Another great race! My 4th Kiawah and 62nd overall. One suggestion: any way to change the course slightly so that the turnaround on the first loop is the same as the second? Tough to have to go that extra distance when you're expecting to head back.

Three cheers from all to Kiawah Marathon on its 30th anniversary!!! Outstanding job and recognition goes out to the organizers, volunteers, medical station attendants, fluid station folks, and of course, the residents of the gated community that we invaded and trampled through, while causing disruption for more than a few Saturday morning commuters. Sorry guys, but you'll have that. I'm encouraging runners to experience Kiawah in December, and perhaps a few will eventually reside here. But I digress....

The marathon's organizers offer a deferral option, which I exercised this year. Too many races don't. You focus, you train, you visualize, you prepare, you come up injured (it happens). Kiawah's leadership recognizes this, and approves of the deferral process. I thank them.

Now for my perspectives:

Try it, folks, you'll like it. We were lucky this year with calm skies that were clear of clouds, basically no winds, and plenty of shade available from the tree-lined course route. Water stops were adequately spaced and well stocked, with special acknowledgment going to the group with the Christmas theme at the far turn-around. You guys know who you are, and you were great.

My only concern is that the half marathon field size has grown so much that the marathoners, on their second lap, are having to weave their way through folks on the bike path walking shoulder-to-shoulder across the path width. God bless these folks for being out there; you have my support, but please leave the left side 2 feet open to the runners. You may have the remainder of the bike path.

I also had the opportunity to renew acquaintances while on the bus ride inbound with "Cowboy Jeff" Bishton, whom I haven't seen since "Fiddy2's" Drake Well Marathon. Kiawah also concluded his circuit of 50 states. Now that is some kind of awesome accomplishment, and he is some kind of fine gentleman.

For me, my count is now 21 states, and this is the 45th marathon. I have plucked most all the low-hanging fruit from the tree, in the pursuit of 50 states, with most of the east-of-the Mississippi states conquered. But good Lord willing, I'll get there.

This was my first marathon and I had a positive experience. The course was very pretty, but it was a double loop. Now, I knew this going into it so that was no surprise, but I didn't realize how it would affect my motivation until I hit mile 17. Since it was in a gated community, there were not throngs of spectators lining the street, but the people who did come out in support were great! Little kids on their bikes giving you high-fives made a big difference. The best aspect of this race was the organization. VERY WELL ORGANIZED. The volunteers were super (thanks). I would run Kiawah again, but only the half.

This was my first marathon! The organization, the course, and especially the port-o-lets and water stops were great. Plenty of water, Gatorade, and food for the runners. The drum band was the best!

My wife and I have done the 1/2 marathon at least 5 times. The staff at the race have a real attitude at times.

If this race were not so close to Charleston, SC, we would not do it repeatedly. The post-race food is marginal at best, although they try to push it off as something better.

Then there is the T-shirt design. Essentially the shirts have changed very little in all the times we have done it. When I brought up the fact that changes should be made outside of changing the year to the race director, my comments were "less than welcome." I was given a lecture on the virtues of a "clean" (i.e. non-advertising) shirt. I agreed but told them that the shirts all looked the same and now make nice bike-cleaning rags.

Do yourself a favor: don't stay at Kiawah. It's overpriced, and you will have much, much more fun in Charleston. The drive out and the shuttle suck, but hey, it is only a few hours.

Love it: Beautiful course; great spectators; close to Charleston. We have made it part of our Christmas tradition for 14 years now.

Flat, fast, and scenic course. Nice race shirt and medal. The best pasta dinner and post-race food you will ever see. Five-star service and accommodations at the resort on the island can't be beat. The marathon package offered by the resort included two nights in a villa, guaranteed race entry, and pasta dinner for only $250. It was nice to be able to enjoy the island before and after the race. My only complaint is the lack of "gu or power gel" on the course and the restricted access to the east end of the island the day before the race.

This was my 6th time running the full marathon at Kiawah and 13th overall. This is an awesome race and very well organized for a small marathon. Congrats to Dylan and all of the volunteers. This is my favorite marathon!! Try it - you won't regret it. Charleston in December is also fun.

This was my third time to run Kiawah and I love it. You can't beat the scenery. This year was a tad cold but at least it was not windy. Water stops were good, start and finish line was good, expo was good. Nice job.

The only negative I want to add was a lack of course directors for the slower runners. I only ran the half and after going back to my villa and showering, I went for a bike ride to pick up the gloves I threw off at mile 1 (only the trash picker-uppers beat me to them... but that's ok). As I was biking up Surfsong, I saw two runners going up the street, long past the right-hand turn onto Glen Abbey. The reason they missed the turn was because no one was there to tell them to turn. There was a water station at the turn, but by that time no one was there (but the water was still there for the runners... self-service). These poor runners have no idea they cut the course by a mile or two. When they got up to Governors, they were directed onto the bike path to the finish line.

If you are going to keep the course open for slower runners, you cannot assume they know where to turn. You need to keep marshals on the course or put up a big sign. I feel bad for the runners who thought they finished the marathon, when in fact they didn't. I didn't have the nerve to tell them they missed the turn.

Other than this I had a great experience and I love Kiawah. Everyone should do it once.

First-time runner at Kiawah. Here are my pros and cons:

First, stay on the island - it's expensive but worth it. We were 5 minutes from the start (and finish). The accommodations in the villas were excellent and you can bring all your home goodies. The water and Gatorade stops were plentiful. The SC police were first-rate, actually stopping traffic when I needed to relieve myself in a fairly exposed area. The course (which everybody is aware of) is a double-loop, so don't go and whine about it later if this causes a problem. The organizers went into a tizzy when my age and shirt size were incorrect. You would've thought I was going to bring about the total collapse of western civilization. The race packet and T-shirt were poor. The pasta dinner was average; however, the addition of chicken and couscous was a welcome touch.

I never did hear the gun. The race was uneventful. No timers except at mile 23 where an electronic clock was hung over the mile sign (very strange). The post-race food was diabolical. The bananas looked like they had been cut in half two or three weeks previous and no coffee (bad for a winter run). The organizers need to realize that bagels, etc. are great fillers (there were none). Although if you really want good, food do Green Bay - awesome brats!

Don't do the post-race dinner. We paid the $26 each for a seafood buffet that was marginal at best. I think $6-7 would have been more appropriate. Overall, I enjoyed it, but wouldn't do it again.