This race is a class-act. I ran it back in 2001 and ran the 1/2 in 2003 also and I keep coming back for more. The course couldn't be better, how often do you get to start a race in one country and finish in another. The crowd support is pretty good and the volunteers are excellent, especially in the later miles when the work really begins. The pre-race brunch/run w/ Captain Canada really gets the weekend off to a great start and the expo couldn't be better. Guess that's why I keep coming back. My thanks to the race director for putting on a class-act race.

RE: Mixed reviews of this race:
1. Wind - always a factor near open water it seems; I've had it work for me both ways.
2. Cold - end of Oct. is dicey: personally I prefer warmer.
3. Spectators - I agree, water stations were A+++++ for noise.
4. Course - aside from the bridge, which was known ahead of time, this is a flat course - finally some honesty on the part of race promoters.

I trained like a beast for this one and it was my fastest - some days you just gotta get out there a do it! Racing is a mental activity, truly.

I heard this race is always windy, usually in your face. This year it was cold too. They were not ready for it with nothing available at the finish line for the runners as they came in. No foil heat blankets and poorly organized. Not a single spectator on the route and so I'm not doing this one again.

This was my first and last Niagara Falls Marathon. The trip and experience were worth it, but the weather was awful. Veteran runners from Buffalo and Niagara Falls told me there is always the same weather that time of the year.

Expo is well organized. Pasta dinner was cold rather than cool.

Because you have to croos the border into the U.S. you have to wake up too early for an 8:00 start. There is a lot of time waiting in the museum (though, by the way, the museum is really nice). They need more restrooms.

The couse is flat, very scenic. Crossing the border is a very nice thing. But I was freezing by mile 18 and could barely finish the race.

Best aspect was the water stations, and the high school students tending them.

No post-race party. Also the replenishing after the race was poor.

But you finish at Niagara Falls; now you can tell that to your grandson.

This was my second marathon this year and I shrugged off comments about the weather but. Having run the race, I have to agree with other things written in this section. The weather was poor; if there was last-minute registrations I would consider doing it again but not if the weather is cold and rainy, and only if the post-race party was present. On a positive note, the shirt they gave out was good and the finish-line chute was really set up well.

This was my third Niagara Marathon and it was raining as always. This marathon is flat and fast. If it was run on a nice weekend - October 9th weekend - it would have been great. I talked to the race director about it and he does not want to change it. Anyhow, I still had a good race. Organization was good, the expo was good (for a Canadian marathon), and the kids at the water stops were superb 0 I could hear them half a mile away. This was my last Niagara Marathon only because I would rather try other races out there. Ps. Almost forgot Hampton Inn on River Road was the worst hotel I have ever stayed at.

Clearly the most notable thing about this race is the volunteers at the water stops. The water stops are just about every mile once you get to info Canada, because local high schools are competing to have the best water stop. They get tons of volunteers, and they make A LOT of noise. Once I hit the wall around mile 19, I had to start walking the water stops, and when I left each water stop, I could hear the next water stop! It was really encouraging to make it to the next mile marker/water stop. It was so loud, and so many screams, they sounded like a haunted house amusement place. Volunteers A+++++++!

Warning - this race has been run several times in the rain. Apparently this is the rainy season there. And, it can be darned chilly too. The day before the race, it was so cold and rainy that I didn't even want to walk outside. It was really miserable. I regretted coming. By Sunday morning, it was a lighter rain, and tolerable, with temps at 40. And, surprisingly, I found a poncho in my packet! Very cool. Most of the early race was run in ponchos.

The course is pretty nice, flat and fast. I don't thing it's boring at all. I imagine running over Peace Bridge is nice when it's not raining and cloudy. :-)

It was a drag to have to walk to so many places for this race. I got my hotel on Clifton Hill so I could be an equal distance from everything. The expo, buses, dinner, and race finish are all at least a half-mile from each other.

The organization seemed kind of confused, but come race-day, everything went really well. I like running at 1000, but hate waiting so long at the museum. It was nice that we had our run of the museum though. The t-shirt was a nice performance tee. Sizing was kind of big, and there's no year on the shirt, which is odd. Maybe they're using the same ones next year.

The race has an international feel, with people coming from all over the world. That's nice, considering how small the race is.

In the end, it's a unique race, run by nice people, in the great clean kind country of Canada, and a potential PR course. Well worth doing at least once.

From the time I got on the bus until the time I crossed the finish line this was a first-rate race. Water stops were great, mile markers seemed accurate, etc. Also, for $75, perhaps more than a plastic bag of food?

HOWEVER, the email I got from the race organizer (form letter), which specifically tells me to follow the instructions, sent me to the wrong hotel for packet pickup, and talked about the post-race party to be held at the Brock Hotel with pizza, etc. A bunch of us were there, but there was no party in sight. The concierge at Brock said he had about 100 people looking for the party, which didn't exist. He called the Fallsview and was told they were only a sponsor, and had nothing to do with the race or any activities.

First time to run this marathon; was well worth the trip. One of the guest speakers @ the expo Kathrine Switzer, was just lovely, beautiful and motivating. The day of race was cool and wet with a slight headwind. The water station volunteers were great! Number ONE in my book; very welcoming per the wet/windy conditions. The course was flat and pleasant; kept me on track. Transportation to and from the course was well organized. Also had a few spectators.

Waiting for so long in the art museum before the race seemed burdensome and unnecessary. Of course, when the bus driver isn't allowed across the border into the United States, you have to plan for extra travel time. That isn't the fault of the race directors, though.

Overall, the aid stations were the most enthusiastic of any race I have run. I could hear them in the distance and found myself running to the noise.

Gel was given out at miles 6 and 12, but not afterwards. I kept waiting for another at either miles 18 or 24, but there wasn't any.

The expo was good. Kathrine Switzer's speech was very good. Breakfast of bagels and muffins at Planet Hollywood was fun. The pasta dinner was excellent. Finishing the race on the far side of the Falls was great. The race organization and volunteers were superior.

Run, don't walk, AWAY from Sheraton on the Falls. The hotel was too cheap to turn on the heat, despite the 40-degree temperatures outside. The building engineer told us there had been several complaints about cold rooms, but he had been told not to turn the boiler on yet. Instead of turning on the heat, management offered to have someone bring up extra blankets. Our room, which had a view of the hallway and stairwell, did not reach 70 degrees until Sunday night. The glasses had residue in them, the bottles of water in the room were each $4.50, soft drinks were $2.00, and some of the tv channels didn't work. There are plenty of budget hotels in the area that are much, much better. Sheraton management continues to refuse to make good on the promise in its brochure located in the room that the customer will be satisfied.