Disregard the negative reviews from years ago. Bay State is now a very well organized event. The overall organization and amenities compare favorably to the highly-regarded Cape Cod Marathon.

The Tsongas Center is a great venue for pre-race activities, and finishing at the baseball park is a nice touch. Water stops were numerous and well stocked, and mile markers seemed to be spot on. Major kudos to the director, staff, and volunteers.

The course is reasonably pleasant, although clearly not as spectacular as Cape Cod. The race's big selling point is 100% correct: it's the fastest course you're likely to find.

Spectators were sparse but enthusiastic.

Would definitely run again.

A well organized race that's very flat. There were plentiful water/Gatorade stations with cheering high school kids. Police were out in force to control traffic and there was medical support on bikes keeping an eye on all the runners. The finish line had plenty of staff and did a great job assisting the runners. The organizers, police and medical/support staff did a fantastic job. Thank you.

This was my first 1/2 Marathon, and I loved every minute of it. The whole thing was very well organized, the course was great, the volunteers were superb, and I swear that the organizers personally delivered the perfect weather for the race. The only downside was that I got there later than I wanted, and I had to rush to the starting line without properly stretching. Also, I decided to keep my chip in my pocket, and I carried it across the finish line in my hand. Perhaps for that reason, my time is not listed in the results. I noticed several other people who did not wear their chip on their shoes; I wonder if their times were also not recorded. Perhaps the next time, a chip with a snap lock would be better.

Just the same, the was one hell of a lot of fun. And having the finish at the baseball field was a great idea.

I've been running this race for years, on and off, for the desire to run a local, flat course. Management has made great strides (no pun) over the last several years in making this a well organized and fun run.

I ran this marathon as my first race and found it to be absolutely amazing. I loved the route, the spectators were amazing, and it was very well organized. The water stations were full of cheering people helping you continue on. I highly recommend this for everyone. I will defiantly be there next year!

I've run this race previously in 2000 and with some recent comments over the years about the organization of this marathon, I have to say for 2006, this was a hit. The perfect weather brought out a lot of same-day half-marathon entries yet there were no capacity issues at any of the water stops or post-race services. The personal, one-on-one support by a volunteer at the end of the marathon for me was great. (He got my water and medal, put a Mylar wrap around me, took off my chip, and asked me about how I thought I did. To whoever you were, thanks!) For back-of-the-pack runners like me, it is always nice to still have the food, support, and services still out and available. The chicken soup and rolls really hit the spot.

I will run this again and look forward to migrating to the middle of the pack!

This race had great pre-race bathrooms; granted they are 1/4 of a mile from the start, but they are bathrooms in an arena, so they are plentiful, clean, and meant to accommodate large groups of people.

I only did the half, but the course is great, flat and fast.... I didn't mind the two loops, as it was almost pleasant on this course.

Anyway, I would do this race again in a heartbeat, and would love to do the marathon.

Also... little known and little taken advantage of... there were AMAZING showers available for after the race!

Spectators are few and far between, but when they were there, they were AWESOME!

I cannot say enough about the course support for this race: traffic control, signage, medical and water stops. Everybody went above and beyond to make this a safe and fun event. All the details of a marathon were obviously thought out and addressed. There was more medical support on the course than I have ever seen at a race and they regularly checked in with anyone who looked like they were struggling. The cross-country teams at the water stops out-did themselves, cheering and encouraging us, other people set up ad hoc water stops and cheering sections. The river offered scenic views and lots of wooded areas for those in need. The finish in the stadium with music blasting was a very warm welcome, topped only by the many kind people offering to remove our chips and re-tie our shoes. I have never encountered so many kind and helpful people as I did yesterday. Thank you, Lowell, for a memorable day.

Fast, relatively flat course. Few spectators but the ones we did have were enthusiastic and supportive. The high schoolers who handed out the water and Gatorade at the well-organized water stops were just tremendous. The organizers provided an incentive by rewarding the top water spots (voted by the runners) - each served by a different local high school.

Staging is also excellent - held indoors at the Tsongas Arena, which has good bathrooms. Start line is just a couple of short blocks from there.

Good mile markers, chip timing, and a nice finish in a baseball stadium with great food and celebration at the end.

We also lucked out yesterday with absolutely perfect weather - bright blue skies, no wind, and cool but comfortable temps. This is THE marathon for local New England runners to try to qualify for BAA.

This race was well organized and an overall easy, fast-paced course. The course was nice, with lots of police details to keep the traffic away and great water stations run by the local high school track teams. I thought that ending at the Lowell Spinners ball park was an added bonus. Bag pick-up was easy and well organized and the post-race refreshments were great. I never thought soup after a marathon was such a good idea, but it really did warm me up and help with my post-race recovery. Overall it was a job well done by the race organizers.