This was a great race. Well-organized, convenient race day parking, and the best spectators I have ever seen. Course was interesting and I got to see parts of Memphis I would have never seen any other way. Only course complaints are that running through the park was a little crowded and the camber of the roads was a little rough; but those are very minor issues. Perfect weather made it even better.

Great race, great organization, great cause. This being my first race, I was more than impressed with all of the assistance and drink stations. The support from the spectators was unbelievable, and the signs of "thank you" were great. I remember one little boy with a sign that said, "Thanks for helping my brother." It made my tired legs not so tired anymore. I thought running into the stadium made you feel big-time. We will be back in '09. My goal for that race is a full marathon.

Memphis is the poster child marathon for all middle-sized marathons. It's not Chicago or New York, but then again, nothing compares to those. For the 1,000-5,000-participant races, Memphis is A+. the finish is the highlight of the day (you must try and eat the food). And by the way, I am the guy who made a big deal about my Garmin 305 watch being way off in 2007. Interestingly, they redid a couple portions of the race course in 2008, and this year my Garmin showed .6 less distance. Problem fixed. :) Great job to all race organizers and volunteers. You are rock stars in a town that is "all shook up." :)

St. Jude's is a very well run marathon. About the only con I can list is the constant rolling hills. I was running for a PR, and while there are no big hills, there are a lot of small ones. I will not try for a PR on this course in the future.

St. Jude's has the most water stops that I have ever seen at a marathon. Water and PowerAde at every mile. WOW. I didn't need it every mile, but it is nice to pick and choose when you want it. Gel was available at least 3 times that I saw, but it's always a good idea to carry your own if you are counting on it.

The finish line/area is the best I have seen at any marathon. I like the splitting of the half and full runners to separate finish lines and areas with their own food.

It's also nice to finish in the stadium so you can sit in the seats while loading up on beer and pizza.

Beer at the finish is always a plus.

The volunteers were first rate. Lots of noise and encouragement at the water stops. Good fan support for a race of only 3,000. I don't know if there were bands/music every mile but it sure seemed like it.

It helped that the weather was good, despite the bit of headwind at the end, but of course, that is beyond the director's control. The last report I heard before hitting the starting line was 30 degrees. Not sure what it was at the finish, but not much warmer.

I would run this one again.

I think the organization of the event was probably the most impressive part. Running a close second was the support and enthusiasm for this event. Even a friend I brought along, who isn't in the running community, said he felt like running due to the emotional high he felt. There were some sketchy portions of the race, mostly potholes and speed-bumps. The high-incline turn towards the end was NOT appreciated. However, the run downhill and into the stadium more than makes up for it! Great post-race reception and abundant quantities of food/drink. Memphis really turns out for this; it seemed as though half the city was on the streets freezing their tails off to cheer us on. Thanks Memphis/St. Jude for a spectacular first marathon experience!

For a first-time half-marathon participant, the course was perfect! Mile 9 was somewhat slow and boring, but the finish made up for it. Volunteer support was great and the Memphis Police Dept. did an EXCELLENT job!!!!! While I had expected more crowd support, the folks near mile 7 that offered snacks were a special treat. Only change I would suggest: names on bibs.

Memphis is the best marathon. Water stops and split times every mile make the miles fly. The fans are great - parents of St. Judes Children are out in full support thanking runners. This marathon tops Chicago, Marine Corp, and Nashville; it's a must-do.

I want to love this marathon because this is my home town, but I actually do not like the course. The first half is great - nice course, great crowds. But for those of us who have to press on, it is at times desolate with a lot of uneven roads and pretty thin crowds. If it weren't for St. Jude Hospital itself, I probably wouldn't choose to run again.

This was my second marathon in 2008, and I improved my time by a significant amount. I appreciated all of the fan support downtown and along the outer reaches of the course. I like the size of the race - some have gotten way too big. I loved seeing posters of some of the St. Jude kids along the course and hearing people yell, "Thanks for running for our children." Wow, if that is not a great reason to do your best, I am not sure what else can motivate a person. The last .5-mile of the course was too technical for me - ramps, 180-degree turns, etc. You had to really do some thinking to understand and process all of the directions... not what I want to do at the end of 26 miles. Otherwise I had a great time.

I ran the half last year, and after running that, I realized that I wanted to do the full. This year they had a limit on the sign-ups, and that was good, as it kept a small field.

The start is in waves and everything went fine. Last year it took me only 7 minutes to cross; this year, 11 minutes.

The miles flew by. This year they allowed St. Jude Heroes to have their families sign up for alerts when they cross certain areas of the course.

The course isn't pancake flat, but the hills are not that hard to tackle. The majority of them are the overpasses to go over I-240. The course support is great because each mile has a time AND water, plus PowerAde. Even hours after the end, the stations still had plenty of each.

We ran by St. Jude itself, then down the tree-lined N. Parkway. We turned into Overton Park, which was a nice distraction from the straight-away of N. Parkway.

After Mile 12.5, the half-marathoners split off and the course gets more bare. After Mile 14, it's another long, straight stretch heading east. Little crowd support again, but by that time you're not really thinking of anything but putting one foot in front of the other.

E. Parkway was busy with traffic, but they did have one lane strictly for runners. I did get nearly run over by a car when a runner decided to play cop and try to let him go through without looking behind him for other runners first.

In the last .2 miles, there's a hard climb up a ramp for a downward finish into the stadium and that is the best part. The finish in the stadium!! So much fun!

By the time I was done with my marathon (nearly 5 hours later), the pizza was cold, donuts were low on numbers, and the massage area was cut off. So that wasn't fun to find out.

Otherwise, though, I would do it again, with maybe a flatter marathon before it to see if I could get a faster time.