the BEST one I've found so far.

Overall this was a great event. The course is spectacular, flat, and cool as you run along East Grand Traverse Bay nearly the entire way. This was my first marathon and the only negative I have about this race is that the Pre-race communication is terrible and not at all motivating. I thought some of the comments in their email newsletter were even rude and they seemed unwilling to accommodate runners requests. While this was my first full marathon, I've done several half marathons and love races that inspire and motivate the runners before the event. In my opinion it's part of the entire experience that makes running marathons so special.

With that said however, I have very little to say that's negative about the course. It was well marked and it is great to see the half marathoners and the fast full marathoners coming back in. I would do it again for sure.

This marathon has gotten great reviews. I think the course and medal socks and shirt are what we pay for. Otherwise everything else is pretty bad.

First off the expo was small. And all i got in my bag were 3 pins instead of 4. Then i just get a shirt and socks. The parking is a nightmare getting in and out for the race morning and after. There should be people directing cars to spots. And filling the parking lot out that way. There should be a police officer after the race letting traffic out because it was horrible sitting in a car after a marathon for that long.

Next the race itself. Not enough bathrooms. I mean 5-10min wait for bathrooms is understandable. But 20mins, that's outrageous. And the worst of it all, the marathon starts without any call of 1min or 2mins left. It was 5mins until race time and a call was made but the bathroom line was so long, and then the gun goes off.

Finishing up theres just too many half marathon walkers walking 5 or 6 abreast that makes it really hard weave in and out of traffic after much of the race is traffic free.

Also getting done you expect good food, but really just salty baked goods, bananas, oranges and ice cream when its freezing out. I could only have a couple bites before i was too cold. I know it wouldve been great if weather cooperated, but maybe they could've sprang up some hot chocolate really quick since it was at the school.

The course is somewhat flat, but pancake flat is far from it. The cambered roads kill the knees.