If you are looking for an Alabama marathon and are capable of running a sub-6:00 marathon without headphones, this is the one to do. I stayed at the Holiday Inn, which meant I could sleep in, meet up with people in my hotel lobby and amble out into the cold a mere 15 minutes before race start. The course is billed as being 'flat,' but there are a number of gently rolling hills that keep things interesting. Nothing too major. My husband came out to cheer and said it was the best race for spectating. He was able to find me on the course 5 times. The finish line was perfect. A handler greeted me, engaged me in conversation and escorted me to the hotel ballroom entrance while handing me my medal and finisher's hat. A great way to make sure everyone is in good health and relatively lucid at the finish. The food offerings were wonderful ('schmeared'-on-demand bagels, hot soup, Moon Pies and ice cream sandwiches in addition to apples and bananas), and free massages were offered. I plan to make this a yearly event!

The course is certainly flat for hilly northern Alabama. Course starts downtown and runs through attractive residential neighborhoods. Spectators were few in number, but the friendliest I have seen. Everything was professional and well organized. Clocks seem to be all over the course. You are informed of your splits many times. Although not a problem for me, headphones are prohibited and will result in disqualification.

I ran this in 2009. I'm posting now for anyone planning their fall/winter schedule. All the good things you read about this one are true - Swiss watch organization and easy-peazy logistics. If you can, get a room at the Embassy Suites - it's a 2-minute walk to the start/finish (no need for porta-john lines!!). The course is not scenic, and the weather iffy, but if my experience was typical, that's offset by the perfect size of this full marathon-only event. It's big enough to feel like an event but never too crowded or overrun with halfers. Swag-wise, the finisher cap is a great perk. The only drawback of my year was a very, very poor medal that was totally unreadable (navy blue letters on black - why?). But I think they got enough blowback on that to fix it last year.

Great late-season race on a mostly residential, PR course. Professional organization and outstanding hospitality from the RD and team. The $50 fee was a real value considering nothing was done on the cheap - we got a Nike, long-sleeve, technical, finisher hat, a picture and certificate mailed to our houses, a great medal, and all of the normal stuff from a typical big-city marathon.

Not sure why an iPod results in disqualification considering participants are paying money to run, but it's a minor issue.

This is my second time to run this marathon. The organization was not as good this year but it's still better than most races. The course is flat for Alabama but quite boring; but I guess you cannot always have it both ways. It is a good thing for me to have pace teams and I'm glad that they have added them. They need to make sure they have good pacers because I beat the 3:20 pacer by at least 5 minutes and ran a 3:32.

Overall, I would still run this race again because it is one of the few marathons that you can race that is only a marathon. It creates a unique atmosphere when everyone is running 26.2 miles.

This was my 18th marathon. I liked almost everything about it, EXCEPT the most important thing to me... no iPods! Many races have the typical no-iPod rule stated, but very few enforce it. Had I known before registering, I would have NEVER signed up for a no-iPod race. It wasn't until 7-10 days out that they started to make it known that the no-iPod rule would be enforced.

The course is great for PRs, but not very scenic - just average, in my opinion.

Other than the above complaints (and the scenery really wasn't a complaint, just an observation), EVERYTHING else about the race was super. It's a great PR course, and we had PR weather. The race had the convenience of a small race; it was very organized, and the post-race stuff was great. The host hotel was adequate and convenient, and we got great shirts and a nice hat, etc. This is a racer's race, which I love, except that I'm an iPod racer.

This is a race I would attend often if the iPod ban is lifted. So if you are a purist runner, and don't run with an iPod, it's highly recommended.

The attention to detail of the race organizers was outstanding. We flew in at 5:00 p.m. the day before the race, easily made the expo and pasta dinner, and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on University Drive. They opened the breakfast early at 5:00 a.m., gave us a 2 p.m. checkout and you could "buy" a later checkout up to 5 p.m. for 20 bucks! Back to the airport after the race for a 5:00 p.m. flight and slept in my own bed that night by midnight. Easiest in and out yet in my 8 marathons.

The lack of a half marathon at the same time makes it so much less crowded getting in, parking, racing, snarfing down the great food at the end and leaving.

There are lots of turns, but that did not seem so bad. My Garmin did measure it way long, 26.54 miles, and I could hear everyone else's clicking off the early miles too. It has measured other marathons long, but not that long. Maybe I am not running the turns correctly.

Another water stop or two would be really nice late in the race, The average 2.4 miles between aid stations was the longest I have seen.

Hard to criticize it, though, as it is a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone.

Good event; good winter marathon option. I wish the organizers and community would embrace the out-of-town element a little more. Good course - well-patrolled. Great dinner and speaker the night before. Very handy if you are staying downtown.

Since I've joined the 50 State Club, I've seen my share of marathons - and this is really one of the best. It was my first many years ago, and though the race directors have changed, they continue to learn and make it better for the runners. I've done the big ones (Boston, Marine Corps, etc.) and the small ones (LYTR {LA}, Ridge Runners {WV}, Grandfather {NC}) and I'd put RC in with the organization of the big ones and the home-town "feel" of the small ones. It is really a great race. The weather can be a little tricky, but hey, it's December in Alabama. I recommend this run to everyone.

If you are even considering running this marathon, then DO IT. There is only a marathon option, there are pace groups for almost any time you need, the course will get you a PR, there's easy access to start/finish, you can stay inside the host hotel lobby until the start, and local hotels were very accommodating (early breakfast and late check outs).

The course is almost flat, with several turns. Not much to see but well monitored at EVERY intersection.

Perks you don't get other places: Tech shirt and hat, finisher photo, and plenty of food (soup, fruit, bagels, Moonpies) inside of the hotel with seating at the finish.