This was my 4th marathon, first at this event. Boarding the buses at 6:00 and waiting approximately 3 hours before the marathon start time was a chilly experience, but at least the organizers put up a tent to help stay out of the wind while waiting. The Niagara Falls raincoats that were in our goody bags came in very handy for sitting on the grass, which was still damp from heavy rains the previous day. Crowd support was minimal on the Buffalo side (some residents of the Delaware Park neighborhood weren't even aware there was going to be a marathon that morning) and shortly before the Peace Bridge approach I found myself running among cars (no big deal for me, run in traffic all the time at home). Crossing the Peace Bridge into Canada is very cool. Alternate crosswinds and headwinds were very chilly, but after my last 2 marathons in 80-degree-plus weather, I swore before this one that I didn't care if it snowed -- this was my best marathon time yet, due mainly to the cool temperatures. However, I admit to feeling a bit hypothermic at the end, and the space blanket was most inviting. Photos ARE taken at the finish, although they are not available online, only via mail order. Free breakfast before the expo was a great ice-breaker. Met many wonderful people, especially from Ottawa area. Would definitely do this one again if in the area.

This was my 3rd time. Although I swore never again after the 2nd, due to scheduling difficulties (and the desire to do a fall marathon) this one became my only option. I boarded the bus in downtown Niagara at 6:15AM and with a 10:00AM start time it was a long and cold wait in the park. The race should start earlier, or the bus schedule should be later. Difficult to stay focussed when you have to stand around for 3+ hours in the cold and wind waiting for the start. As a 4+ hour marathoner, it was a total of 8 hours from when I boarded the bus to the finish line. This is ridiculous and I have sworn (again) to never run this race again.

As far as marathons go, this was totally unique. Good size expo, with the unusual experience of being checked out by customs before getting your bib. I had originally thought that the last bus for the start left too early, but as my bus had to wait at the border, I realized that it was necessary in order to ensure everyone got to the start on time. I can't imagine what a logistical nightmare it must be to organize a race that has a border crossing, especially in these times. The wait at the start, while cold, wasn't too bad. There were plenty of port-a-potties and it was in a beautiful park. As for the run, the crossing of the Peace Bridge into Canada has to be one of the most unique of any marathon experiences offered. The run along the river in gorgeous, and the finish at the falls is another one-of-a-kind experience. Granted, I realize that for locals all of this may be no big deal, but for me it was. And yes, there were some windy parts, but I would take that over heat and hills any day. There were plenty of aid stations (though the first not until mile 4), all with Gatorade and all with enthusiastic volunteers. There were more spectators than I had thought there would be, and they were great. I would completely recommend this marathon, especially if you can make a vacation out of it.

This was my fifth marathon. Overall, I thought it was well-organized, but the race does suffer from a lack of corporate sponsorship. Here are some quick observations from the October 2002 race:
1. Well-organized start and finish;
2. Very enthusiastic waterstops, and widely-scattered but encouraging spectators;
3. Visually attractive course which was flat and potentially fast;
4. On a cold, windy day (like last Sunday), PRs will be tough to find;
5. No aid station gels or powerbars, just water & Gatorade (a support bicyclist gave me a Cliff Gelshot at around mile 20, which was a big factor in my finishing the race at all);
6. Food at the end of the race is minimal (bag with 1 banana, 1 orange, 1 snack bar, and fruit jerky.) If you run this race, pack food in your luggage bag;
7. Last 15 miles are due north. If wind is out of the north, it'll be a long day;
8. If anything, overdress. I ran in a coolmax t-shirt and shorts and was practically hypothermic in the last 2 miles (went from a 7:30/mile pace to 15:00/mile over last 2 miles. I didn't just hit the wall, I became one with it);
9. It's kind of cool to run across Buffalo's Peace Bridge and straight through Customs (you have to pre-clear the day before);
10. I enjoyed myself, but there are other races I'll look at before considering this one again.

I agree, the course was beautiful, the volunteers were excellent and yes it was very windy. Dress appropriately if you plan to run in 2003. My 2 biggest dissappointments were that at the end there was no free beer to celebrate with (like in America) and so far I haven't found any photos of the race. All races should have a photo company like 'Brightroom' to record the event and sell photos afterwards, via online purchase. Other than that, it's a great race!

Very disorganized and pathetic turn out at the water stops (though this was probably due to the cold temperature and wind.) I would like to see more spectators, more aid stations, and food at the end would be nice. I heard that this is always a windy course; believe it!!

This course is very flat, but the callenge could be the wind. The immigration is complicated for the the one's that are not canadien or american. For a marathon that is not in a very big city, their is a lot of volunteers and fans.
The only problem is you have to wake up at 5:30 am to take the bus and you only start at 10 o'clock.

This is a very flat course, great for setting a P.R..The crowd support in Buffalo was miniscule, but once across the border in Canada it got a lot better.There were water stations at every mile after mile five.Gatorade was available at every station.I was impressed with the enthusiasm of the folks manning the stations too.At every stop, everyone was cheering you and encouraging you to run hard.That was nice.The course is scenic and the Niagara River is in sight for most of it.Other things that I liked: nice expo.,plenty of porto-johns at the start,decent shirt and medal and big crowds at the finish line.There was a good selection of food at the finish line as well.I liked this race a lot and I'll definitely be back!

This is a nice flat course if your looking for a PR. A long wait at the start and not well organized with next to no toilets at the start and no food at the end. Nice to follow the river to the finish and great to see fans and volunteers at each mile, but not many others there to cheer you on.

This was my fourth marathon and I really enjoyed it. The course was flat, the volunteers were stationed every mile after the first six and were very enthusiastic. I thought they more than made up for the sparse crowds. The race organizers did a great job rerouting the course when customs closed the Peace Bridge to them, forcing the entire race to be ran in Canada. The expo was fine, there was plenty of pizza at the awards ceremony at the host hotel. While there was some wind (and even rain at the start), it wasn't windy enough to actually affect times. There was not much food at the finish area, but that was because they were waiting for the runners to return to the host hotel for the awards ceremony. Shuttle buses back to the hotel from the finish were plentiful. This is a very well organized small race with excellent volunteer support and I highly recommend it.