This was my 35th marathon and 6th for the Quad Cities. Spectator support for this event has always been thin, and the final 6 miles is an out and back configuration; however the dedicated efforts of Race Director Joe Moreno and his staff make this marathon a quality event. I would recommend this event to the 50 states club, or to the first time marathoner.

Here is what I like about this event:

1) Spacious parking at around the Wireless One Center.

2) Adequate expo with friendly and hard working volunteers.

3) Hotels close by.

4) The course especially miles 1 thru 20, featuring 5 cities, 1 island, and 2 major bridges that offer panoramic views of the Mississippi River.

5) The 'road kill lady' at mile one on the I-74 bridge shouting...'Runners to the left! Road kill to the right!' Great humor to inspire the runners, she is there every year! A QC tradition!

6) The courtesy and professionalism of the Arsenal Island Military Personal, some of the water stations were operated by soldiers in battle fatigues, very impressive!

7) Scenic views of the Mississippi River from the shorelines of Bettendorf and Davenport Iowa, and Arsenal Island.

8) Live entertainment at various locations thru-out the course.

9) And of course the wall! Another QC tradition, at around mile 23 there is a simulated wall with an opening that runners pass thru, the entrance is lined with enthusiastic high school cheer leaders, and they will cheer you on with pom poms in hand as you pass thru the dreaded wall!

10) A well organized finish area staffed with friendly volunteers.

11) A shiny finishers medal that sparkles in the sun light!

Thanks QC!!! I plan to return next year!

This is a race where you can tell the organizers are runners who put their hearts into planning the little details. I love the entertainment along the course (the high school pep band at the first mile is my favorite), the enthusiastic volunteers at every water stop, the wet towels and oranges at the later miles, the balloons at every mile marker, the interesting course through different cities, and the cheerful spectators. Unfortunately my shirt size had run out before I picked up my packet, but other than that, this race went flawlessly.

Nice quality marathon for price of entry fee. Great medals & food at finish. Expo was small, but received great pair of gloves, nice long sleeve shirt. Nice scenic course over bridges & along the river. Last 6 miles on the out & back were a bit boring, but great entertainment & food stations. They really take care of you & put alot of effort into the whole event.

Just wanted to echo what previous posters have said in years past - excellent race with a sense of community. Volunteers had every base covered, plenty to drink and eat on course, even wet rags, lube, etc.
Easy in-and-out parking, freshly-made pork chops at finish line, moderate pricing for registration, no congestion during event. Especially appreciated the neat pair of running gloves and running belt in the packet pick-up, besides the long shirt shirt.
Joe Moreno and his crew will take great care of you.

The weather was great, the course was fast, the entertainment was Rockin,, the pork chop sandwiches at the end were outstanding

Course-I liked the bridges crossing Mississippi multiple times. I liked miles 14-19 on Rock Island in the park-like areas. I did not like the out and back on miles 20-25. I liked that they marked the mile markers with balloons. Pretty well marked course-didn't notice any serious pot-holes and traffic and safety were non-issues.

Organization: Packet pickup had a small line-NICE. Expo, Start, and Finish were close to accommodations-NICE. Pace group leader I had was my best experience yet in 13 races. The pacer was a local and had run the race every year(some pace group leaders had never run the course before-sort of disconcerting). Pacer was constantly exchanging remarks with spectators-this really made the race a lot of fun.

Spectators: We probably saw a lot of involvement because our pacer knew a lot of the local folks. I liked that spectators honked in their cars during the couple of miles that it rained hard. The only element of spectators I didn't see was a theme or spirit competition between aid-stations. There was a lot of variety in entertainment-from high school bands, to bag-pipes. Great gospel choir in the early miles-seriously good singing!

I didn't stick around for the after-race party as the cool temperature and rain made me want to get a hot shower. Excellent temperature for a marathon! The hotel we stayed at offered rooms to shower in after the race without an extra fee-I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS CONSIDERATION IN ANY OTHER MARATHON!!! I'm thinking about going back next year for the marathon relay. I've seen better spectators, and scenery but this marathon had so many good points that it made me want to re-experience this again.

I liked the course and the organization in general. They needed more trash cans at the expo and the finishing area. they were difficult to find.But the finish area and all the support there was great. the spectators needed more coffee before the race because I had to cheer them on as I ran past instead of them cheering the runners

The start has a few hills then it gets nice and flat at the end. Plenty of water and Gu on course. Great party at end with plenty of food and refreshments.

This was my first marathon and I really enjoyed it! The people were nice and I love the vast majority of the course. My one constructive criticism would be the very last section of the course. The out and back was boring and isn't really good for crowds to watch. Simply have the runners go down river further on the Iowa side before getting on the Centennial Bridge. The people are wonderful though.

Fantastic course; food and drink are plentiful and good; people are very nice; massage line is long - I recommend separate lines for half and full marathon runners; try to reserve a hotel, especially Radisson, as early as you can.