I ran the full marathon at this race and I was very pleased. The course was well marked and the aid stations were well staffed. The course is primarily on paved trails in the woods, so spectators are far and few between. If you like small marathons, then you will love this race. The shirt is a lot nicer than last year's.

I read the previous comments before deciding to run this marathon as my first marathon.

"Negatives." These are nit-picky. It was a good race and a good experience.
* The pre-race information was sparse. The map was emailed to me by request and was impossible to follow.
* There was no pre-race expo - just a packet pickup, which was well-organized, easy, fast, efficient.
* The shirts are not attractive and are way too big. I got the smallest size and will never be able to wear it.
* The course was well marked and easy to follow. It is a nice course on a bike path, mainly. No traffic to worry about.
* The people were friendly. One water station was not prepared and we had to get our own water (mile 4). The PowerAde was more like blue water - no flavor. It was nice to have animal crackers at one stop, and GU at one stop.
*Only one port-a-potty along the way.
* The end was uneventful. Nothing going on, but plenty to drink and there was fruit available. Would have been nice to have a bit more available to eat.

"Positives."
Overall, a very nice course, nice people and spectators (few), and a good experience. Easy to follow the course - well marked. Plenty of water stations. Good weather.

I recommend this for people who are running for the first time, who don't need the expo or event-type atmosphere, or who just want a nice path to run.

I read a number of the comments from the previous years' races, and have to say that, this being my first half-marathon, I was a little worried about the organization; but they really seem to have worked out almost all of the problems that apparently plagued them before. Nice that they paid attention to peoples' concerns.

1. Marathon/half-marathon split. This was very obvious when I went through. Well marked, with enthusiastic volunteers pointing you in the right direction.
2. Post-race food. Nothing particularly groundbreaking, but the fruit was fresh (bananas were yellow this year); it was ample for me being a first-timer.
3. Volunteers. Very pleasant and helpful.
4. Aid stations. OK, though the PowerAde seemed very diluted, and some of the early stations were rather overwhelmed, so there was a little backup. Also, they seemed to be only every 4 miles or so. Was fine for me doing the half, but perhaps full marathoners would have liked more frequent stops?
5. Course. Not flat, but not too bad. Overland Park is generally rather hilly, so pancake courses are impossible to find anyway. I personally loved the bumpy trails. The little out and back near the beginning was a bit silly; I agree with the other guy who noted that.
6. Packet pickup. Bare bones, but efficient. The t-shirts were long-sleeved and technical; a nice touch.
7. Spectators. Pretty sparse for the most part, but those who did turn out were awesome.
8. Online registration. Fine, though getting the race director to return emails is still something of a challenge.

Suggestions for the future:
1. A few more staff on the early aid stations.
2. Start the 5K before or after the marathon/half-marathon. Lots of different speeds all mixed together made for a rather chaotic first couple of miles.
3. Port-a-pots. I'd say there were enough at the start, but they were few and far between during the run, and sometimes quite a way off the course. I was glad I didn't need one.
4. Medal was very nice, but didn't distinguish between the events. Would be nice to have a different one for each event (unless it is too cost-prohibitive to do so).
5. Website was a bit lame. Lots of information missing (aid stations, course maps, etc.). Some improvements could be made here.

All in all, though, a really great experience, in perfect weather (though this cannot be counted on in Kansas in November).

I was so pleased with this marathon! I ran it last year, because it's a local race for me, and was disappointed. But this year I was very pleased!!!

Pros:
-nice course, well marked
-finisher's medal, and age group awards
-great spectators
-fairly flat course

Cons:
-not even close to enough port-a-potties (but there are lots of bushes if you don't mind that)
-finisher's medal is the same that the 5K runners get
-same shirt as 5K runners, so when you wear it, nobody will know what distance you ran


Overall I was thrilled, because it was much better then last year! I hope it will continue to improve!

Criticisms:
1) I worry about this race ACTUALLY being a Boston qualifier, since the course has changed and it hasn't been certified since 1999. (So obviously, it's NOT REALLY A BOSTON QUALIFIER, and when USATF gets wind of that fact, a lot of people could be disappointed).
2) Waiting in a long line at the port-a-lets at the start. I ended up running a couple of blocks and peeing behind a bush. Not a problem for me, but the neighborhood might mind.
3) The marathon finishers should be treated differently from the 5K finishers, as far as hardware, shirts, blah, blah.
4) The course could have been marked better, or had people stationed at the turns.

Good things:
The course was, for the most part, scenic.
The volunteers were enthusiastic.
The metro area was accommodating of out-of-towners.

This was my 2nd marathon and overall I was not pleased. (My first marathon was the Olathe Marathon the same year.)

The things that bothered me most:
-Not enough port-a-potties at the start. I had no choice but to start my marathon with a very full bladder, and the first port-a-potty was 9 or 10 miles into the marathon. I had to find a bush, and I saw MANY other people doing the same. This was awkward for me because I am a girl.
-The race t-shirt was, quite frankly, ugly enough for me to never wear it. It would also be nice to have a shirt saying that you ran the full marathon, rather then giving the 5K runners the same shirt.
-The full marathon finishers got the same finisher's medal as the 5K runners, and it did not say the you were a marathon finisher. This was very disappointing to me.
-Age group award was an extra hat from last year. I liked the hat, but this was highly disappointing after working so hard.
BIGGEST COMPLAINT:
The course was badly marked. There were turning points with no signs, and since this is a smaller marathon, often there would be no people around me to follow. At mile 24, I came to a turn and had no idea where to go. I started crying; I was so exhausted and I had a time goal that I was a few minutes behind. This was very upsetting to me.

Positives:
-Friendly race with supportive spectators. Most of the race was pleasant and enjoyable.
-It was easy to get to the race start and the race started promptly.
-Course was interesting and scenery changed often.
-Overall, a good experience.

As a marathon participant, I missed the turn for the marathon course from the half marathon course. I thought there would be a person at the break, and I was focused on the aid station at that point. I ended up running approximately a mile and a half before I could ask about my mistake and how to get back on course. The worker gave me directions back, I ran about 1/4 mile back to the turn I missed, and a policeman picked me up and took me back where I had made my mistake. I sure appreciated that policeman, and not too many marathoners can say they got to ride in a police car during a marathon.

Agree with the posts so far on the scenic and enjoyable course. Several areas for improvement, though.

Negatives:

- (this is a big one) The RD did not reply to repeated emails from me and other runners on key questions (number and placement of water stops, etc.). It wasn't until I contacted the sponsor and got his personal (non publicized) email address that I got a response.
- The water/Gatorade stops on first half of the marathon course had "Dixie cup" size cups - nowhere near the 5-7 ounces that the RD had described and not sufficient for a long race (unless you stopped to take 5 or 6).
- The course wasn't really well marked - several of the turnarounds had no monitors and you were "on your honor" to turn around only after you'd reached a sign
- As mentioned in other posts, unless you had studied the course well, it would've been easy to miss a couple of key turns, since monitors weren't very aware/attentive.
- The packet pickup was a mess, with a single line of folks being processed (would've been easy to double the staff and not have the process be single-threaded).
- (minor issue) The post-race food was pretty paltry - generic sandwich cookies, rolls and bananas, but no bagels, donuts, etc.
-(minor issue) The age group awards were very lame. The yellow hat I got said, "10th annual." Left over from last year (??). Tacky...
- (minor issue) It would've been nice to have a lanyard for the medal, and the stick pin ribbon is pretty weak.
- (minor issue) Would prefer to not start all three races together - pretty big crush the first few miles until the 5K-ers finished their race.

Positives:

- Really pretty course and no terrible hills (comparatively speaking).
- Race volunteers are all friendly and helpful (maybe not terribly well organized but definitely well-intentioned).
- The pre-race activities (announcements, etc.) were fine and the race started punctually.
- The award ceremonies were well-organized and began promptly as publicized.
- This is a small, friendly race, and it was easy to get to the starting point.

Overall: This is a fine race for a local runner who knows the area and course. Folks from out of town need to be aware of the limitations listed above and be sure to come into the race prepared.

This was my first marathon, and I loved the course. Very scenic and a lot of variety made for a very nice run. I was a little disappointed in the organization though. After arriving at check in at 4:00 on Saturday, I was informed that they were already out of XL shirts, and I was given a smaller size and told to bring it the day of the race to exchange for the proper size. Of course, the morning of the race came and no XL shirts, so needless to say, I went home without a shirt. They had also ran out of marathon course maps by 4:00 and my girlfriend and I had a tough time planning for the day. Also I ran for about 7 miles in need of a port a potty without seeing one. That seemed like a long stretch to go without. But these problems only slightly dampened an otherwise great race, and a little extra planning could have made this even better.

I am trying to do all 50 states. This marathon was good for the most part. Constructive criticism:
a) Get rid of all of the down and back portions (at least in the industrial park).
b) Mark the path a little better. I am a 'mid pack' runner and when I was a few minutes ahead of some and behind others, I thought I was lost because I was alone on the course without any markers at a couple of areas where there were some turn offs.

The weather was perfect. The cookies and gatorade were absolutely fine. Lots of food and drink along the course. Very good spectators and good race support/organization. Staying at the Double Tree was great.
The medal should have been on a lanyard. The shirt was really nice.
This is a good race.