Enjoyed this race a good deal (14th marathon - PR'd yesterday!) Course was neat; I enjoy running along the river cities (I've done Cincy; Richland, WA; QC; Louisville, KY and others). Great volunteer and fan support with aid stations, GU, PowerAde, and fruit. The wet sponges were new to me this race - GREAT IDEA! (So nice to wipe the salt layer off your arms mid-race!)

Problems: (1) They were out of both food at the pasta dinner (I pre-paid), and shirts, one hour before the close of the expo. (2) My hotel - La Quinta in Davenport - had a shuttle TO the race, but nobody knew how we were to get back, except the hotel manager who was there the afternoon AFTER the race.

Still, the race folks were very prompt to find me a trip back and all worked out in the end.

Would still recommend this to runners looking for a fun, nice course to do.

Joe, race organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and cooperating muncipalities: You had to make some difficult decisions about changes for the race. In my opinion, those changes benefitted everyone - the driving public, the showcased cities, the many generous sponsors, and the runners! I felt safe, entertained, and encouraged. Thank you for the race and what you do for our communities.

Quad Cities is beautiful and flat. Where else can you see two states and the Mississippi River.... Great course, great people.

This was my first try at a marathon, and I was very impressed. There were plenty of water stops, Gu stops, and spectators to line the couse (with the exception of the lack of spectators near the 22-23 mile marker). I had a lot of fun running the race, and although I won't be running it in 2006, I appreciate the positive memories it helped me create as I started my marathon running career.

My first marathon was indeed a hot one! I enjoyed every aspect of this event. During my 26.2 mile fun-run I attempted to thank every volunteer and staff member possible, figuring they would lead me to the finish. They all make this event very special for me and many others. Race director, Joe Moreno, displays his passion for this event each year. We will all remember your tenacity for this race. Thanks!

AJM

The weather was brutal, but I finished wanting to come back next year. I have only done small marathons (1200 finishers or less), so I was very impressed with this one. Even though there weren't a lot of people cheering, there were many different bands or groups on the course, cheering, playing, etc. That was great! The arsenal did get boring, but it was very pretty in many places.... I didn't even know it was a military base.

The post-race refreshments were great! I even finished 3rd in my age group and received a wonderful plaque. I was thrilled. Next year I will bring my family and stay in one of the hotels near the start/finish. The view of the river is fantastic and there are many downtown shops to keep you busy. This is just a great marathon.... I may try to do it every year!

Very flat and scenic course. The bridges were a little interesting for some of us with a fear of heights. LOTS of support on the course - I think I counted 21 stops with water, food, sponges, and GU. I could not be more impressed with a race director willing to go to jail for his runners by parking his truck in front of a train.

This is my 4th marathon. If I ever get fast enough to try to qualify for Boston, I WILL return to this marathon and try it again. There were adequate water stops, Gatorade, about 5 or 6 Gu stops, even SPONGE stops!! I felt very well taken care of and welcome in the Quad Cities, starting with the free bus tour of the course. I have already recommended it to many of my running friends. My favorite entertainment was the bagpipe player on the bridge. My least favorite were cheerleaders who stopped cheering by the time I got there (maybe they could cheer in shifts?). The photographers were great, I have never gotten better pictures. They waited for me to put on a brave face and THEN took the picture. THANKS!!

This was my first marathon. I made some rookie tactical errors and ended up survivor shuffle/walking the last 10 miles. Despite that I would like to run another one. The organization was great, every time I felt like I was going to die an aid station popped up or I passed a band on the course. The first aid tent at the finish was great and I know because I went there for an IV and a bag of saline after I finished.

One of the only negatives was that it was 69 degrees with about 90% humidity at the start and it only got warmer, which isn't the organizer's fault. Another was that the railroad company broke the gentlemen's agreement they had with the organizers and sent three trains through the area during the race, which is the RR company's fault. I almost got caught by one but Joe Moreno parked the pace truck over the tracks for an hour and a half so runners could get through. I was one of those runners, but since it was at the 22-mile mark where the tracks were, I thought I was hallucinating the truck and the train blaring its horn. One other negative has been mentioned previously and that is the lack of crowd support on Arsenal Island. It got lonely on the island as I was starting to hurt.

I am going to take a year off from the marathon but when I decide to do another, I am going to seriously consider doing the Quad Cities again.

If it wasn't for the humidity and lack of spectators on the course (neither of which are very controllable), this would be a PERFECT marathon. Race organizers think of just about everything and really empathize with the citizen runner.