Pro: Flat course
Hydration every mile
Good music
Friendly people
Very nice marathon t-shirt and bag
Marathon starts in the dark so it isn't as hot (sun comes out about mile 9-10).
Red Stripe beer and coconut at the end.
Negril is beautiful and laid back.
Transportation to the start and back was organized well.

Con: Need to have a better 'expo'.
SKIP THE PASTA PARTY!!. Based on reviews I was so looking forward to it. We stood in line for ~20min trying to get food until we realize that people were just walking up and cutting in front so the line didn't move.Very disorganized. Pasta bland--no flavor. They ran out of cold water on a warm night.
No marathon 'pacer' and everyone (walkers and runners) grouped together.
'7 mile beach'--wrong. You are running on the road lined by Hotels so you do not see the beach at all.

Reasonable marathon, was long lot's of traffic for a closed course, mile markers only (no kilometer marks for international or Jamaican peeps).

Start is chaotic with walkers placing themselves behind elites and then strewing width of road.

4hr30min no Red Stripe left (guess that's because other reviewers had Red Stripes *s*).

Toilets at start were a health hazard.

Good water/electolyte/gel stations.

Ya, mon. I loved every aspect of this marathon experience. Don't let the heat or reviews of aggressive locals faze you. The organization of this little marathon is awesome. The pasta party is by far the world's greatest. The food was amazing, and I didn't experience a shortage of water since I arrived early in order to get a good night sleep. The route is fairly flat, but not an easy one. The weather shouldn't be a surprise... it's JAMAICA. Water stops were at every mile offering baggies of water and Gatorade. Gel and fruit were also available. The finish was a long run down a narrow chute with the DJ encouragement: "...run like a reggae star." The medal was placed around each runner's neck and the misting tent with large, ice-cold sponges was a life saver. The coconut milk and ice-cold Red Stripe beers were just the icing on the cake. I want to thank Dianne Ellis and the Windjammer volunteers for being available via e-mail and at the race to make this experience one I will cherish.

DO THIS RACE!!!

My wife and I have not been on a real vacation for three and a half years. We decided to go to Jamaica, and being a runner, lobbied for the week of the Reggae Marathon.

Pasta Dinner: As the website claims, it is the best pre-race pasta dinner I have ever eaten! There were eight or so tents where local resorts cooked their signature pasta dish. The entertainment was great and the packet pick-up was very organized.

Race: It starts at 5:15 a.m. Run along the road outside the resorts. There are a few nice views of the ocean, but you do not run beside the ocean. It gets HOT! By 8:00 it was above 80. The bagged water/Gatorade is awesome. When I go back to Jamaica I will be there the first week of December every time.

This was my 100th marathon and it was well-organized and fun! At several points along the route, I stopped and struck a "Lighting Bolt" pose - the famous pose of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt who won three gold medals in three world-record times at the 2008 Beijing Olympics - and when I did it at the finish line, the crowd went crazy. I also had a fantastic vacation - I rented a motorcycle, traveled all over the island, ate Caribbean food, partied with the locals, cliff-dived and sang onstage with the reggae band at Rick's Cafe, played on the beach and swam in the ocean. Thank you for staging such a great race and for your warmth and kindness. Bless up, mon!

I ran this race four years ago and thought that "you can't improve on perfection." But you did!!! EVERYTHING about this race was FIRST-CLASS! I cannot wait to come and run it again! You Jamaicans rock!! Thank you so much for the GREAT time you showed to me and my daughter, Sarah!! I love you people! Thank you SO MUCH!

Best pasta party I've ever been to. The race was beautiful and the bagged water is a great idea. Loved the coconuts and beer at the finish. I would only recommend to have more complementary drinks at the pasta party at the finish. Also, they should "really" shut down the roads. I was almost hit by a hustler in a mini-bus. Overall, a solid marathon with a lot of potential for growth. I would consider it a second time around.
RESPECT, Mon. :-)

The race was what I expected coming into it. I really liked the early start. Once the sun came out, the heat became very intense. An aid station every mile was great! I had no problems staying hydrated the whole course. The people (except a few locals along the course) were very friendly and helpful. Half of the course is through town, so all you see are the entrances of the resorts. This is not such a big deal since most of this is run in the dark. Once out of town, there were a few larger hills, but the scenery was great. I was in Jamaica to attend a wedding. If I had to be in Jamaica for another event like the wedding, I would for sure run the marathon again. Despite the intense heat, I still managed a PR by 10 minutes!

I registered for this run expecting a "reggae" marathon. There was one reggae band for the marathon and just reggae music blaring from cars on the side of the road. The run was painfully boring. You run through the resort section of Negril and have no views. Around mile six you finally get a glimpse of the ocean for a bit. This marathon begins at 5 a.m. in order to beat the heat, so expect to run most of the course in the dark. Despite thinking that the course was boring, the organization was very good, the water stops were plentiful, and the finisher's medal was nice. There are no spectators except for tourists supporting people they knew running - though to me this is not a big deal.

I agree with a few other postings regarding the safety of Jamaica. JAMAICA IS DANGEROUS. There WERE hustlers and drug dealers all over the place who were very aggressive. Unfortunately, you really cannot leave your hotel or the beach front due to the harassment.

Would I go back? Probably not.

Not a brilliant time.
The good:
1. Very well organized expo and run.
2. Water stops every mile.
3. Enthusiastic volunteers.
4. Adequate porta-johns.
5. Nice finisher's medal.
6. You begin the run at 5 a.m., so you avoid the heat.

The negatives:
1. You begin the run at 5 a.m., which means that if you run the half, you do the entire thing almost in the dark.
2. The course goes through the resort section of Negril, which means you run along the road in the dark and you just see the entrance ways for hotels.
3. I had expected there to be reggae bands along the way - there was just one band on the course that you passed twice.

BE WARNED: Jamaica is full of drug dealers and hustlers trying to peddle their garbage to you. This means about every 10 minutes you're approached while on the beach by someone - and even more frequently if you're out on the street. Jamaica has great food, beautiful beaches and nice people - but a general sense of not feeling safe and secure is how I felt my entire trip. If you do head down, my suggestion is to stay in an all-inclusive resort that has security, and DO NOT travel alone.