This is a small, certified, pancake-flat marathon - with 21 participants in the full. In fact, there were more course marshals and volunteers than runners.

Honestly, I have no complaints, as everything about the race was well organized and it is clear that the RD was well prepared and willing to make last-minute changes. I even enjoyed the out-and-back sections.

The race started in the middle of the night to prevent runners from having to run in the hot sun. Every runner had at least one support vehicle to escort them through the dark roads. Runners were escorted by a contingency of ATVs, cyclists and police cruisers. The volunteers were great and went out of the way to ensure that any requests (from PowerBars, to water) were met.

The expo was small, but it was followed by a guided tour of the course (this is a must for those not familiar with the course!).

Bonus: The marathon partners with American Airlines and local hotels to give you great deals! (The race was practically free considering the price breaks I got on airfare and hotels.)

Fun marathon to do. There was great scenery, but not much help in assisting with directions. I got lost twice and had to slow down to wait for a runner to show me where to go at the end of race. That runner ended up winning my age group....

I had never run a marathon on the first of January. I had never run a marathon at 5am. Due to all of this, it is a very special marathon, but I liked it a lot. The St. Croix island is very beautiful, and a large part of the marathon track is by the sea-side. The worst thing about this marathon is that it is very lonely. Because there are so few runners, you're always very alone. In addition, there is no public. The island is very small and everyone is sleeping after New Year's Eve night.