Having ran 16 Marathons and numerous 1/2's. It's nice to have a big marathon offered to you for a great value. For $73 bucks you get a great course, aid stations, shirt and medal. What a bargain. I really like the idea of the small crowds and the fact that you don't have to get up 3 hours early to be shuttled to the starting line- it's a looped course.
Santa Clarita organizers thank you putting on this event.
BL

The organization was great. In spite of bad weather, everyone did their part to make it a great marathon. It wasn't too crowded at all. My only complaints are their were a lot of down and backs, especially in the last half, and alot of the run was on bike paths, which is kind of hard on this old mans knees. Great T-shirt, medal wasn't very good. Overall great marathon.

The organization of the marathon was great. Being able to stay at a hotel within steps of the starting line is outstanding. While there are plenty of periods without spectators, the supporters that were there were very vocal. The course itself is beautiful and fast (except for the overpasses towards the end of the race!). I would suggest this race to anybody looking for a marathon that isn't overcrowded and overpriced. With LA only a short drive away, the race is in a perfect location.

Kudos to Santa Clarita for being well organized, well supported, and for having an increasingly beautiful course every year. The weather cooperated as usual. I have run this race several times, and 2010 was another super experience. It is the best local race going!

The Santa Clarita Marathon is a refreshing break from large marathon scene and is a great example of how an entire small community can pull of such a good event.

Entry Fees: Even if you register late, the entry fee is still substantially lower than other local marathons such as Los Angeles, Long Beach and any Rock and Roll Marathon.

Registration: Registration was easy, and you had the option to register via on-line or paper.

Marathon Expo/Host Hotel: The marathon expo was fairly small but well-organized. It was held at the host hotel, the Hyatt. The marathon start and finish was just outside of the hotel. There was no pre-race pasta meal.

The Starting Area: There seemed to be plenty of porta-potties in the starting area. The lines did not seem that long. The marathoners and half-marathoners started together at the same time, and although the 5K runners also began at the same time, they were on the opposite side of the street and a medium separated them from everyone else. A six-year-old girl sang the national anthem and received a loud round of applause when she finished. As usual, there were some slower runners who felt the need to station themselves near the front of the starting area.

The Course: The course was mostly along bike paths throughout the city. There were a lot of twists and turns, some of them sharp, so at times the course was crowded. The half-marathoners split from the marathoners at the 12.5-mile mark, so the course really opened up for the marathoners after that. Although not an extremely difficult course, the course was at times deceptively challenging due to the rolling hills and numerous 90-, 180- and 360-degree turns. There were plenty of water stations along the way, and porta-potties were available.

Spectators: There were a lot of enthusiastic spectators cheering on the runners throughout the marathon. As we ran through neighborhoods, it seemed that entire communities were out of their houses cheering for us.

Volunteers: The volunteers were very helpful and supportive. They cheered us on as much as the spectators.

The Finish Area: My only complaint of the marathon was the finish area. Once we crossed the finish line, there was not adequate space available for us to recover. Only about 10 yards separated the finish line from the volunteers who placed medals around the finishers' necks. There was no recovery area that separated the finishers from the crowds. We were all mixed in with one another less then 25 yards from the finish line. If bottled water was available, I did not see it.

Recommendation: Although some fine-tuning needs to be done at the finish line, this is a great, small, community marathon that everyone should experience. I will run this one again at some point in the future.

This was my first marathon so I don't have other experiences for comparison but I thought it was fantastic, especially for a first marathon. I live in the area and had a chance to run many parts of the course. It starts on city streets and moves to running/bike paths after about 4 miles. It works well as the mixed marathon/half marathon participants spread out by the time the paths get narrower. The second half of the course is a bit quieter, as fewer than 25% of the people run the full (about 350 this year); however, the aid stations are plentiful (nearly every mile) and well staffed. There is great course staffing and pretty good fan/spectator support throughout. A great "first time" marathon, as it has a small-town feel but is supported as well as any large marathon and is a Boston qualifier. Highly recommended!

The marathoners are fewer than the half and the run is incredibly fun! The sights and terrain are constantly changing to make it go even more quickly. The support from the volunteers and on-lookers is unbeatable. :)

This was a fun little race. The course is flat to undulating with no major hills. It's a fairly fast course, but running up the ramps of the pedestrian bridges that came after mile 25 was challenging. Even so, this was my 10th marathon and my fastest.

It was a luxury to be able to stay warm (and use a real bathroom!) at the Hyatt and then walk out to the start line 10 minutes before the race. Then at the finish you can walk right back to your room again since it finishes near the Hyatt. The expo is also at the Hyatt so the organization and convenience is nice.

As expected at a small race, there are not a lot of spectators. If you need lots of music and cheering, go do a Rock-n-Roll. But the volunteers were superb; they were so enthusiastic! There were lots of kids with boundless energy, and people in costumes. They really helped keep me going.

I would run this race again in a heartbeat.

Having never run this, I wasn't expecting so much. I liked the course because it had a lot of variety of scenery with many changes in direction. The bike trails were ideal. The course volunteers did a great job in directing the runners on this maze. The small-town feel was refreshing. I will do this one again. Great job, Santa Clarita!

I ran the half-marathon. I found the course really nice to run. It was a little hilly and kept twisting and turning so that you never felt like you were just running in a long line to nowhere. It was very well organized. It was fantastic to be able to walk from the Hyatt Valencia to the starting line. Thanks to all of the great volunteers handing out water!