The previous comments say it all - a small-town marathon with a great route along park and forested trails for most of the race. The difference this year is that the route was done in reverse of previous years, so I guess the half marathoners from previous years got to go where they haven't raced before. A little shoulder-to-shoulder on the narrow trails as the full marathoners started with the half marathoners, but it's no different from what you get with the mega-marathons for the first few mile. Once the half marathoners split away, it was a bit of a lonely jaunt at times, so those needing company for their races better bring a friend. The good part of it is that no one blocked you from running the tangents on the twisty paths. Good signage and great volunteers to make sure you didn't get lost. I did the last 5K basically alone and it felt like I was doing a long tempo training run and I did a mid-pack time just under 4 hours. It was a bit of a cold, windy day in the 2010 edition, with temps just below freezing at the start, but just about perfect temps later on in the race. Just enough hills and dips to keep it interesting, but pretty flat most of the way. A little kicker at the end of the race before a downhill finish. At one point on the river trails I thought/smelt that they should name it the Swamp Gas Marathon, but that quickly passed.

Master racers who think they might place well in a small race like this, think again. The top three spots and four of the top five finishers were in the 40-49 age group. Not a lot of spectators with the course away from most residential areas, but the aid station volunteers were great. Multiple gel stations, but I would of prefer that they had the gels handed out first before we got to the water and not vice-versa. Plenty to eat after, but just the basics; bagels, fruits, yogurt, cookies and donuts. Race medal was nice and not too gaudy. Long-sleeved tech shirt given at the race expo had "finisher" on it, so you better not DNF or you would feel guilty wearing it. Best bonus was getting free downloadable HD race photos, and I was captured ten times by the photographers.

I have to agree with all of the positive comments below (and that's not easy for someone from a rival city with its own marathon!). It's not just that the river valley landscape is pretty; it's the way the runners are insulated from all road traffic and congestion and given privileged river valley views. No concrete jungle. No rural wasteland. It's true. A small-town race with big-city-style support. To everyone who's never run this course: please stay away so that we can keep it to ourselves!

This is the 2nd time I have done the full, and I have done the half once.

As usual, it was a nice, scenic run, with tons of crowd support.

I have nothing but good things to say, and I recommend it.

A great course! At one point forgot I was in a marathon and thought I was just on a regular run. One thing very appreciated was differentiation between water/Gatorade by using clearly different cups at the stations. At a couple of marathons I have had to stop and go back to get water because the volunteers just looked blankly at me. The post-race spread was disappointing: oranges, bananas, yogurt, bagels, donuts and cookies. And they ran out of coffee - I got one, small cup. Coffee is vital after the race! Awards were very nice. Bill Nielsen, in his 100th marathon and now in his 8th year of Parkinson's, was staggeringly inspirational as he ran a still-eye popping 4:15-ish.

This is the first time that I have felt like I had to comment on a race before. I just had to because this was such a great run. I love the course. It was such a scenic route that I almost forgot the hills and the long distance. This was my 6th marathon, and the one where I got my PB! Thank you to the wonderful, enthusiastic volunteers - you guys did a great job!! It was Bill Nielssen's 100th marathon, and hearing the crowd cheer and scream it made me want to cry. What a great supportive city. The live band at the last hill was awesome. Thank you, Red Deer - I will be back and recommend this race to my friends as well.

This was a gorgeous run along the Red Deer River. There was a lot of variety in road surfaces - bike paths, gravel, asphalt. There were times I was running in the woods by myself, enjoying the ravens and robins.

Although public support en route is at a minimum due to the trail nature of this run, the volunteers at the water stations were incredible. Water, gel and PowerAde were plentiful; some stations had fruit and ice! There are even showers at the end of the route in a school. This is a well-organized, beautiful event.

It has two big hills, plus a number of small ones, so it is a bit more challenging than a flat route. I have done both the half and the full here, and will be back.

I really like the Red Deer Marathon. I have run the full once and the half once.

There are lots of good sites to see. It is organized well and there are even showers at the end, if needed.

That last hill before the finish line kills me each time!!

This race was recommended by another runner so I thought, why not. It has a mixed feel such that the first part is kind of crowded and feels like a typical road marathon, but it then quickly spreads out and feels more like an ultra. At one point I thought I was lost since there was no-one around, though the course is extremely well marked. All the positive comments I agree with, and I'll be back next year! It would be nice if there was race-day package pickup, and it was somewhat tricky getting to the start line, navigation-wise, with the closed roads. Otherwise, the run itself was great, as was the post-race massage. And tell me which marathon can beat a $1500 cash draw prize?

Great course with a lot of variety; it runs along a river, through parks, around a golf course, and through the woods. Includes asphalt and dirt pack trails. Very well marked. But the water station support is the best. Enthusiastic, friendly and well stocked. This is not an easy run because of the rolling terrain but it's well worth the effort.

I ran this race as a training run for my next ultra. And it was a great run. The course is absolutely beautiful. I did quite a bit of walking just to take in the scenery. This is a course not meant for a PR, since it has quite a few hills, and lots of twists and turns. The crowd support was awesome too. Keep up the good work.