The race director and volunteers did an excellent job, and had near perfect weather conditions. The logistics of getting 3000+ people on an island all at once is a difficult task, and I felt they did the best they could. I advise arriving earlier than recommended. My one negative comment is about the lack enforcement of pre-start seeding, which was both dangerous and annoying for the first half mile.

If you must run this marathon, stay at the resort. Getting to the shuttle took over one hour to go the last 3.5 miles. Had to wait for three shuttles to get a seat. Course was well supported with plenty of water stops featuring Gatorade Endurance and most had bananas & orange slices. Post-race food was good & plentiful with beer, but the area was a bit chaotic. Not a lot of spectator support. Course was a double loop (personally don't mind it) with some on paved bike path (don't care for, but no biggie). Disliked all the bikes on the course early on & sharing the last half with cars (not many). Biggest complaint: The course was just plain BORING! Can only look at so many lush golf course greens, big homes & those being built. Only break was the occasional - alligator - sign. The good part was that most of the course was shaded. Weather could be tricky. Cool start at sub-40 got upto mid-upper 50s by noon. Able to run in shorts & a tee. Don't think I'd do this again.

Pluses: Well organized. Plenty of water stops. Cheerful and very helpful volunteers. Overall a good course. Areas for improvement: There was a problem with buses getting to the starting line on time, but part of it was due to the highway backing up. The race was delayed by ~17 minutes, but many runners still had to start up to 20 minutes after that. Fortunately, the race officials insisted that the finish line management company go to chip times this year instead of just start time, which would have been a disaster. Unfortunately, that also meant that runners had to run through a lot of walkers in both the first and second loops. I would also recommend that cyclists not be permitted on the parts of the course that are paved paths and not full roads. Overall, the race was run well, but the late start cost me a minute on my time because of the weaving and I missed Boston by 49 seconds after the 59 extra secs. they allow. Still undecided whether or not a flat course is any better than a moderately hilly one.

After hearing how great the Kiawah Marathon was, maybe I came into it with expectations too high. The traffic getting to the race was horrendous, worse than the Disney Marathon (which says a lot). The course was ok; two loops says enough. The volunteers manning the water stations were great and full of energy and encouragement.

This was my 2nd marathon, so I only have the Cherry Point Marine Corp to go by. I was happily shocked by the total number of water/Gatorade/bananas/oranges stations. The course is completely flat, and wasn't windy at all on 12-10-05. Almost perfect weather. I actually liked the loop, and most of the spectators stayed around after the 1/2 marathon to support the rest of us. Since I don't have much experience with large races, I dont know if it's normal to run the 1/2 and full together, but there was a point about 3/4 mile in that bottlenecked everyone. After that it cleared out.

After reading previous comments, my main concern was the wind. Race day was cool and almost calm. As the day progressed the wind picked up a little on the out-and-back section but it wasn't bad. Two dinky 'hills' and the rest was PR flat. Spectators were sparse but most don't run this race for the spectators; they run it because it's flat. Organization was top-notch and the only glitches were a late start (15 minutes) due to traffic I'm told (try to stay on the island if possible), and the start is constricted with two hard right turns that come very quickly. There were pace signs, but people (like at most races) ignored them and there were walkers up in the front who made getting to your pace a somewhat frustrating experience. The food, medals, shirts and awards were above average. The beach was nice and most of the people were friendly. I guess if you were to use a one word description, it would be "classy."

My wife and I ran the 2005 Kiawah Marathon. Overall, the experience was positive. However, the biggest complaint we have is the course. First, a double loop for the marathon is beyond annoying, it is downright sadistic. Second, there were too many right-angled turns. Third, running miles on narrow bike paths around walkers, while attempting to dodge tree roots, tends to put excessive strain on the legs. Last, given the fact that Kiawah is coastal, PRs are possible only if the winds are not up. There are easier courses for PRs & to qualify for Boston.

Ran this race a few years ago & don't recall this problem, but today was full of problems!

It took me 2:05 to drive 22 miles from my hotel to the island. Needless to say, almost all of that was the last 3 miles. Thousands of runners not paying EXTREMELY high rates to stay on Kiawah had to funnel into 1 lane of traffic at a circle to get onto the island (no one directing traffic, of course). They delayed the race 10 minutes, but I got there after the race had already started. I would've been there at 6:45 (PLENTY early - 8AM start time), like the race info said, had I not been stopped. I went to the bathroom & stretched a little & started 10 minutes after almost everyone else. There were still others that started after me.

A 1/2 mile into the race, I met the walkers. I weaved through them & the slower runners. I was aiming for a 7:20 pace, but ended up running 6:50 for the first mile - despite the walkers - because I was so mad about the congestion. I ran in the grass & must've jumped the curb 75 times to pass people in the first few miles. I think must've passed about 1,500 in the first 3-4 miles & around 3,000 by halfway.

BUT, I tripped hopping the curb in the 2nd mile & twisted my ankle. It hurt pretty bad, so I altered my stride (pronating excessively), which of course caused other problems. By mile 14, my foot was bleeding through my shoe because of the altered stride (blisters).

I stopped at 14 & called it a day. I ran the first 1/2 pretty well & it was a great day (40, warming to about 50) with little breeze.

I've run about 20 marathons & a few Ironman races. I don't feel too bad about the DNF, because I don't feel like it was my fault. Better race logistics would have meant a better race for me.

I don't like 2-loop courses w/ 1/2 marathoners, but the course was nice (saw a bald eagle in its nest!) & crowd was what you'd expect: Not spectacular, but people throughout on bikes & in front of $2M homes.

Very windy & cold the year I did it (2002), but I'll be back this year. If you want to run this race, register as soon as it opens. I got locked out the last 2 years. Run with 1/2 marathoners the first 1/2, which I never like. Overall, a good race.

This was my 4th marathon & a PR for me. It is definitely a smaller race and during the 2nd loop there aren't a lot of other racers/spectators around you. The course itself is a little boring. The first time around I liked looking at the gorgeous homes, but not as enjoyable the 2nd time around. With the private community, it is really hard for any spectators to be anywhere but the beginning, middle and end miles. I found the people handing out water extremely cheerful & supportive throughout the whole race. I stayed in Charleston and found it was easy to get to the race. We left at 5:45am for the 8am start and had plenty of time to park and take a bus to the start line. Weather was good (40-50's) and it was windy as others have commented. Overall a well organized race.