Out-and-back courses are not my personal favorite, but this one is scenic. Plenty of water stops and porta-potties. Spectator support was okay, considering the course is mostly on a walking/hiking/bike path. Overall, a very well-run event.

From reading the 2007 comments, I was a little concerned about doing this event (a group of friends and I chose the half-marathon walk). I'm so glad we decided to do it. What a great day for a race and the organizers did a wonderful job filling in the gaps from last year. There were many, many people participating (195 alone in the half marathon walk), and what a friendly crowd. The fluid stations were plentiful and the porta-potties were more than enough. The only disappointment was that my good friend's chip didn't work, and she missed out on a medal - things like that happen and she can have mine.

Well, I have done the whole DCM and several half's. Back in the day, it was pretty much run on city streets, so I REALLY enjoy the bosque route. They DEFINITELY need MORE restrooms at the start! The Convention Center was not overly accommodating - positioning a guard to prevent runners from using the escalator or elevator in search of restrooms. By the time many of us finished our race, there were no bagels and gooey, black bananas only. The race hotel was nothing to write home about - quite hesitant to extend check out times (I'll be waiting to see if the $25.00 fee appears on my credit card). The starting times for the Half Run and Walk was late enough to get us finishing when it was quite hot, but having the Half Walk go in a different direction IS a great idea - the only confluence of races occurring in the last 3 miles. I hope we didn't impede any runners!

CONFUSION summarizes this event. Waiting for water to be poured - bad! NO gels - bad! No porta-potties - INEXCUSABLE. Scenery - well, it IS NM! Support - thank you, but instead of chatting it up with each other, get that water into the cups. The few spectators and cheer teams were VERY encouraging and I thank them; other than that, the city couldn't have cared less. The finish - lackadaisical at best. Would feel sorry for anyone who traveled here for this. I ran the half as training for my first full in Jan. '08, which was the AZ Rock N' Roll - a FANTASTICALLY ORGANIZED event and flat, fast course, which I HIGHLY recommend as a first. Shame on you, DoubleTree, for no late check-outs. How embarrassing!

This is my third duke city and I would say the course is great compared to courses in the past. I will start with the positives. Having the Hotel right next to the start and finish is great. I really liked the aid stations every mile, first marathon I have ran with that many and it really makes a difference. Having the relay stations along the way made it nice to have those people there cheering us on. The course is fast, I was trying to qualify for Boston and did by 40 seconds I think the wind had some effect on my time but still made the time needed.

Now for the neg. stuff. I had check into the hotel 2 months before the race and was told that the rate was 83$ a night. When I went to check in they told me that it would cost 278$. I told them that was not what I was told, they told me there was a mistake and it would only be 178$. I then told them I had check in two months prior and was told the rate was 83. After some doing they honored the price given to me over the phone but that took some time. It did not even seem to me that knew there was a marathon the next day. It seems to me if duke city set aside some rooms that the people checking us in would know and would also have all the info in front of them.

Next, this is my third duke city marathon my first being in 95 and the second in 2000. My first duke city was a wonderful experience as well has my second. It seemed to me that some of the personal touch has left this event. This could be one of the biggest marathons in this part of the US if those personal touches were still apart of the event. Someone needs to MC the event on a sound system that you can hear. Announcing the winners, tell us who is coming in put some life into the finish line.

All in all it was a good race and I did meet my time for Boston. I hope that this event stays around for a long time, but I would like to see it change into what it was in the past, It was electric and now is just ok.

I liked the choice of pavement or dirt on the bike trail for most of the route. The soft dirt was an enjoyable change from hard pavement.

Being a first timer here I had trouble finding out where to put the drop bag, and even where the starting line was. There didn't seem to be anyone giving out information.

It was unclear for the first 3 miles or so if there would be any mile markers. Then I saw them at an aid table, although others were far from the tables. The tables were not every mile as we had been told.

The course was flat and easy, but not much to see.

My biggest problem was finding a bathroom when I needed it (mile 10-12). Thought I would be doing it in the scratchy bushes for sure. Finally found an outhouse 100 feet off the course at about mile 12.

There was no food on the course, which is always a let down. I had some gels but would have loved a banana half or something at about mile 20-22.

At the finish a girl simply handed me the medal and of course I was so out of it that it immediately fell on the ground and I was unable to bend down to pick it up. I asked her to please put it around my neck, which she then did to my satisfaction. Don't they know that the medal goes around the runner's neck?

The post race food was disappointing. I tried to eat an orange half, but that was pretty difficult and messy. Quarters would have been appreciated. I don't like dry plain white bread bagels. I would much prefer whole grain, and something to put on it like jelly or cream cheese. And some kind of juice would be been better than bottled water. I basically left and found decent food elsewhere.

I came over 1000 miles to this event, but I would rate it fairly low amongst available marathons. Like somebody else said, I don't think the organizers are paying much attention...

The course was out and back, started out scenic, but quickly became boring. There were many walkers on the last half of the course from the other events. That slowed things down a bit. I appreciated the many water stops, but some food towards the end would have been nice. The food at the finish line was a letdown too. Bagels and orange halves.

The Doubletree Hotel was great, and location right at start/finish area was perfect.

My 15th state and would recommend this race for 50 states.

Green Chili Peppers (Go)
1. Albuquerque Great Place to visit
Food excellent, Southwestern Accent
2. Doubletree Host hotel - Excellent
Start/Finish, Conventions Center
Pasta Dinner, shuttle to airport
All within walking distance.
3. Drinks on one table in plastic
container with spout to refill
water bottles..great idea but
water stations should be open
for time allowed for race.
4. Brown l/s shirt feels wonderful
when worn.
5. Medal big and with all information
6. Duel paths..concrete and gravel
7. Time goes by quickly on this course
although some thought it was boring,
even, mostly flat parklike setting.
8. Next year 25th Anniversary

Red Chili Peppers (Stop)
1. Race start did not have proper
announcements..few 5K's came
out with marathon runners.
2. No porta facilities..had to cross
fields with high brush and come
back to course.
3. Little 3 oz cups hard to manage
in worst winds they have had since
this race began 24 years ago.
4. Pasta dinner $7.00@ Pasta was
good but only 1 choice creamed
pasta and creamed salad..
Vegetables were good.
Cookies would have been a treat.
5. 10+ of us went off course on our
way back from turn around..man on
bike came out to get us.Little
orange flags not enough direction.
6. Finish before alloted time and asked
women at finish if I won a medal. She
said no about 6 came in before me
in my age group. I thought that was
strange as there were only 87 women
in whole race. When I got home
checked Duke website but 2007 results
were not on yet so I turned to old
faithful marathonguide.com and
results showed I was first in 60-64
female age group. Tried two e-mails
to Duke site..both came back..so I
called Duke -hot line number
and yes the gentlemen said my
medal will be sent to my home.

#42 of my 50 state quest..I have good
feelings of this race..needs more attention to actual race day events.

The race was nicely equipped with stations every mile, however, Gatorade was not an option by mile 20 (and I finished in the top 50!) Unfortunately, there was no food during the whole race, even though the halfway point had advertised this. The temps were great, with the exception of the gale force winds that slowed many runners to a crawl with beautiful, but monotonous scenery along the bike path (you gotta love the gravel shoulder as a soft running surface). The course seems relatively flat, yet you will cross 3 hills twice making miles 13-16 a bit slower pace. Yes, I would recommend this marathon for the small, but enthusiastic crowds of spectators and low key feel. But please, Whole Foods, what about more bagel variety at the end and orange quarters instead of halves?

I have a few complaints about the organization of the race that I feel I must share. But, as I will mention later, the race course is quite wonderful.

When I signed up for the race, I paid the extra $10 to have the packet mailed to me, since I live out of town. Unfortunately, the packet did not include my timing chip but instead a note telling me that I must pick it up 10 minutes before the start of the race. Don't know about you but dealing with a timing chip ten minutes before the start is about the last thing I want to be thinking about.

My wife and daughter signed up later for the half marathon. They picked up there packets from the festival the day before the race. They arrived there about 1.5 hours before it ended and found that most vendors had already left. Plus, they were forced to go through many lines to get all there materials. And, the organizers had run out of shirts. So, they did not receive them.

Out on the course, there were water stations every mile with water and Gatorade. The cups were very small, maybe 2oz cups and they were mostly filled only halfway. This was an out and back so you passed the same water stations on the way back. Some were out of Gatorade when I hit them upon return and I finished ahead of more than half of the runners that did finish. So, conditions may have been worse for later finishers.

On the course, the information packet said there were to be bathrooms at the half marathon turn-around and the marathon turn-around. I never spotted them. The only bathrooms I saw were at the two relay points. And they were well off the trail in the parking lots where the relay runners left their vehicles. More distance then someone who was running the marathon would want to add to their run to use.

At the finish line, the information packet said there would be a bag of goodies from a grocery store. I never saw that and again I finished ahead of more than half that finished. There was water, Gatorade, bagels, bananas and oranges at the finish line.

We stayed at the Doubletree, which is located less than a block from the start-finish. That is very convenient. They were sponsors of the event so I was quite surprised that they would not give us a late check out. They wouldn't even give us an extra hour after check out. Yikes!

But, the race is redeemable because of the course. You run through downtown Albuquerque on Rt 66. Then you run most of the route in the woods, bosque, next to the Rio Grande. That's quite beautiful. You then head on another paved trail going east towards the mountains before turning around and coming back. Out you are running upstream and back you are going downstream, which is a nice way of doing it.

I would consider running the race again for the course but I just hope the organizers get a bit more interested in this race. If they did, I think it has the potential to become a regionally major marathon.