A tough course for a flatlander like me but a good challenge.The final hill was a real test. There was a dense fog for most of the race but it kept things cool, a nice bonus in August. After the turnaround at Mile 14 I was on my own so this is not a race for those who need crowds.
I camped in the park and walked to the start and was in a hot shower moments after finishing.
There is a free pasta meal the night before the race and overall it was a well-managed event with good support and completely laid back. Worth the trip, as are the nearby Fundy islands.

I really liked this race, set a personal best! It was a great course. There were few spectators, except at the finish. The organization was perfect, although, I would have preferred better directions to the packet-pick up and the city is terrible for signage, so finding anything in St. John in general is difficult. The race itself was well supported, plenty of aid stations, plenty of food along the course and at the finish. There was a long stretch in the middle where the run goes into a very secluded road, there were few people, cars, or anything really, but the race people set up signs along the way with quotes, jokes, and Q&A, I thought this was a very nice added touch and to some degree necessary. Overall, a great race, especially for a very small one (less than 100 marathoners). Fabulous way to see St. John.

I've ran the 1/2 marathon a few times in Saint John and love the race, especially since it's a chance to run a summer race in cooler weather. Everything is well-organized from sign up, packet pickup and race day itself. The course is challenging - it's really hilly. And the volunteers and spectators are friendly. Lots of cones on the street so I felt very safe the whole way. I'll do this race again.

Unless this race can hire more police/traffic help or place about 1,000 more pylons on the course, someone is going to get badly hurt. On the causeway, there was such confusion that the volunteers and the late-to-arrive police were separately yelling at runners who were running on both sides of the road, unsure of where they should be. Nothing is more important than runner safety. Between the superstore and Frenchy's, I saw 2 runners nearly clipped by drivers who had no idea they were driving into a running race.

With those issues taken care of, there is potential for a good race. Saint John has great parks and historic houses. Add those to the harbor trail section and the run through the graveyard and showcase the city rather than the strip malls and the race would be much improved.

The finish line had great food and a tent this year, which was very welcome, as it was a cool, damp day. Perfect for running!

I found this marathon a real challenge because of the hills, something I'm not used to. I felt the organizers did an awesome job from the bus tour of the course to the post-marathon buffet. I loved that everything was so close at hand so that I didn't need a car. Thanks to all the volunteers for that wonderful massage at the end, and especially to the pace bunny who brought me and my friend in to qualify for Boston.

I ran my 8th marathon in your city on the hilliest course yet and came out with a personal best. Oh, and did I mention that I had tons of fun?

Hats off to you!

We came all the way from NYC to run the half marathon - we used it as a training run for the NYC Marathon and tacked it on to a northeast vacation. We really appreciated the local charm of this race. The race director personally greeted us at the expo, and all of the people we met were welcoming and friendly. The course was a bit more hilly than we expected (which was good), and it provided a good opportunity to see the city. The volunteers were great, and the after party, food, and hospitality at the finish were outstanding.

I came from out of province to run this event thinking it would be a scenic run "by the sea." Very disappointing to run through some very seedy, dull areas in a city that has much more to offer than was showcased here. The route was hilly but not unreasonable. Please provide a route map that is easier to understand, and consider adding kilometer markers as well as miles.

The post-race food was the best and most abundant I have seen. The massage therapy was very welcome.

Overall, not too bad for a small event.

Maybe the race in 2006 was an anomaly, but my experience doesn't track with any of the other comments posted here.

The race has good and bad going for it. The good:
- Very challenging course, with lots of hills.
- Great start and finish, right downtown.
- Has a good, small-town feel to it.

Now, the bad:
- You hardly run by the sea at all.
- Some of the parts through town are really ugly. Really, did we need to run past the refinery AND the pulp & paper mill? New Brunswick is such a beautiful province - too bad the race doesn't bring this out.
- There's a 10-mile out-and-back loop to Lorneville, culminating in a turn around a pylon. (Even a loop through a parking lot would be more creative.)
- If you must have the Lorneville loop, move the Irving turn-around there too. (The Irving turn-around is a stupid 200-meter stretch around another pylon).
- I've run in many races before where they didn't close the roads, but this was ridiculous. There were no signs alerting drivers to the race, and cars could park on the course. Weaving around parked cars on busy Manawagonish Road was just scary - you were literally out in the middle of traffic. Plus, while police directed cars through intersections with lights, you were on your own everywhere else. They could have used about 100 more course marshals.
- There were more cows than fans along the course, especially on the Lorneville loop.

Finally, a tip for the volunteers at aid stations: come off the curbs to runners, rather than making runners come to you.

Having a completely free weekend, I flew up to Canada just to run this event. This was my fifth marathon, and, although the smallest marathon that I have run, St. John's is a big time race with a lot of heart. (See the Runner's World Article, it is right on the money.)

The pre-race pasta dinner was in a hockey rink, included pasta by Vito's, and an inspiring pre-race video with even the Canadian prime minister wishing the runners luck. Awesome, and more than enough to eat. The Festival by the Sea provided great evening entertainment, and I also had the best lobster of my life the night before the race as a late night snack.

Race day: Easy logistics to start, especially if you stay at the Delta or Hilton. Temperature in the low 50s with fog and a light rain. (There were hail stones coming down later on after the race.) With the 5K and the half starting at the same time, there was plenty of company for the first portions of the race. Fans along the side of the road, though sparse, were great. After the turnoff for the full, the race does get sparse, but that's OK. There were also some bands along the course as well, and always plenty of drinks, water and orange slices.

The section out in Lorneville was fine, since I don't mind running alone and the scenery was nice (Bay of Funday, and Reversing Falls). There are some hills; this is not a flat course. Passing the Moosehead factory was also cool, but, no beer at the water station! There is a killer hill during Mile 25, but it is all worth it, as the finish is great, down a hill into town, and your name and hometown are announced as you are truly given a nice cheer when you finish.

For cooler weather in August, the easy logistics, the help of the volunteers, the free massage afterwards, the food and the sights, this is a great summer race and place with some character and a lot of heart.

I came to run this race all the way from Vancouver because I love running along shores and ocean fronts, etc. This race is a decent race, but by the sea? I saw the ocean in the distance for a few miles, but the race stuff said stunning views of the Bay of Fundy. If you want spectacular ocean races, I can think of about 20 in the US that would leave this race for dead on that front. Scenic? Not really.

People on the course were excellent - so friendly it was hard to believe. It was unfortunate that the weather blew up a near hurricane at the end and the food tent had to be secured down by about ten strong men. The rain was torrential but the weather during the race was OK.

Nice medal, T shirt a little thin with no real quality,(probably a woman's viewpoint only!) excellent facilities at the aquatic center, course was undulating and a little bit dull in parts, support people very very nice, excellent bagpipe player at halfway in marathon (nice touch). Police were friendly. All in all, a good race that unless you live in New Brunswick, you'll probably do once and move on to others next year.