I thought you all staged an awesome race. From the Star Spangled Banner on, good job.

The traffic control was great, the water/Gatorade/orange stops were always ready to go, everything was first-class and professional.

I would like to thank all of your volunteers and all of the police officers, sheriffs and other public safety folks that lined the route and pointed the way every time; can't tell you how much that helped me out.

I don't know if you know it, but as I was running along that running/bike trail, I was thinking what a well thought out and beautiful public facility you have - I wish my hometown had the forethought to build something like that for folks that don't want to drive.

All in all, total pro event; I had pleasant thoughts the whole way.

I thought that even with the bizarre conditions everything went very well. I am grateful for the water aid volunteers who stuck it out for all of us! This is my fourth time doing this race and will not be my last.

I trained for a hot weather race and was so pleased with the cold and 'breezy' conditions. The spectators who were out were wonderful, as were the volunteers. Aid stations were well stocked--loved the oranges!

You will be hard pressed to find a better place to run than Clearwater, Florida in January, when temperatures are nice and cool. Though it was windy on race day in 2005, such days are rare. The course is very flat and the roads are paved well the whole way. Views from the bridges and along lakes are spectacular. Well organized.

This was a great marathon in just about every way. The kit pick-up was smooth and fast. The expo was good with lots of products I hadn't seen before. The host hotel (Biltmore) was a lovely older plantation-style property and they offered a free shuttle to the race. On the morning of the race the atmosphere was ominous when our shuttle arrived, it was dark, cold and very windy. We were standing around shivering with nowhere to hide from the wind.

Once the race started though it quickly became a great run. The cool temp was perfect for running and the wind didn't seem to be a problem. The course had many long, straight and flat stretches which made for fast and enjoyable running. The aid stations were perfect, lots of water and Gatorade served by helpful volunteers. The spectators were few but those who did come out were great. By the time I reached the 6-mile mark I knew that a PR could be possible. By the halfway point it was probable. As the miles went by I was continually surprised at how easy this course was to run. In the end I set a new PR by over 8 minutes and still felt strong at the finish. I ran New York in November, but I was 30 minutes faster here.

I strongly recommend this marathon to anyone who wants a new PR or to anyone looking for a nice-stress free marathon.

This was my second marathon and it was a tremendous experience. The course support and the food at the finish line were excellent. Who cares about the weather? Being from Michigan, any wind chills above -0- in January are acceptable! The race course is fast and flat. Although spectators were few, everything else was top-notch.

My husband and I are turning this into a tradition! You just couldn't ask for a better place to run a marathon. I was so inspired - knocked off 40 minutes from my time last year when I ran with foot injuries. We love the early start and the temperature was ideal - the wind made it into more of a challenge and I guess my quads felt a little achier due to the resistance - but no mind - it was a good hurt! I thoroughly enjoyed it and the more-than-adequate aid stations - not to mention all the pleasant faces behind them. Marsha and Bill - you are the best!! Praise to all the traffic cops, too! We love the scenic course - one of my favorites is Taylor Park! Highly recommend! We look forward to next year!

Very much enjoyed this run. I appreciated the efforts of the volunteers and police(wo)men who were always friendly, helpful and responsive. I am very much a vitamin-C 'addict' so I also appreciated the sliced oranges - I believe they were available at every fluid-stop, if I recall correctly - that is unprecedented in any other race in which I've participated. The only suggestion I can make is that the organizers should speak firmly to the weatherman before next year's event rolls around: those headwinds on the return leg were definitely a challenge!(smile) My congratulations to organizer Chris Lauber and all the volunteers, spectators, and participants who helped make this event a success!

If you watched the weather forecast prior to the marathon, the predicted start temperatures ranged from a 42F to 59F start! The final answer was "in the middle." The wind plus gusts with a weather front moving through is what the runners will remember, unless you consider the great volunteer support along the way! Good race, subject to the variable weather that is only too common to Florida in January, makes this one a keeper.

I've run this race twice now (2003 and 2005), and have enjoyed it both times. Chris Lauber (the race director) clearly cares a lot about this race, and puts his heart into it. Even with this year's challenging conditions (heavy wind), the race was a success.

Course: Most of the first half of the course follows Gulf Boulevard through the coastal Gulf towns. You don't get constant views of the Gulf -- the street is lined with condos, motels, etc. -- but you do get plenty of pleasing views of the water. (I echo the previous poster who recommended returning the race to a later start, so that you can actually SEE some of those views in the first couple of miles.) Most of the second half is held on the Pinellas Trail.

If you want a PR course, this is it. I PR'd by almost 12 minutes, even with the wind. The course has maybe 5-6 small 'hills' in the form of bridges/overpasses; otherwise, it's checkerboard flat. It also has very few turns. And the small size of the field (~400-600 runners) means that you can get into your stride very quickly.

Organization: Generally very good. The traffic control is excellent. Plenty of aid stations, all of them well stocked with water/Gatorade. Two gel stops, if you need them. Plenty of food at the finish. Cool medals. The registration process has definitely improved -- no wait at all, unlike 2003. The website is very informative, and Chris provides frequent e-mails to keep everybody updated. My only quibble is the mile markers. I didn't see the markers at 3, 4, 9, 10, or 12, and the marker at 5 was misplaced (either that, or I really DID run a 5:29 6th mile, which is not bloody likely).

One thing definitely worth mentioning is how responsive Chris is to runners' comments. As an example: in previous years, the race started at 7 AM and was held in February, which often meant very warm conditions. Chris moved the race to January and pushed the start back to 6:30, in hopes of having the race in more runner-friendly temperatures. Also, there were apparently not enough fluids last year... from what I could tell, the aid stations this year were stocked with enough fluids to keep an army hydrated.

Fans: There weren't many, especially on a windy and chilly Florida morning, but the ones that did show up were very supportive. If you need constant encouragement, try NYC or Chicago instead.

Overall, I really like this race. I'll be back... and if you're looking for a great small race, then you should join us!