This was my first marathon, and I was very happy in general. The last six miles are out and back, which was rough and disheartening, but I attribute that to hitting the wall. The Arsenal Island portion was larger than I expected. The expo and amenities were solid. The Brooks tech tee is nice, and the volunteers were FANTASTIC!!!

I did the half-marathon. Perfect number of racers. A feeling of camaraderie, yet plenty of wiggle room. My pacer was great, and helped me finish with a good time.

I would say that it is a mildly scenic course. You are in the flat-lands, so there is little topography that is not pretty, but easy to run. The bridges are nice, and are used well to make the race as scenic as it can be, and the arsenal island is nice too. Plenty of music and cheerleaders to help things along. I wouldn't use this race as a full marathon though.

A really easy race. Everything is simple about it. I wouldn't travel far to get to it though.

My husband did the half and I did the full, both as last-minute participants. Getting registered like that still went smoothly, and the ladies working it were very pleasant.

Ditto on the scenery. I think it's so cool to go along the river like that, although the concrete sidewalks there were tough on me.

I didn't mind going out and back at the end - the cheerleaders did a terrific job making it worth the while!

Our favorite part of this one was how convenient it is to get from the airport to the marathon area.

We went back to the island later and enjoyed walking around the static displays.

Thanks for the nice shirts, too!

This was my first marathon and overall it was a great experience. All of the volunteers were very friendly, and parking was a breeze. The pacers were fantastic as well - I'm not sure if I could have done it without them! My pacer was very experienced and was spot on in his timing. The only thing I didn't like about this race is that when you hit mile 20, you had to go out 3 miles and come right back. It was tough to see the finish line knowing that you had 6 more miles to go! All in all, though, it was a great first race. I will definitely be back!

I have run the half marathon in both 2007 and 2008. I would recommend this race; it is a very nice small race. The host hotel is very nice, but the expo is extremely small. The course is very nice; the only hills were after mile 2 and heading up the bridge ramps (4 or 5 of them). The post-race party is always a good time (3 beer tickets on every bib). I will continue to head out to this race every September.

Ran the half. PERFECT day to run: 60's, cloudy, light breeze. The first mile marker was late on the first bridge, but oh well. Mile 2-3 had a long uphill grade; it was a bit tough. Pretty neat course otherwise. I'm a marathoner too, and I don't like the idea of the out-and-back happening after the last river bridge. Maybe that mileage could be transferred over to the Iowa side? Great announcer-knowledgeable!! Joe meets runners at finish with high-fives!!! Great sweat-bag drop-off/pick-up. Don't mind the all-in-one start. Great free beer and food, massage, and chiropractic support. It had a big-city feel with small-town charm. Everyone should make a visit to the Bent River Brewing Co. WOW!! A possible PR course.

This was my third full marathon, and second Quad Cities. I hadn't planned on doing the QC this year, but got rained out at St. Charles after 10 miles. I had a blast. I was a little faster this year than last. I got a card in the mail this weekend saying that finisher's medals will be sent out around October 28 for those like me who finished after they had run out.

This is the fourth time I've participated in the QCM. I've run the half-marathon each time. There are various events, something for everyone... even kids' races the day before! What a great event for families. The course is primarily flat, with some inclines, but the incorporation of several cities and a military installation is impressive. The arsenal lacks spectators, but that is understandable... it's an active military installation, and since 9/11, security is much tighter. It's a serene experience, and always brings a tear to my eye as I run past the various cemeteries that hold our fallen vets. Organization is second to none! You can tell that Joe Moreno and his crew thinks of each runner throughout the planning process... down to the smallest detail. Of course, there is room for improvement, but that's not uncommon in any race. As for the medals, they did run out, but I saw on the website that they've been ordered and will ship soon. I know I'll get one; I'm not worried at all about that. I have a feeling this race is going to continue to grow....

This is a very nice race. The course is interesting, the starting/finishing area were great, the volunteers were awesome. The logistics were simple, and I stayed in a hotel in Davenport. It was five minutes to a parking spot just a five-minute walk to the start. Another great run for 50 state-runners who want to avoid 45,000 runners at Chicago.

The course was very good (flat as advertised) as was the weather for those of us who like cool and cloudy days for long runs. We did know from the website and the course may that there would only be sports drink at some stations but I was not happy to find that the flavor (grape, cherry, orange, etc.) varied widely from station to station. It should be consistent. I did not have a great run, but I finished substantially under the time limit and the posted limit for getting a medal and was still told that there were no more. VERY disappointing to get a medal from 2002 instead. I have inquired about timing on getting an actual finisher's medal but have gotten no response.

Some really nice volunteers and spectators. The cheer team around mile 23 with the archway was fantastic!