I'm an Atlanta resident and have done seven marathons but have only run the half in my hometown, mainly because Thanksgiving Day is not the best day for me to do a full marathon. I don't mind that the half is no-frills but I do not understand why they do not have a chip mat at the start of the half; that seems to defeat the purpose of a timing chip. In 2004, since there was no chip mat, and the starting line scaffolding got stolen or either blown down by high winds that day, I have no idea what my real net time was. Overall, I do like the half a lot. It is popular among local runners. The weather can be a wild card. I've run the race in rain, sunny and warm, and cold and windy (such as this year). The expo is great and doesn't get overcrowded like some of the mega-marathons. Oh, and if you want to be sure you get a medium t-shirt, go to the expo on Tuesday because they usually run out of them on Wednesday.

Background: First-timer. Do the P'tree 10K every year. Did the Atlanta 1/2 in 2001 (~1:45). Ate potato chips in 2002-3. Followed Higdon's Marathon program for novice, nearly to the 'T', mostly around Grant Park; up Peachtree and Piedmont for long runs = hilly. Was strongly discouraged from ATL b/c poorly attended, limited fans and fanfare, hills, and
cold.

Marathon: Terrific. Wonderful experience. Good views of downtown, midtown, Buckhead, Lenox/Phipps, BFE, back through Buckhead, midtown, downtown and olympic rings. Easy parking at start. Tough course, I suppose, but training on it = good psychological boost for final 6 uphill miles. I recommend hills in training. Passed many walkers on last hills. More food at finish would have been nice.

Caveats: 1st-timer, so nothing against which to compare. Goal was to finish so ran slowly: 1:59 going out, 1:57 coming in.

I am a resident of Atlanta and have run 10 consecutive half marathons on Thanksgiving morning. I once considered this race Atlanta's premier running event (far better than the 10K Peachtree). However, I have now run marathons and half marathons in other cities and realize that the Atlanta Track Club does not provide the support that is now considered the standard for half and full marathons. For example, the post-race 'party' consists of two candy bars. There is no live entertainment. There no is shuttle service back to the start where most runners have parked. One must rely on public transportation. There is no medal or finisher's shirt for the half. There are absolutely no spectators except for a few miles in Buckhead. Live music along the course is also very sparse. I will continue to run the half because I enjoy the course, which is scenic and challenging. However, the Atlanta Track Club should realize that their management of the half marathon has not changed in over a decade. As a result, the half is a now a second-rate event when compared to the standards set by other races in this decade of running.

I expected the course to be more challenging than it was. The hills were not too terrible as long as you train on hills. I didn't feel like I needed crowd support until the end but it still was fine. I enjoyed seeing the city while running which made up for the lack of spectators. One comment I received from a volunteer was, 'You only have nine more miles!' NO! Please don't say that! Of course he did not know that a comment like that can mess with your head. Thanks!

Having just completed the full Dublin Marathon and living in Atlanta, I decided to do the half for the first time this year. No jokes, this is a really tough course. Yeah, the hills are pretty brutal. It encompasses the typical hills from the P'tree RR, but I never realized how hilly downtown was! Also, the wind was really stiff. Overall, though, I would say that the half is a really fun experience, as the course takes you through Buckhead and through downtown. Running under the Olympic rings is a nice novelty (if you are in a good enough mood to take it in).

I agree with earlier posts that the Powerade is way too diluted. Fortunately the last cup I got was pretty thick for that last boost of energy. I was pleasantly surprised by the # of spectators, as I did not expect any. I highly recommend leaving some warm clothes in a bag to have transported to the finish, as I was freezing my arse off during the walk to the Marta station in the cold. I agree that more food and maybe ample bottles of water would be nice at the end.

All in all, it's a good half, but make sure you line up in the front if you want your published time to be even remotely accurate (although they use chips for the race, they only record your 'gun' time).

I've run the full marathon three times and the half more Thanksgivings than I can count. I'd like clear up a couple of things stated by earlier posters:

There are different T-shirts for the half and full marathon finishers. There is a chip mat at the start of the full marathon, but not at the start of the half. The full marathon is a tough course with a six-hour time limit. I'd not recommend it as a first marathon nor to anyone looking for a 'rock and roll' experience. The half marathon is one of the largest in the country and has more of a party atmosphere.

There are plenty of volunteers and portos on the course but no food on the course and very little at the end. This year (I ran the half) they even omitted the dried fruit; all I got was a candy bar, a package of crackers and some nuts. There was plenty of Powerade and water, as well as Coca-Cola products at the finish. Although most of us are going to eat a big meal later Thanksgiving Day, they need to give more food (maybe fruit) for the long ride home.

We were lucky: there was no rain!!! Ok, it was a little bit cold, and windy, but we could have rain too. I really want to thank every person (organizers, volunteers and spectators) who agreed to freeze with us that morning. Indeed we froze for the time needed for the turkey to be cooked. So mine was well cooked, because I ran slow the second half.

This is my first marathon. I started running three months ago, and I had only one goal: run and finish a marathon. I did it but, men, the second half was difficult, and the last quarter a nightmare. Each step was like a sword in my legs. But each step was a new performance for me, because I only ran a maximum of 14 miles before).

Maybe the most painful experience of my life, but as I am crazy, I would like to run another marathon in 2005!!

Having trained really hard for this marathon during the summer only to have it ruined by the cold temps and strong winds that accompanied it, I have no choice but to write it off as a training run that taxed my system beyond what I anticipated. The hills in this course was absolutely amazing with the last six miles being the most grueling experience I have ever encountered. The first 20 miles I had under control, but everything after that was a complete nightmare, and as I said before the conditions were not perfect. Overall it was tough to finish, and the most insane thing about all of this is that I am looking forward to running it again next year.

I ran the half-marathon with a friend just for fun. We parked at Turner Field and took a packed MARTA to the start, where there were ample porta-potties. The course was a little hilly, but not overly challenging. There were plenty of well-staffed water/sport drink stops (only the last stop had undiluted sport drink). Decent amount of spectators and lots of course monitors.

My one complaint (and the reason I gave organization 2 stars) was package pick-up. It's really only set up for people who live in Atlanta or are actually staying there for the holiday. I live out of town and had to brave rush hour/holiday traffic. I almost didn't make it in time. This really discourages participation from runners in other parts of the state. I wish there were an option to pick up your packet on the weekend before the race.

My whole family participated in this run in Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day. It was a fantastic experience. My wife & daughter ran the half marathon while my son & I ran the full marathon. Both races were well organized with plenty of volunteers and plenty of water stations. It was a hilly course but not as bad as I had expected. Hats off to those who organized and worked this race!!!