I really enjoyed this marathon. I was able to park on the school's campus, which allowed for easy access to enter and leave. Although the weather was kind of humid, the course was great. It was flat and very scenic. The water stops were about every two miles, just as advertised. The one downside was that there really needed to be more port-a-lets at the water stops. They were spread out about 4 miles apart and then when you saw one, there was only one and so you ended up waiting. The water stops were adequate. Will certainly run this one again.

To me, compared to the 2006 edition, the 2007 edition of the Jacksonville Marathon was a nice improvement. From start to finish, organization was much improved: police organization of traffic on the course seemed more logical this year, volunteers were well coordinated and aid stations were well stocked with supplies, and pre-race organization went well.

They could probably still use an additional portable toilet at each of the stops in the first and last six miles. It's probably still best for finishers looking to finish in under 5 hours; course support begins to become very sparse and they again started to run out of food at that point. But, in the end, this was a well-run marathon and I look forward to seeing this year's improvements continue and expanded upon in future years.

It was a nice, flat race course with some beautiful neighborhoods and homes along the way. The number of spectators were limited, but the ones that were there were friendly and having fun urging the runners on. The cones were not always really clear about which side of the road we should be running on, and the motorcycle cops did a good job for the most part, but they were leading many cars down a single lane and they often pushed us to the wrong side of the street, resulting in some net longer mileage - and 2-3 times the misdirection by the police had us running on the same side of the road and directly at other runners headed in the opposite direction. The water stations were plentiful and well-stocked; however, the tables weren't spread out enough to allow volunteers to spread far enough apart for easy delivery. This often caused a slight delay and added congestion that I typically have not encountered at marathons of this size. Of course the weather can go either way and today it was moderate at the start and improved with breezes and a drop in temperature thanks to a cold front moving in. The finish area on the track at the school stadium was a nice touch and being able to recline and recover on the football field was cool as well. I would do this race again and I will be recommending it to friends.

If you want to walk a 1/2 marathon, this is the one for you. Course is totally flat, mostly shaded; parking is there if you arrive about an hour before race time. Course is out/back and if you walk, the marathoners will be passing you the last several miles. You will need to make sure to stay out of their way. (Many thanks to all the runners who had something nice/encouraging to say in passing.) Food at the finish line is adequate. However, just like last year, there need to be double the number of water stations and port-a-johns along the course. Also, need better management of traffic on the neighborhood streets after the 2nd hour into the race.

Will walk this race again.

My wife dropped me off at the starting area 45 minutes before the gun, so I had no trouble accessing the place. The run along San José Avenue wasn't pretty, but the rest of the residential course was pleasant (for a largely out-and-back course). It wasn't crowded at the finish line, and my wife was able to get into the chute to take pictures. The organizers also provided a good map with very helpful tips on where friends/family could stand to watch their runners on the way out or the way back in. I might suggest to the organizers - if they're reading this - to start the half-marathoners five minutes ahead of the full marathoners in order to spread out the field. It was a tad crowded in the early miles. I appreciated the shadiness of the course, as the temps got into the 70s. However, my GPS didn't like all that blockage from the satellites and struggled to pull in signals. (The last six miles, my Garmin simply gave up tracking anything but elapsed time.) All in all, a nice experience. Very different from the mega-races that are Chicago, NYC, or Boston. A favorite moment along the course: seeing the spectator with the hand-made sign saying, "Toenails are for WIMPS!" :-)

I PR'd, so for me, Jacksonville was a great running experience. The course is flat, so if you're looking for a good course to prep for the real hilly ones, choose another race. Course is scenic and relatively shaded except for the final 3-4 miles. NEGATIVE: The course was re-opened to traffic earlier than advertised, forcing me to the sidewalks at mile 14 - and I was well under the course pace time advertised by race officials. The "expo" was a packet pick-up at a very small sports store with little or no marathon specials. Also, bus line to the start at the Embassy Suites was ridiculous, so I hopped in my car.

After reading all of the comments from the previous years, I was a little aprehensive about running this marathon. My experience was not half as bad as I was led to believe it was going to be. The course was 90 percent shaded and was very flat. The crowd support wasn't as bad as some have made it out to be. Running a marathon requires a little bit of individualism anyway. I don't need people cheering me on the whole route. The main problem that I encountered was waiting on buses that were supposed to pick us up a couple of miles from the start. We were told that a couple of drivers did not show up. I ended up waiting until about 30 minutes before the start of the race and took a chance on finding a parking spot closer to the race. Everything worked out fine. I loved the idea of finishing on the track at the stadium. The restrooms were adequate. There was no waiting in line for guys but can't say the same for the ladies. If for some reason I am stupid enough to ever do another marathon, I suppose I wouldn't mind doing this one again.

I ran this marathon in 2003, and all the things that were a problem were taken care of this time. The marathoners turned around at mile 7. In 2003 they ran halfway with us. They had enough people working the water stations this time. There was no problem with the traffic this time and your clothes were place according to your number this time. Hard to believe a course this long is this flat. Having your name and hometown called out on the p.a. system when you are finishing makes you know it is all worth it. I don't ever notice crowd support and I don't care about a large expo. I love to get out there and run. If you are like that, then get ready to PR and have a good chance at qualifying for Boston.

I have never met a more social group of runners in any marathon.

This course is flat and definitely PR-friendly... actually, more flat than PR-friendly, as this was my 4th marathon in 4 weeks. A bit warm and very humid, but I wouldn't ask for anything different for a Florida-style marathon.

The aid stations had very spirited folks, but the best support came from the runners themselves. Even passing cars lent their support.

The race shirts are definitely original (different color) and well appreciated.

Race organization could be organized a little better to facilitate a faster packet pick-up. The aid stations were well dispersed, but I wish they had food (i.e. fruit, salt, sugar, etc... and where was the beer?!). I was soooo hungry along the course as the gel packs came a little late for me. I would like to see more food and definitely more port-o-johns along the course.

I would definitely come back and run with the great folks of Jacksonville.

What is good: The course is very flat, as advertised, and the shade helps greatly. There is little traffic to contend with on most of the route. Fairly scenic, especially if you like residential streets lined with oak trees with Spanish moss. If you like a course with absolutely no hills, then you could run fast here.

What is not good: There really should be aid stations every mile. The weather was warm this year and if you skip an aid station, then 4 miles is too far to go without water.

There are too few port-a-johns. The out-and-back course makes use of the limited facilities twice over - once as you go out and again when you come back. This means that both the runners coming from and approaching the 1/2 way turnaround share the same limited facilities. If there is a line I will always find a more convenient place to take care of business. An urban race of this size really needs to add more toilets or risk having runners use the homeowners' bushes.

The race t-shirt was billed as being of technical material, but it was really a 70% cotton blend. This is a minor complaint, but they need deliver on what they advertised.

Other things to consider: As mentioned before, the city does not support this race. There were very few spectators watching and cheering. So if you like to have crowd support or want to experience the excitement of a larger marathon, there are much better marathons out there.

Overall: This is a very flat course, with minimal race support on what has the possibility of being a hot and humid day. If you want to run fast and can be ready for warm race-day temps, then consider it. If you are running a marathon for the first time or want to pick out a special race for fun, then you could find a lot more exciting races than Jacksonville.