I was a little concerned when I read about the hills. This isn't a flat course, but I think it is best described as rolling. Wow, was it windy! Volunteers were very enthusiastic and supportive. I ended up walking to the medical tent due to the low blood sugar dizzies. The medical staff was excellent and Bobby Joe was an angel in disguise, even coming up with chicken soup for my electrolyte depleted soul. I broke 4 hours and am still smiling. Thank you to everyone for a great marathon experience!

I may be partial to the Cowtown since I'm a Fort Worth native, but it's a fun race. The race had approximately 1,000 marathoners, which is a nice change from larger marathons. The course is fast, with rolling hills, and is a great intro to a great city. The only issue was the water stops early in the race were a little overwhelmed with both the marathoners and half folks hitting at the same time. After they split up, it was great. Crowd support, while not everywhere, was great - including fun music, yelling kids, helpful ROTC folks, and firefighters. Thanks for a fun race, and I plan on running again next year. By the way, I ran a PR, beating my time in Austin two weeks earlier by just over 20 minutes. The hills in Fort Worth are much more manageable than Austin.

This was my first marathon, and I thought it would be lovely to run in my hometown. The course was a bit hilly, but if you've trained for them then it isn't a big deal. The weather was typical for February - you never know what you're gonna get, and we got 20 mph winds and bitter cold air - the wind was in our faces the first two miles and along the Trinity.

During the race, it was good to see some familiar sights, but it would have helped to see more spectators as we ran through residential neighborhoods. It was almost ghost-like. Running alongside traffic was hazardous, and although the finisher's shirt and medal were fantastic, the beer meisters and the expo packed up LONG before the race was over.

A good race for the first time, but one I will probably skip next go round.

Wow, somewhere, there's a group of people who think this course is flat and fast. IT IS NOT... I'll send my Garmin elevation to anyone who doubts this. It's the hilliest marathon I've run, and I run 4 or 5 a year.... That said, they are all rolling hills, and no dramatically steep inclines. Of course, what goes up, must come down, and the declines are pleasant, gentle, and help immensely!

Loved the course overall, and I'll be back! Might even try the ultra next time!

Beware the wind though! We had 20-25 mph gusts the whole way!

I ran in the 2009 marathon race and had a great time. Overall, it was fairly well organized and the course is great, leading you through various neighborhoods, parks, etc. If only the wind would have cooperated and there had not been 25 mph winds in our face for the last 6 miles, it would have been a perfect day. Based on many of the comments from years past, spectators throughout the course are very scattered; however, all of the ones we came across in the race were enthusiastic and helpful to push through to the end. Overall, this is a good, medium-sized event that was a good time.

This was my first marathon, so I decided to return to the town where I grew up. I trained in Southwest Florida, where the only hills are bridges. This added a degree of difficulty to this race that I completely underestimated. If you are able to train on hills, I highly recommend this race. I think there were only about 600 runners, so it was easy to get out into the open. The spectators were great, especially the frat guys handing out beers at mile 17. The perks were great (nice tech shirt, medal, and another cotton shirt). Perhaps the most rewarding thing for me was the fresh-from-the-local-brewery Miller Lite at the finish line (I could smell it from the 24-mile marker). Overall it was a memorable experience for me, despite my poor performance (HILLS). If you run it, spend some time in Sundance Square; lots of fun.

This was my 27th marathon. I am low-maintenance, so just give me an interesting course, water, and traffic control, and I'm in my zone. No one controls weather, and this race tends to have 40-ish temps and drizzle, but this year was gorgeous at 50 degrees, partly sunny, and a little windy. There are scattered spectators throughout the course.

COURSE: I like the Cowtown course a LOT. I have run it 3 times and the course is the main reason. It gives you a great tour of the area: dense urban, to almost country, gritty industrial, to high-rent neighborhoods, plus a run along a river park and a run through an arboretum. If you like a long straight line, this is not your race. If you like variety, you'll love this one. It is not flat; "gently rolling" is a good description. Hills are evenly distributed, and none that you'd look at and say, "Oh crap!"

LOGISTICS: This marathon starts in major city and the logistics are incredibly easy. You drive to any of several downtown office building parking garages, park FREE, and then walk fewer than 100 yards to the Start.

SUPPORT: Year-in and year-out, the course support is good. Plenty of chow at the end and nice seating in a tent so you can spend time with your fellow runners.

The finisher's medal for this has evolved into something very nice, and the tech shirt is also nicely done. I did have to find the shirt, and a sign or something next year would help.

CON:
The race results seem odd. Some folks crept into the top results levels without crossing the chip mat at the half. Those are either a mistake, or they cheated, but they need to be listed at the bottom.

I live locally in Dallas and I drive over to Ft. Worth to run this race.

This is a small-to-medium-sized event. Despite running through great parks and lovely neighborhoods, you get few spectators. Do I care? No. But don't expect a super cheering section, or a ton of bands to pull you through.

The race is special as you can still sign up race morning. The expo is now open before race morning, but it is still there race morning. Bring your money... you can get some good deals just like the good old days of marathon expos.

Hey, you still get a finisher's shirt and hot food! You may need to know where to find the finisher's shirt and where to find the hot food as it is a "local" marathon where you are expected to know what you are doing. Out-of-towners can use a local runner to guide them through the process as they are not well marked, if at all. I was amazed at the people that did not know about free coffee or hot food, and every year somebody does not find the finisher's shirts. I guess they still like the local friends approach... either you know or you should ask. They are not really into bragging about what they have free for the taking.

Great finisher's shirts this year! Three unofficial beer stops this year. Wind again, but not like last year! And the same uphill finish to punish the weak. The course is not that challenging... unless you are out of shape, and then it will hurt you with a vengeance.

There was an ultra this year. Throughly enjoyed running the ultra.

This not a must-do race... but if you are here, don't miss it. A great price, hot food, finisher's shirt, good course, and in a fun town. Free parking just a block from the race too! This is clearly an event that you should have a good time at....

The race organization was poor. There was no direction at the beginning or the end. Slow runners/walkers were up at front, there wasn't even a band or music to kick it off, etc. There was supposed to be finisher shirts distributed, but apparently after running a marathon you should go on a hunt for them. I never found them. Most annoying was watching all the 5K and 10K runners/walkers (and their families who didn't participate) walk around with bags of food and cases of goodies and there was NOTHING left for anyone who took more than 2 hours to finish (i.e. a lot of the halfers and all of the marathoners). Didn't pay to work hard on this one!

The spectators (the few there were) didn't cheer (or make any noise at all) till about the last mile. Worse yet, apparently the message didn't it get out to the community that there was a marathon, so mad drivers who got trapped by the route tended to show their frustration to runners.

For most of the route, they had only shut off half of the road, so we were running right beside traffic. Not only was it not safe, but breathing the fumes was awful. The course for the most part really was ugly. It was hilly and cold, but you can prepare for that.
This was no better than a training run. For the excitement and atmosphere of a real marathon, don't bother doing this one.

This is my second Cowtown. I did the half in '07 and returned for the full marathon since I had a lot of fund last year. The main reason I return is because this is a boutique race with a lot of character.

The volunteers are awesome. They may not always know everything, but that does not make for a volunteer. I have to take issue with anyone that criticizes the "knowledge" of a volunteer. They are slightly underpaid and work only for goodwill. My only expectation of them is courtesy and some smiles and these Cowtowners embody Southern Charm.

The same holds true with the spectators: not many out there but they are AWESOME. Many thanks for sitting in front of your house with Vaseline and other goodies and a special thanks to the people I saw over 3 times (and yes there was more than one group that was there).

The course for the half was nice rolling hills. Once the half splits you have some rolls until 12-13. That starts a good 7-mile gradual climb. Trade in your PR for some sweat and tears. It was worth it!

The last comment is the reason I gave organization a 2. I agree with the cups and the size of the expo (although this is not a "major," so I don't expect a large event), but my complaint is #1 offense and I hope it changes: WHO IN THE WORLD CREATED THAT STARTING GATE. Normally a starting gate goes from a small space to an open space. This gate actually went from an open street to a gated area. I love the people, town, and course but the first 5 minutes running shoulder to shoulder due to poor planning really was pathetic.