A good little race with very little fan support and no entertainment. I prefer a race with more people and music playing loudly at the water stations. Certain areas could be better organized.

I have run the 1/2 the past 2 years after running the full the previous 2. Overall this is a good course, however one never knows how the wind will blow. The expo was in my opinion better than it has been in the past. However, one pet peeve: Get the year put on t-shirts.

This is a very well-organized race on a nice course. It's flat, point-to-point, and pleasant running along the river. The weather is usually cool in late October, too. Good aid stations staffed by enthusiastic volunteers. I recommend this marathon.

Second time running the half marathon. This year's race was rainy but not enough to make it that uncomfortable. Some may have had a problem with the wind but that, also, wasn't the worst. Good organization. Having the expo/packet pick up at Fallsview Casino was excellent. Very large ballroom, plenty of room, guest speakers/Irish dancers were interesting. Finish is nice as it is downhill. Plenty of volunteers, very nice finisher's medal and a nice bag of food and plenty of drinks at the end. Good job Niagara Falls.

This was the second time I ran this race. I love cool temperatures but hate running in the rain, although conditions were much better on race day than the previous day's bone-chilling cold. Having the expo at the new Fallsview location was inconvenient as it was far from the morning's bus staging area. Be prepared for some quiet moments between aid stations, as spectators are sparse, but those that do come out are wonderfully supportive. Aid station volunteers this year seemed antsy to close down their stations ASAP (weather?) which was discouraging for us slower runners. Still it is incredible that the race organizers can pull this one off in these post 9/11 times.

Very well organized and a very flat course, except for the bridge - but that wasn't much of an elevation. Too bad the weather wasn't better.... The wind chill was high 30's with slight rain.

My only real gripe is that in the 1st half of the marathon, all the miles weren't marked. That kind of made it difficult for a newbie runner like myself to stay on pace.

This was a good marathon (my 13th) with good organization and a flat course. However, a few comments to keep in mind:
- Ran 20 miles of it into a wind which I think is common on the river. You run the risk of a windy race if you run this one. I figure the wind cost me 3 minutes. Of course, on the other hand, if it were at my back...
- Poor communications beforehand from the race but they were great when we got there.
- The race stopped about 1/2 a mile short of the falls, so you never see them in the race. What's up with that? I was expecting to finish right at the Horseshoe Falls and was disappointed that was not the case.

Overall a good experience but some things to keep in mind when signing up.

This was my second marathon and my experience was a very positive one. Good day for a race - a little rain, cool temp & a slight breeze. Great course support plenty of H2O, Gatorade and gel. Great traffic control. Limited spectators but those who came out were vocal. Long-sleeve performance tee and a rain poncho (very handy for race start). If you didn't enjoy this race - you're too hard to please!

Job well done. Well organized, fantastic support, nice, flat, scenic course.

Spectators were few & far between, but the weather may have deterred them.

I ran the 2002 1/2 and the 2003 full. I have to say that I've heard a lot of people speak highly of this race. I must disagree on many respects. Maybe it's because I'm a local, but I find the course very boring. After you get out of Buffalo, there are basically trees on the left and river on the right. That's it. Running along the Niagara Parkway is not particularly kind, as it's a characteristic headwind. Also, at one point, my bowels were screaming and I couldn't find a porta-potty on the course. I had to leave the course and use a nearby construction porta-potty in an emergency. And yes, the finish line sucked, with little shelter, and a crappy grab bag. Water and a plain bagel? No thanks, I'll head to the Mandarin instead. This year, I'm doing MCM in D.C. with hopes of some more specators on the course.