This was my third start in Hartford ('07, '08, '10), and this was the best of them. The organization continues to improve (not that it was bad to start, but it just keeps getting better). I really liked the changes to the course this year, particularly getting the hills along the riverwalk over early and the fact that now once you finish on the east side of the river, you head right over the bridge and to the finish - that's great. Great fluid station and gel support. The weather sure helped! Also, a good job with getting me the two things I really want at the finish - a banana and a bottle of water, right when I wanted and needed them. Great job. I will run Hartford yet again, I am sure.

This was my 28th marathon and it ranks right up there with one of the best overall marathon experiences that I have had. There were many positive things about this race including: the friendly vibe of the race officials and the volunteers, the helpful guys on bikes handing out Hammer Gel, and the healthy and tasty finish line food. All in all, this was just a great marathon. Temps were slightly warm, right around 60 at the start, but not too bad. Just missed a PR with a 2:54, but this is definitely a fast course with minimal hills and only a few inclines. If you are looking to make some wonderful marathon memories, then this is the race to run!

I thought the changes made to the course really allowed for a more even run, and eliminated any real climbs in the latter portion of the race. The gathering of cheering fans in the final "chute" was great, as were the volunteers all day.

I liked everything about the ING Hartford Marathon, but want to give one warning for those driving into Hartford for the expo. Since the race is on Saturday, the expo is held Thursday and Friday, both normal work days. Traffic going into and out of Hartford, at least in the vicinity of the expo, is horrendous. Don't go near the place any time near the rush hours - you can almost run into Hartford faster than you can drive at those times!

Let me talk about some good things.

1. The race route is well planned and varied. You won't get bored!

2. They had a lot of local musical talent along the course. Fun!

3. The medal is great. Not ostentatious, but the kind you won't mind showing off to your friends.

Beautiful day. Great crowd support. City, volunteers, sponsors - all superlative. Frequent and well placed aid stations with Gatorade, water and gel from bicycles. I saw lots of medical personnel. The start and finish were great. i really, really liked the race. New PR for me, also. FIVE STARS!!

Everything about the marathon was great except one thing. Pacer was horrible - ran way too fast at the beginning and burned me out for the finish. He disappeared after mile 8 and never returned. What a shame. So my time wasn't that good, but everything else about the race was great. Expo was good, with plenty of fluids and nice fan support.

This was my 6th marathon and my smallest (previously ran NYC, Chicago, Berlin), but the race was just as great! The expo is smaller, but was quick and easy to pick up my bib (and a good tech shirt). It was a beautiful course along the Connecticut River and the old farms in South Windsor. A flat course with beautiful fall foliage. Yes, there is a small incline around mile 24-25 on a highway incline, but it truly isn't anything compared to most races - plus you have the final downhill into downtown and Bushnell Park. It's an eco-friendly race. I read some complaints about the fountains at the end, but they give you a great finisher bottle already filled with water! I thought that was great - over 24 ounces of hydration in a souvenir bottle with lots of water ready to go! And there were lots of water and Gatorade stops along the course.

This is the first time I've left comments about a marathon because I really enjoyed the race that much. I didn't know what to expect from a smaller marathon but Hartford, Connecticut delivered a beautiful, fun race.

Despite not making any of my goals, I enjoyed this race. The course, volunteers, and fans were all good. Plenty of water/Gatorade stops and the bike patrollers had gels if you wanted them. The finish was great along with the food and beer garden. The only con I had was the pasta dinner, which was way over-priced for what they gave you. All in all, I recommend this marathon.

It was a beautiful, autumn day in New England, a superb setting for a fall marathon. Volunteers were wonderful and so were the spectators. The course wound through downtown, several suburbs and neighborhoods decorated with pumpkins, and back and forth across the scenic CT River. My only complaints: the course was to be open for 6 hours, but after 5 hours we were told to move to the sidewalks. Aid stations were dismantled and signs taken down. Those at the back (like myself) REALLY need the signs and aid stations and would appreciate the course being open for the stated amount of time. Also, there were several sets of STAIRS in Bushnell Park on the way to the finish line. I've completed 66 marathons and ultras and have never before seen stairs in a race. But other than those two negatives, I thought the race was a lot of fun.

This was my first marathon and I barely BQ'd. I thought the course was great and I liked the out-and-back through South Windsor. Crowd support was a bit lacking in those areas, but it was great in Hartford. Great job with really frequent water and Gatorade stops (I think every mile). Also had bicyclists handing out some gel packs. The course was relatively flat, but did have some hills. The only small problem was that the text alerts and Facebook Connect for the splits didn't work. Other than that, this was great for my first marathon!