Note: I ran the half-marathon, not the full.

A very good course, although the traffic control when we were on streets was not very tight. Apparently runners were supposed to stay behind the cones near the shoulders of the streets but this is pretty unrealistic unless everyone is running single-file.

The biggest disappointment was the photography associated with the race. There were no pictures of me, and only two of my daughter. We were running this together (for the first time) and clearly saw the photographer at mile 10 (on the half-marathon) point and shoot what appeared to be a number of pictures. Nothing was available.

Finally, this race, like most of the ones I've run in, never has protein of any significant sort at the finish. After the exertion of the marathon or half-marathon, the body needs some quick protein replacement.

I've run this race every year for awhile now. This year's race was sold out because of an article in Runner's World about the top Boston qualifying races. It was capped at 800 runners. It did not seem too crowded to me. All of the drink stations were well manned by friendly volunteers.

The weather could not have been better for a marathon. I like talking to the various runners from around the country that come to my hometown marathon to BQ. This year's race at about Mile 7, I looked into the bush to see a man with a Mohawk haircut, his chest and face painted, wearing only a loin cloth (no running shoes), his chip taped to his ankle, as he came out after taking care of his business. ;-) Just about the entire marathon is along two beautiful rivers with picturesque views. The end of the race in NY's capital, Albany, is a great spot for an after-marathon party, with everything you could ask for within walking distance. If you would like to contact me, I would supply more information. I did BQ this year and I was not too hopeful before the race. It was truly a great day!

This was my 12th marathon, and maybe my last. But this one would be the one to go out in style with. Overall, it was a small-scale marathon, with a 700-runner limit. In fact, there was no expo-registration, as the field had closed. There was a nice pasta dinner the night before, with a fee, where you can talk running with would-be runners from many areas. The race itself was well managed, with water stops every two miles and volunteers cheering us on. The course with very scenic, and flat. As advertised, much of the race is run along the Mohawk River. Add to that the fact that it's fall, and it provided for breathtaking scenery. There was little crowd support though. The only real drawback to the race was the lack of marshals on the course late in the race, around 18 miles in. Finishers were treated to very nice, engraved medal.

I ran this one to rabbit-pace my boyfriend, but this was just such a great little marathon. The course was absolutely beautiful, with the fall foliage in full bloom and running along the scenic rivers and through leave-strewn bike paths in the woods (the only downside was a necessary stretch from about mile 19-21, where the town of Cohoes had apparently uprooted the otherwise continuous bike path for traffic lanes (boo, industrial development!)). This was a relatively flat course, with just a few uphills and some really steep but quick downhills. This was a pretty small race, so there weren't that many crowds of cheerleaders, but the ones that were there were quite strategically placed, considering we were on bike paths far from car-accessible roads most of the time; there were well-manned aid stations about every two miles (which I prefer over encountering the slowdown of aid areas every single mile), with only water and Gatorade except around miles 17 and 19, where they had all of the favorite GUs (with caffeine!). We ended on a surprisingly clean and scenic stretch right at the waterside of the Hudson River, despite being uber-close to downtown Albany and Interstate 87 (thankfully close the parking lot and the road to food and home... hehehe). They gave out bright orange and black long-sleeve tech tees (but no smalls!) and a recycled-materials bag as the swag. As far as road races go, this is, by far, my favorite one to date.

This is a beautiful, and fast, race. I train in a flat area and I always doubt races that advertise as "flat." Sure, there are a couple of uphills and more downhills, but I felt like it was just enough to break up the monotony for my muscles. It is definitely not for runners who need a huge crowd for their races, but I liked the tranquility it offers.

The race is point to point (Schenectady to Albany) and is mostly on paved bike paths through park areas. There is some road running through Watervliet on a main road, and police officers and traffic enforcement folks managing the crossings were really fabulous in all towns on the route. Considering that this was a small race, they afforded everyone the same level of courtesy, stopping traffic for those up front as well as those at the back.

Though the race wound through the trail areas, there were water tables (as indicated) approximately every two miles, they were manned for the entire race, and there were sufficient drinks/GU/etc. for everyone.

At the start, a few more porta-lets would have been nice, but the park restrooms were available (and heated), so that helped.

We had great running weather yesterday, and the foliage was really wonderful.

The course is fast and mostly downhill. Definitely a race I'll consider doing again.

This was the first time that I ran this race and it was simply beautiful. The course is fast and you run under a canopy of foliage. I really enjoyed it and plan to be back. My only recommendations would be to have some sort of clock at the halfway point, with breakfast and soda at miles 18 through 20. Overall, a great, small race!!!

Hard to believe this was the 26th running of the event. We sent in our apps weeks ago specifying our shirt size. When we got to the expo, we are told that there were no more small shirts, which is inexcusable. This was my wife's first marathon and she wanted a shirt to remember it by. The medium is way too big for her. My large shirt fits me like a tent. Both are off to Goodwill. Our purchased bus tickets were totally ignored by the bus driver the next day.

Course goes through residential streets for around 5 miles when you get a stunning view of the Mohawk. After that, you don't see it much at all. There was little warning of water stops ahead; most were hidden from view by turns and it was not until you were upon it did you know they were there. One water stop was at the bottom of a dip and absolutely hidden from view until you were right over it. No time to suck down a GU. After grabbing water from the stop, there was a steep (but very short) embankment to climb while gulping down a cup of water. Threw off my stride completely. Would have been much better for the runners to have that stop at the top of the dip. When my wife encountered a stop further down, they were completely out of cups. Runners had to queue up to gulp water directly from the gallon water jugs. Some runners picked up previously-used cups off the ground and poured water into them. The following stop also ran out of cups, so they pulled the table completely off the course.

At the finish, we had to climb down a steep embankment to get water/Gatorade and carbs. No protein whatsoever. Climbing down and back up that embankment was cruel for those of us who just finished the marathon.

Drivers in Cohoes and Waterviet where oblivious to a marathon in their towns. The volunteers did a fantastic job trying to direct traffic, but many drivers chose simply to ignore them. The bike paths throughout the course and especially in Albany had many cyclists that had to be dodged. They have a right to the path as much as we do, but I wish we didn't have to deal with them to avoid a collision.

All of the previous comments on this board are correct. I had fun running this race, except through the towns. The net downhill of the course is barely noticeable, which is good for the quads. My hat goes off to the volunteers, who did a fantastic job. I liked that the half started at the same time we did, but 13.1 miles away. Too may events have the half and full run together, which makes for a very crowded first half of a marathon

Overall I enjoyed this course and race a great deal. It was scenic, flat and fast. There were volunteers all along the course to direct you and more spectators than I expected who cheered for all the runners. I don't remember steep downhills and there were basically no inclines.

The weather was excellent and I enjoyed talking with other runners during the race. I did not BQ, as I was not able to maintain my speed the last 3 miles. I will be back at some point to try again.

I would have liked a bit more of an expo, and I found it annoying that I could not get the size shirt I requested. What is the point of registering EARLY for a certain size shirt but not being able to get it because you didn't arrive early enough? I missed that in the race info. I did like the opportunity to pass on many race t-shirts that I never wear. I also would have liked food at more of the aid stations. I felt it necessary to carry my own.

This was my first small marathon and I wasn't sure if I would like it but surprisingly I did. I agree with a previous racer that the end of the course was not well monitored for spectators. I had to veer around a couple with a young child in a stroller.

Overall, though, I had a great time and will be back.

This was my second marathon and it was a very good experience. The course is very nice for the most part, on a trail through the woods, along the river. The course is a little less nice when you are running along the highway, but that is only for a short distance (in marathon talk anyway).

My biggest issue was that there is no course map. The closest you get is a 16-page spectator guide, which details directions to get to various points along the race to cheer on participants. Don't get me wrong; this is a very nice thing to have. But as a runner, I would have really liked to know where it was that I was running. I didn't find out until after the race that there were mile markers posted on Google Earth! I don't understand why they couldn't connect the points and map it out so they could print it and hand it out with the schwag bag.

Oh, I really appreciated the sneaker recycling at the packet pick up. Overall, this is a race I would do again. And yes, it is fast; I qualified for Boston!