I've run big races and little races - everything was exactly as promised and the organization was great! I think they actually had water at more than every mile and I've never been in a race with porta-potties at every mile - even after the half marathon! This allowed for very short lines, if any.

Spectators were wonderful and there was more entertainment than I expected.

This race exceeded my expectations, and I was properly prepared for 28 degrees even coming from south Florida.

Highly recommended and would do it again. Thanks, Race Director!

This was my first half marathon and it was so awesome. The rolling hills and cold weather were very tough, but the spectators and the cause made it all worthwhile. I will be back for more next year.

This was an incredible experience. I was proud to be from Memphis as I ran alongside thousands of others. The course was great - it flew by. Just the right number of turns. Wave start was great because I tend to get excited and start too fast. I needed GU at mile 9 but didn't see it; I will have my own next time. I'll do the full next year!

Good marathon. I enjoyed the course. I wish there were more spectators over the last 2 miles - when I needed it - but it probably would have been embarrassing to have them see my form at that time. They had plenty of water and GU, even though I brought my own. It would be nice if one spectator could go in with a runner to help get food and drink from the runners' food area. Well organized. started on time and ran like clockwork. Thanks, Memphis.

My first time ever in Memphis and I really enjoyed this race and the city.

The race was well organized. I found the water stops at EVERY SINGLE MILE, on the mile, every time, to be wonderful. And each water stop had water, Gatorade and porta-potties.

The fans were great (though mostly only there for the first half) and I've never been thanked so much for running a race. The fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Hospital is a big deal in Memphis.

My only advice to runners would be to pay attention to the camber of the road. Three of us who ran it all found the consistent slope to the right to give us some leg pain by the end. Not bad... but if this is an issue for you, pay attention.

A very enjoyable event... I'd definitely run it again.

I thought the Atlanta Thanksgiving Marathon post-race goodies were the best, with a Coke and a Snickers bar, but I think the beer and Krispy Kreme donuts even have Atlanta beat! Fun course, even though it was cold, this year the support from the crowd was good and kept everyone pumped up - even us in the back of the pack. Wonderful town, too!

The good thing about this one is it's cold at the start but warms up by mile 2. Chip timed. Not really any port-o-potties near the first two corrals. I had to go back by Corral 8-9 to use the bathroom. Other than that, it was great!! Very friendly atmosphere. Nice medal, and nice beer and food after the race! I loved it all!

The course and the organization for this marathon are all right. While there were weak spots, there is really nothing negative to be said.

The course has a lot of rolling hills and long straight sections. There are spots were the road surface is substandard but there is almost nothing the organization can do about that. It is a Saturday race and like the other Saturday races I've done there are the ongoing traffic issues. You race in lanes with cars and trucks going by right next to you. And no matter how many police they have for traffic control, there are the handful of locals who didn't get the word and end up driving through the racers out of their driveways or the smaller side streets. Unique to Memphis, at least in my experience, are the trolley rails that it felt like we crossed a half dozen times. All that said, it was a nice enough mix of neighborhoods, urban parks and downtown.

The organization holds the finish line open for 7.5 hours and insist that all the walkers start in the last corral. Apparently, they have had problems in the past with under trained walkers since their website actively discourages walkers from entering the full marathon.

This was the first race I've done without a significant presence of Team in Training or any of the other common charity marathon groups. This marathon's main charity, St. Jude's Hospital, is a fine organization worthy of all the support it can be given. There is a very real difference of how they and Team in Training support their racers out on the course. This race had the fewest spectators I've ever seen and it made the absence of the TnT supporters really obvious. I commented to others that the only way they could have had any fewer spectators would be to order an evacuation of the city.

From the expo to the finish, the St. Jude Memphis Marathon was a great marathon experience. Here are my observations on each category:

Course: While this was my first visit to the city, I felt the course was well designed to show us a good cross-section of Memphis. We spent a good amount of time in the downtown area, including a beautiful view of the Mississippi riverfront area as well as some of the great landmarks. We also saw nice residential areas as well as the zoo. I would add that I found the course to be a bit hillier than I expected... nothing too daunting, but they did keep coming. My one observation in terms of improvement would be mile markers. According to my Garmin, mile 20 measured 1.2 and mile 21 clocked in at 0.8. I think the others were pretty right on. But that was a small item in a really nice course.

Organization: Great, from the packet pick-up and expo to the finish at Autozone Park. As a big baseball fan, I thought it was awesome to be able to use the AAA Cardinals clubhouse at the park to shower and change after the race. My only suggestion on organization is that they put the clothing drop at the start line rather than the finish. It kind of defeats the purpose of a gear drop to have it 3 or 4 blocks from the start. Having the start at FedEX Forum was a great plus... plenty of heat and bathrooms.

Spectators: I felt the city really came out... lots of fans were scattered along the course. The aid stations were great as well, and I greatly enjoyed the music that was plentiful along the route. All those young people dressed up like various pieces of fruit - appearing several times - kept it interesting. And Elvis was in good supply as well. Even got my picture taken with him at the end.

All in all, Memphis is a great race for a great cause... running past the hospital at mile 25 was far more emotional than I expected.

Good job, Memphis.

The volunteers were great. Where there were supporters, they were fantastic - where else can you hear people yelling, "Thank y'all for runnin!"? I thought the course was pretty dull - the part through downtown is interesting, but then there are long dreary empty stretches after the half-marathoners split off. The soup at the end was the best thing ever!!!