I am disappointed in the city of Fort Worth. The people do not support the marathon, which makes it a long 26.2. The plastic cups have to go and there should be more Powerade and snacks along the course. I am thankful for the 7-Eleven's on the route. No massage tables at the end was disappointing. I will not be returning to Cowtown next year. People should come to the OKC Marathon and see what real hospitality is like!

This marathon didn't seem like it's been around for 27 years.

I completed the 'original' Texas Marathon Challenge which included the Cowtown Marathon. Otherwise, I would have passed it up! Of the 6 marathons I have run in the past 5 months, I would rank them in this order from best to worst...

1. Chicago
2. HP Houston
3. Freescale Austin
4. Dallas White Rock
5. Ft. Worth Cowtown
6. San Antonio

The Cowtown Marathon offered a challenging and scenic route! Fans were lacking! Water bottles - are you kidding me!!! Medal was nice! NO PICTURES? WOW! If this will be your only marathon ever, DO IT SOMEWHERE ELSE (Chicago, Houston)! If you are going to run the original TMC, it is definitely worth running!

Fort Worth is a beautiful place to run, but without crowd support, it makes it a long boring race. Also the fluid stations were not prepared very well. I had to wait several times to get something to drink. Probably will not return.

Plenty of water/Powerade. The volunteers and neighborhood people really came out to support the runners. Lots of energy snacks, cookies, Cliff Shots, and beer to keep the energy going. The hills on miles 5-10 are a challenge. Very challenging race but a lot of fun.

I was not expecting much from this marathon after reading the comments from last year about not having any sports drinks at the fluid stops. And after the first 4 or 5 fluid stations I was just about to get frustrated, because after taking Powerade at the second station, the next three had run out (one of those also ran out of cups for the water), and I was running a 10-minute pace. But after all the half & relay runners turned off the marathon course at about the 9th mile, there was plenty of Powerade, water, cups, food, and very friendly volunteers and cheering fans.

The traffic control was fantastic, thanks to Ft. Worth's finest. Many folks came out of their homes to cheer us on, even in the misty rain. There was even entertainment on the course at several locations, and when the rain started, they just moved inside their garages - nice touch.

I truly had a fun time at this race. The community seems to be very supportive of all the Cowtown events - over 12,000 participated in the marathon, 1/2 marathon, marathon relay, 10K, 5K and 4,700 kids in their own 5K. Six pages of coverage in the Star-Telegraph newspaper.

All the races start & finish within a couple blocks of Sundance Square in downtown. Good chili & other food at the finish; nice finisher's T-shirt. Expo was ok, you could even register the morning of the race. Free parking.

I liked the course. It took us through several nice neighborhoods, parks, past The Colonial golf course, TCU, and finished with a very invigorating uphill 2 mile gradual climb back into town.

Weather was ideal - 45 at start & 50 at finish, with light mist or rain in the second half, which turned heavier as I was finishing.

Good job Cowtown. Get the real chip timing, and a few more cups & volunteers at the early stations, and this will become a five-star marathon.

1. This course has P.R. written all over it. Cool, overcast weather, with rain at the end. Flat course. Great cops and great spectators through a great city.

Beer at mile 21 and heck it was good. Lots of water and Powerade as well as fruit and Oreos and candy.

Great shirts and medals.

The food at the end was off-the-scale fantastic. A cold, rainy finish with hot stew, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, and energy drinks.

If you do not enjoy this marathon, stop running them, it does not get better.

The mildest criticism is that the packet pick-up closed at 6:00 p.m., and that is early for people flying in.

Thank every one of you who put this marathon on and/or assisted in any way.

This was my first marathon so I wouldn't know how to compare it. I loved it and I'm hooked! Can't wait to do more. I'd definitely comeback to Cowtown again. The volunteers were great. Nice food table at the end. Cloudy day with cold rain during the last hour of my race. Not many hills at all.

Fluid aid stations ran out of Powerade during the first half, but this was not a problem after the half-marathoners split off. Would have liked to have been reassured about the number of porta-potties on the course ahead of time. Also didn't see the Tekchip booth at the expo Saturday morning. But no harm done. I will always remember Ft. Worth and my first marathon. I would definitely like to do it again.

The hellathon was 100 times better than last year. Plenty of people offering bananas and other carbs. Plus they had drinks other than water. The people that worked the stations, plus the Ft. Worth Police that worked the intersections were tops. Very friendly. I will definitely run Ft. Worth again.

The comments from last year seem to have been addressed. The course is very nice, wandering through an eclectic array of residential areas, parks, and urban areas. Never a dull moment. Plenty of aid stations. PLEASE, race directors, stop using plastic cups!

The logistics must have been a nightmare, with all the intersections, closing down very busy streets on a Saturday morning, but the organizers pulled it off without a hitch.

Expo was small, but good quality. Innovative chip technology, but no official chip time, since the chip wasn't detected at the start.

Very much worth the visit to Ft. Worth.

Being my 1st marathon, I won't be as critical, nor have a point of reference. It seems like some of the points have been addressed this year.

Water Stations - Powerade offered along with water. Still in plastic cups. Fruits offered last third of marathon course.

Organization - Markers and volunteers made getting off course by mistake almost impossible. Police did a great job allowing runners right-of-way, fans were great.

Port-o-lets - Not many, but were present, particularly in the parks. Main concern was having plenty at the start line before and after the race and it was adequate.

Say I'm looking through rose-colored glasses. Lost 35 lbs. in 8 months - trained in 8 weeks. Don't think this should be compared to major marathons, but some past concerns (Powerade) were addressed. Did not find the 'fat lady' singing towards the end of run - would have been a nice touch.