The course was easy to navigate, and was pretty flat with a few good downhills and virtually unnoticeable inclines. The scenery in the horizon was lovely, although running along the highway and riverbed for so much of it was not as great. The family that puts it on is very nice and helpful, willing to answer all questions and do their best to accommodate runners' needs, which is very important and appreciated for marathons. Not an insane number of spectators, but enough to help move the miles along nicely. It was great to get a massage and some fruit, bagels, and PB at the end; however, it would have also been nice to have a clock at the end with times.

Overall a good race experience. It genuinely seemed that they had taken past year's feedback as water cups were large, packet pickup was quick, and there was some food on the course. A few constructive recommendations:
1. Pad splits at the halfway point would have been nice (especially for those of us who don't wear a watch).
2. A clock at the finish and a few places elsewhere would have been nice.
3. While food was available at mile 23, would have a volunteer bring it out to runners in bowls to grab (rather than refer them back to the table).

Great weather, early start time, and the traffic control was appreciated. I also enjoyed the post-race entertainment and the finisher's medal.

Crowd support is sparse but enthusiastic.

I had never previously run a race where you can actually get a good few miles into it before the sun comes up. Running in the desert at dawn is definitely surreal. I loved it. Nice course with plenty of friendly volunteers. My only "issues" were the lack of porta-potties on course. Having seen none at all, I had to make a detour into a gas station after mile 12. Also, the lack of food either on the course or after it was a bit of a disappointment. I had carried a couple of gels with me, but I would have expected to see something. Apart from this, a great wee race. Cool southwest-style medal and friendly people. Thanks.

On my journey to complete a marathon in all 50 states, I chose the New Mexico Marathon as #19. It was one of the most beautiful courses that I have had the chance to run! I was so overtaken by all of the scenery that when I hit the last 5K of the 26.2-mile race... I thought, "WOW... I am nearly done already!"

OK. Course: 5 Stars - just amazing scenery, even starting out at 5:30 a.m. in the DARK!

Organization - I had no problems getting to the start line on the bus, and since it was a small race, lining up was a piece of cake!

Spectators - it is a small race and the crowd observing it was even smaller! Thanks for the encouragement from those who were out there!

Do not let the elevation profile scare you. If you train on hills (uphill and downhill repeats), you will do fine with this race. For me, it was my 5th best time overall (3:39.22), and like I said earlier, I could not believe I was done when I was. The scenery kept me captivated the entire way!

A special thanks to the massage therapist who worked on me after the race. She spent 20 minutes working on my legs! WOW... I liked that service! Usually it is a 5-minute and done thing! NICE TOUCH!!!

The expo could use some improvement, as well as the finish line grub for the runners, but all in all, it was a well-done race!!!

The marathon was fairly well organized. The traffic control was excellent. My only real complaint was the lack of porta-potties. There were none until mile 13. This would normally not be a problem, but there were no trees or bushes after about mile 4.
The medals were hand-crafted and very nice. The post-race food was well done and the awards were unique (handmade pottery).

It started in the dark at 5:30 a.m. to the sounds of a classical guitarist playing soothing music. You run north for several miles with a very modest - almost insignificant - climb. Off to the left, between occasional buildings, one can see the entire urban area of the city lit with streetlights. Mountains along the right side postponed the sunrise but one could see the city below being gradually sunlit. In the early dawn about 10 hot air balloons launched from two separate locations. Runners were still pretty high up, so we were actually looking down on the balloons as they left the ground in the distance. After about 3 miles, a gentle decline lasted about 3 miles before we turned back west, with our backs to the sun coming up over the mountains as we started a fairly steep descent that lasted about 7 miles. We passed a herd of about 20 domestic buffalo grazing in a field on the way down. A little past halfway, the course turned south onto a trail that was open and exposed and had a lot of cyclists. By that time it was getting hot. Most folks agreed this 4-mile stretch was the least pleasant part of the marathon. We emerged from that into the town and had the last 5 miles or so through the old part of the city.

It was a nice event and I can recommend it to anyone seeking a marathon in NM. I heard some grumbling among participants about organization and post-race food but it all seemed fine to me. The shirts and "medals" (more of a pottery medallion) were both good. I visited the Museum of Natural History after the race. That's cool, if you like dinosaurs, gems and minerals, etc. The food in Albuquerque was great but don't make the mistake I did of having enchiladas for your pre-race dinner!

This is definitely a course I will run in the future. Proximity is of course a reason, but also for the quality of the organization and the scenery. I thought I would find mostly local runners but a lot of racers were from other states. I found the pasta dinner at the Best Western a bit expensive. Despite the must appreciated early start, the sun was high enough to slow me down on the 2nd half. Not so much crowd along the course, but the police (at each intersection) and the volounteers at the aid stations cheered us. The location of the finish (downtown, near the museums) was perfect!

The course was really fast and had great scenery for the first half. I was a little worried about starting in the dark, but it was actually really pretty watching the sunrise. Overall, I would definitely recommend this race to anyone, with 2 complaints: (1) NO food along the course! I couldn't believe this...Plenty of water/gatorade, but no food to give a little energy boost. I was starving! Even the food offerings at the end were pretty weak. (2) The race packet pick-up took forever. Other than that, I really enjoyed the experience - great people, unique 'medal,' excellent traffic control. Good job!

This was a well organized event, though the elevation profile on the website discouraged me to the point that I almost didn't participate. It would have been a mistake to sit this one out.

The event started at 05:30, which I thought was way too early. In retrospect, it was exactly the right thing to do. You start running under a star-lit sky, and toward the end, when you are overheated and tired, you are glad you started at zero-dark-thirty.

The course is uphill for the first 8 miles, then you descend rather abruptly. However, it is not like the profile map suggests. The first 8 miles are uphill, but it is ever so slight, and being dark helps keep you confused about the truth. The downhill stretch ending around mile 13 was nice.

The most negative thing for me was running for several miles on the bike path. It just went on and on and on - just sun and concrete. The police support was excellence personified - expecially on the Tramway. It was a coordination effort that would be a tough act to follow. Many thanks to the law enforcement personnel.

The marathon ended in Old Town Albuquerque, which was a quite interesting place to visit in and of itself. Oh, and I can not forget to mention the balloons - being a pliot myself. Early on someone said 'Look, a balloon!' I thought, 'big deal'. Well, somewhere around the mid-point, I counted upwards of 30 balloons on the western horizon. It was awe-inspiring, and more balloons just kept coming up! And it wasn't time for the balloon festival until October!

The organization was good and the frequent water tables were a bonus; however, I wish the glasses had been larger so I would not have had to stop and ask for another. Albuquerque old town was interesting and New Mexico is a beautiful state to visit. And for those of you who enjoy a fine craft beer, there are five brew pubs around the Albuquerque area. The hotel accommodations at the Best Western were good and convenient and their pre-race meal was quite tasty....