Wow, what can I say. The weather was AWFUL!!!!!!! But the race was fabulous!

As everyone stated previously, the fans were amazing. Hats off to the guy dressed up as the televangelist with the "BELIEVE" sign. You definitely were the best out there!

I keep reading these comments about the hard hills from 21 to 25, and I'm thinking, "Really?" Seriously, they were not that bad. Very slow and gradual. Totally doable.

I have to agree with the comments about the porta-potties. There were definitely not enough. Sadly, I had to stop twice, and each time I did, it cost me about five minutes off my time. And since I'm a woman, I don't exactly have a choice but to wait in line.

The post-race support was great and the food was adequate. I appreciate the simple things, so I was psyched when I saw the rolls!

Overall, no complaints about this race. The weather was terrible but the city, support, and beautiful route more than made up for it! Kudos to Minneapolis!

Pros:
1. The course is as nice as advertised. The lakes and neighborhoods in Minneapolis and St. Paul were pretty, even in the pouring rain. Running over the Mississippi was a cool experience.
2. Crowd support (considering the weather) was phenomenal. I never got tired of hearing: "Goooo!" being shouted with thick Minnesota accents.
3. Volunteers were equally as good. Not only were they friendly, but they were clearly well trained by the organizers. For a runner who only wants to think about running on race day, they really made everything run smoothly.
4. Despite never having visited the cities before, my wife was able to drive around town and see me five times along the course. I can't imagine that this is possible at most urban marathons.
5. I was worried that with only two corrals that slower runners would clog up the front of the starting line. This was not the case at all. From what I could see, everybody in the first corral was very conscientious about starting with similarly paced runners.
6. Finisher's shirt. I usually don't care about this sort of thing, but putting on the dry finisher's shirt after running in the cold rain was heavenly.

Cons (these are very minor and more like constructive criticism):
1. The layout of the receptacles for the warm-up bags made dropping them off pretty chaotic. If they were placed in a long line, or just more spread out, it would have been easier.
2. Getting up to the first corral involved waiting in a slow-moving line that made me get a little panicky about the race starting while I was in line. In the end I was able to make it up there with several minutes to spare.

Breaking my PR by three minutes may be affecting my comments, but after running six marathons in four states, this was among my favorites, despite the rainy weather. This race combines much of the excitement of the mega marathons, especially the fan support, but lacks many of the logistical headaches. This was my first trip to Minnesota and I found the people made the visit and the marathon a great experience.

This was my first marathon and I had a wonderful experience. The logistics of signing up for the race, to picking up my racing bib and chip at the expo the day before the race, to getting situated at the starting line all went extremely smoothly. Despite the pouring rain and 47-degree temperature, there was fan support for the entire length of course. I had an overall wonderful experience and plan on doing it again next year.

This was my 11th TCM and it's a nearly perfect event (recognizing that the weather can't be controlled). However, one area that isn't yet perfected is the pre-race routine. It's so nice to have the concourses of the Metrodome for staying warm and dry before the start; but why must all the runners exit through one set of revolving doors? Pre-race runners are anxious enough without having to navigate a logjam getting from the dome to the starting corral. It seems like it would be simple enough to open up one or two more sets of doors.

Admittedly, this is a pretty minor complaint; but with this event so close to perfection, I'd like to see this issue eliminated. Overall, great job.

Well, apart from the weather, everything was world-class. Such wonderful organization, from the race packet pick up, to the expo, to the great folks who got your baggage only seconds after you got to the claim area. I have run this full many times, but this year I only ran the 10-miler. What can you say about the volunteers who had to stand in the cold and rain for hours? You guys are the best. Thanks to Caribou Coffee at the finish - just what we needed. Thank you to each and every spectator for their help in cheering us to our goal. I think this is without a doubt one of the best marathons in the States. The course is very scenic and challenging for all. Give it a shot, folks; you will love it. Once again, a big thank you to all involved in this great event.

Now this was more like it - a mini-monsoon and most excellent temperatures. This was my 24th consecutive; my best was in '87 a 2:48, and my worst was last year (4:07 - yep, I finally joined THAT club!). This race is really more about the crowds than anything else - they are so very loyal and skilled at what they do and they were so very brave out there in the downpour. I had my first negative-split marathon ever, and I did it against TCM's famous hills.

There was a musician who simply played one note all the time. Others asked him/her why, and the response was, "Others search for the perfect note, but I have found it." TCM is that perfect note. I can't wait for '09 to get my silver marathon in, and please, let's have a 30-degree start for once! Take that, global warming. Oh, and my special shout out for the running pumpkin, whoever she was. I suspect she will make it into the results booklet. And the little "shopping bags" in the tent - what a splendid idea! And the posters were great, definitely new and reasonably priced.

This is was only my second marathon, but I loved it! Sure it rained - no, poured - for 10 miles; it didn't matter. The course was loaded with people every mile. Beautiful course, and not too challenging. Plus, they had everything you need at the end. Well done. I recommend it.

After reading and hearing so much about this one, I flew from DC to do the TCM. I didn't expect this one to be a world-class event, but I was surprised on many fronts: the course and the size of the field were the best-matched in all the 15 marathons I did before. (Think Paris and Chicago runs.) The course was beautiful, clean, and peaceful. Despite running in the rain and jumping over puddles, I noted the amount of green space we passed during the run, and how nice the homes were. The people of TC are SO enthusiastic; they came - young and old, men and women - in the cold standing in pouring rain. The organization - from expo, to packet pickup, to marathon-day events - was seamlessly put together, with numerous volunteers everywhere. The finish line area is so civilized compared with Paris (which I ran in April); transportation buses are very visible, and there was no confusion of any kind. Many, many friendly people. The last 200 yards to the finish were lined with spectators screaming at the top of their lungs. This is truly a relaxing and friendly event, making you feel the heartland's spirit. Hot chicken broth at the finish line was a fine touch after running in the rain and getting soaked for so long.

The only weakness I would say is that it would be nice to have more corporate sponsorships, and maybe they could get us some local beer or hot chili, or just generally a better selection of food!!!

All in all, for this being my fifth marathon this year, I am quite glad I did it, and I would highly recommend this for anyone who wants to have a very good marathon experience without being overwhelmed by huge crowds.

TCM is a great race, as beautiful as advertised. The course is a fair course and the hill from 20-25.5M must be respected. The weather this year was horrible (rain, wind, cold) but everyone had to deal with it. The organization was fantastic, thanks to all of the elite coordinators and volunteers for making this a very memorable event.

This is my first time running the Twin Cities Marathon. I had reservations because of the strict (and unnecessary) no-headphones rule (and I really could have used my music during those last uphill miles!). Still, it was a beautiful, challenging course, which I'd consider doing again in better weather. About an hour or so into the race it began to pour, and with the 45-degree temps, my hands and feet were so cold. I wanted to quit, but the crowds were still out there and they were fantastic. Nice finisher shirt, great volunteers, and starting in Corral 1 eliminated bottle-necking (in my case). Very efficient bag drop and pickup too!