My only complaint was the course distance and the mile markers being significantly off (initially overestimating the distance, and after the half the mile markers were underestimating the distance covered). My Garmin registered 26.43 miles from the point I crossed the start line until I crossed the finish line. The first mile marker was overestimating the distance by about .12 of a mile. I am not aware of the criteria that need to be met to label a course as certified, but to be over by 400 meters is pretty alarming in my book. To the race director, please get this course distance right for the sake of those not wanting to run more than needed to complete the race....

Other than that, the course was very scenic and I had a pleasant experience overall. I could only imagine what the course would be like if this race were held during foliage season. The volunteers were phenomenal!

I've run this marathon twice (2007 and 2008), each time in beautiful sunny weather. Other than the first and last one and a half miles (downhill/uphill), the course is completely flat. There are long stretches without water (or people). But when you come upon intersections across the old rail siding the course runs along, they are full of people cheering enthusiastically and offering water and Gatorade, and sometimes gels and fruit.

On a nice day, this marathon is beautiful. You run through trees nearly the entire way on a flat, slightly hard, path. It's also not crowded and there are a fair number of dedicated, die-hard marathoners. The organization is very good.

The first one and a half miles are fast since they're downhill. So the final one and a half miles are very tough - uphill until the finish. Save a little energy for this part - lots of people bonk here and end up walking.

This marathon is a treat. A perfect late fall marathon.

I had wanted to do this race for years, but I'm usually out of town for Thanksgiving or recovering from another November marathon. Several things appealed to me, including the soft surface, low-key atmosphere, and the "fast" course.

I thought the 1.75 miles of winding uphill INTO TRAFFIC at the end were some of the most difficult hills I'd done in a marathon-- and I've done many marathons. I'm shocked that people run PRs on that course, but it happens. I definitely went out too fast, but I don't think I could have BQ'd on that course under any circumstances.

I thought the organization was great, although we could have used another couple of water stops. I think the organizers figured that water every three miles was sufficient due to the always-cool weather.

I loved being able to wait in the school gym at the beginning--I'm all about keeping warm while waiting. The National Anthem was even sung indoors.

Well organized race, with water stops just when you need them. I didn't have gels with me and I was offered some to use during the race. Shirt was nice. Very scenic run. You have to be okay with running solo at times. Runners I talked with during the race were great, as well as the volunteers and spectators at the water stops. Would recommend it to other runners.

Course:
I give it a 25/26. It featured 25 of the most scenic miles I have ever run, but that last one is a killer. And I'm not complaining about the hill (fair is fair - what goes down...). The last mile was just plain dangerous, with no shoulder to run on and traffic going both ways. Way too busy for a tired marathoner to have to deal with.

Organization:
Small water stop issues (missed 2 late ones) but volunteers meant well. Simple solution is to have an "extra table" after the volunteers for us to pick up our own. Not a big deal.

Spectators:
Personally, I don't need them. Not on a course like that. The volunteers at road crossings were enough, and offered great support.

Overall, a GREAT experience!

Great marathon for those who enjoy nature, as most of this run winds along the Gunpowder River and the state park forest that accompanies it. Flat and fast, so if you have your mileage in, you should be pleased with your time. The dirt/packed stone surface is more forgiving than asphalt and results in less muscle soreness. Nice having a warm elementary school for the start and finish as the temperature range was about 38 to 48 for start to finish. There are a few challenging hills in the last 1.5 miles, but they're not as bad as some posts make them out to be! Organization was great and the volunteers were very enthusiastic. One warning though: if you like the crowds and excitement and support that come with the large marathons, you won't find it here, mainly because there isn't enough room. Be prepared for some self-motivation!

I have run many marathons and three that were a rails to trails course that are pretty flat. I train and run in a hilly part of the country and most of my marathons have some hills. Hills help change the muscles you are using. The first two miles being generally downhill creates an effort to keep from going out too fast, especially on a nice cool morning like we had - 40-ish.

The next 22-23 miles are flat - 1 to 2% doesn't create a change in the muscle use. By mile 23 my legs were dead. Then the last mile and a half is a fairly steep grade in places.

The spectators were great where there were some. Usually the only place you saw them was at major road crossings. Some of the road crossings were minor roads and enough room to set up a water table but no parking to attract spectators.

The volunteers were fabulous! What can you say about folks that are willing to give up several hours on a Saturday to freeze while they are standing around waiting to hand out some water? My thanks to them; they treated us runners well! That also helps with race management.

The course is beautiful and I used that to help me through some of the flat. If the leaves were still on the trees, it may have been too boring - green tunnels are not very friendly so it is a good thing to have it after the color change!

I just returned from Sparks, Maryland and wanted to contribute.

Course: I give the course 25/26 - the first 25 miles were as good as it gets. I didn't notice the slight uphill from 9-13.5, but it definitely felt good coming back "down." Beautiful, scenic course for 25 miles. My problem with the last mile has nothing to do with the climb (fair is fair - it all balances out); rather, my complaint is the narrow road with no shoulder, and that there are too many cars (considering the fatigue). Too dangerous. (I appreciate the convenience of having the start/finish at the same spot, but Belfast is too narrow.) The first 25 miles are BEAUTIFUL.)

Organization: Great, although some water stations only had one person on each side handing water (compared to 2 or 3 handing Gatorade). Once you choose a side you are down to 1 person handing out water. Twice (late in the race) I missed water because the person ahead of me took one and the volunteer scrambled to get another. This was frustrating because I always call out, "Water" as I approach. All of the Gatorade people say, "It's next" or "at the end," but then only one person on each side had any. I will take some of the blame for this, as I am not willing to stop, walk, or wait as I am always running for a time goal. Having some extra sitting on a table just past the volunteers is a simple solution. Also, a small detail that the water was always in plain cups and the Gatorade in green cups was nice.

Spectators: Personally, I don't need them. The course marshals and volunteers are all I need and they were all supportive and vocal - great job. It was a perfect balance of solitude and spectators at the road crossings. And the maps that were provided for spectators/support/family to catch at the various crossings were EXCELLENT.

Overall: a GREAT experience!

Small marathon (c. 400 people). Scenic, pretty, riverside, course - mostly flat, tree-laden. About 22 miles go along rail-to-trail surface, with fairly smooth, compacted gravel. Asphalt descent in miles 1-2 to begin race winds up being preposterous climb in miles 25-26. One guy who won his age group and qualified for Boston said he had to walk much of end. Still a fast race, nevertheless. Few spectators, yet those there were enthusiastic. Bizarre spacing of drink stations. Supposed to be every couple of miles in each direction of out-and-back. But there were several instances of multiple stops in same mile, then none for roughly 3 miles. It didn't affect me much, but it could bother thirsty types.

Vehicular traffic being stopped was moot. I only saw about four cars at intersections the whole race (but the cars indeed were stopped). The bigger issue is abundant use of the trail by locals for running, walking, bicycling, dog-walking (even horseback riding). It made for especially tight constrictions at confluence of where elites were returning on miles 14-16 of course, where regular runners were heading out on miles 11-14, where slow relay folks in 2nd half were buzzing along in same vicinity, and where everyone needed to merge with aforementioned locals (and their animals) on the path. Maybe the organizer could find way of getting the trail closed for half of Saturday. Otherwise, this was a high-quality event.

I decided rather last minute to give this marathon a try since it fell over the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm so glad that I did! The marathon was very well organized and on a very scenic trail. The course was easy to follow and well supported. The trail was made of packed dirt and gravel, and was very nice! There were supporters at the aid stations. The marathon started at a local elementary school that was open to allow runners a warm place to wait and find bathrooms. The technical shirt was nice and the medal was good. It was simply a great experience. I recommend it!