Due to the predicted high heat the marathon was cancelled for 2012. It is a real disappointment to train, spend the money for a hotel and travel, and not run a marathon. If you are a 50 state runner, I cant advise signing up for a marathon whose director will cancel the race if the temperature is predicted to be high. They did allow the marathoners to run the half marathon so all these comments relate to the half marathon course.

Packet pickup was well organized and the expo was pretty good with lots of interesting booths for a mid-size marathon. No real swag like posters or bags or cups but the tech shirt is good but not outstanding and the finisher's medal is nice but not memorable.

There are hotels located within 5 blocks of the start and finish which make things convenient. I would recommend the Double Tree, it was very nice although a bit more expensive than I wanted to pay. They did pick me up at the airport and had a shuttle which would take you to packet pickup and local restaurants within a 2 mile radius. All the local hotels seem to raise the rates to unfortunate prices for the marathon. I would like to see the race directors negotiate some hotel discounts. There are numerous restaurants within walking distance from the start / finish / hotel area.

The half course is a 13 miles loop and relatively flat. If I remember correctly the high and low points are only separated by 80 feet. The first 4 miles the road is a little bit rough but the biggest problem is the cones. The course follows a 4 lane road but they put cones in 1 lane to try and keep the runners in that lane. With the ex-marathoners and the half marathoners starting at the same time, the problem is that there are so many runners they spread out to cover 2 lanes and now you have the middle of the pack tripping over orange cones for 4 miles. In my opinion the cones were more dangerous to the runners than if they had not put any cones out there to separate cars and runners. The traffic was very light at 7 AM and the drivers were courteous and not a factor in my experience.

I have entered more than 45 marathons and have never had one cancelled on me. Back in the old days, a race was held rain or shine. I guess today's marathoners are too delicate to run in the heat.

So, my quest for marathon #13 failed when the organizers decided to cancel the race.

While profoundly disappointed about weeks of training and a 500 mile drive for a half marathon, I grudgingly have to conclude that this was probably a fair call. It was actually a little cooler than the pre-stated cutoff race temperature at the start but it was very sunny with a high dew point so it felt draining even though the humidity wasn't awful. It did warm up as predicted reaching eighty by the time the average finisher crossed in 2:08

The organizers clearly erred on the side of caution putting the word out a few days ahead that the race was in jeopardy. My hotel offered to let me out of my reservation even though I was past the cutoff when the warning came out. I travelled anyway hoping for the best, realizing I might only see a half.

The downtown area was very nice with lots to do. I stayed in a host hotel on the capital square. The expo was small but adequate given the size of the race. Didn't see much of the campus since only the full course went there but the views along the lake were pretty good and traffic control was well done.

I was a little afraid when I saw that the half course included seven turns in the first mile but it really wasn't a problem even with the more than normal half field of ~4,400 (including those who had signed up for the full).

They offered $20 off for next year and I still dont have Wisconsin so maybe I'll be back.

The weather is looking better for South Bend this weekend as a plan B.

This was a great race. It was perfect weather and the course was very nice. For Wisconsin, this is my favorite marathon - it is not super hilly, which is tough to find around here. The gels were well placed and the water/aid stations were great. It's a really nice size, after about a 1/2 mile you have more room, and after 1 mile there's a good amount of space between runners. Madison is a great city and I'd highly recommend this race.

The race was very well organized and everything went very smoothly. I liked the staggered start for the full/half/quarter marathoners, which allowed the course to be shared without any collisions between the half/quarter runners.

The course was very nice - a great tour of Madison for me as an out of towner. We ran through the arboretum (very serene), through campus and by the stadium, through lots of neighborhoods and parks, and along the lake on the bike trail. We did run through a couple of industrial sections which were not so nice. The course was pretty flat but there were a few short/steep hills and one cruel one at mile 25, but overall it seemed fair.

We lucked out with the weather - absolutely ideal conditions. It was 60 degrees and cloudy the whole time and then it rained towards the end which helped cool things off. This helped me beat my PR by 9 minutes!

I especially liked the fact that the marathon was small, but not too small. It was big enough for a respectable expo and pretty good crowd support (especially when we ran through the downtown, which the course goes through 4 times). But it was also very easy to get a flight, hotel, restaurant table, and the course was not congested. And everything was quite inexpensive in Madison, and everyone was so friendly.

I read about the problems from last year and I can say that I experienced none of them this year.

I highly recommend this marathon.

This was my 10th consecutive Madison Marathon and 11th overall. I was very pleased with all aspects of the race.

Weather in the past has been tough, but this can't be controlled. This year was perfect if you like a lot of clouds and a little rain.

Organization was very good from packet pickup to finish line. No complaints. Excellent volunteers throughout the weekend.

Course was changed just a bit from last year and was an improvement. Nice job. I never saw a half marathoner on the course until the last few miles (walkers), so the staggered starts and course alterations helped a lot. A few sections of the road were rough, but you can't have perfect pavement the whole way.

Please put this on your list for 2012. I think that they have things figured out and this is a beautiful course in a great city.

I was a little hesitant to sign up for the race, given the reviews from last year, but I decided to take a chance.

Overall, it very well organized and I could not have asked for a better race-day experience. Great course and fantastic finish at the capitol. The hill at the end was torture but I ran a PR by 6 minutes.

The negative comments from last years race nearly kept me away but I came and I'm glad I did. The things I liked best about this race were {a} no relays {b} the marathon started before the half and the races went in different directions.The course was a little hilly but not too bad [my recovery was very quick]. whatever problems they had last year seemed to be fixed. Two Thumbs Up.

This was my first Madison Marathon, though I ran the half a few years ago. This was the best Wisconsin marathon I've done. With WI being such a hilly state, this is a nice flat course with just enough hills to ward off boredom. It was such a GREAT course and perfect day for the marathon. This year the weather was around 60-70 and cloudy, with rain towards the end. The expo was so great, the course materials and organization were also great. I really enjoyed the route running near both lakes and up by the Maple Bluff area, that was so pretty and the trees made it nice and cool. I couldn't say enough nice things about this race. I ran my PR by about 7 minutes, and felt great. I appreciate all the support from the wonderful spectators. Great job, Madison! Awesome Marathon!!!!

Whatever problems they experienced last year were not evident this year. This race was well organized from expo to finish line. The course was not the best I've run but it had a nice balance to it, and the spectators that were out were great. This is a fantastic town, and my experience was extremely positive.

I was totally disappointed with this race. I was expecting a somewhat nicer expo, but that was the least of the problems in Madison. The start was disorganized, the water stops were a disaster and the course communication was almost non-existent. The heat was a huge problem. I've run on hot days before - good races have sponges and ice. I'm pretty sure Madison didn't have either, but then again, there was no energy gel at one of the stops and I seem to recall no water either. On the pro side of the race, the medal wasn't awful and the course weaves through some nicer areas. I do not think I'll run this race again any time soon. There are really a lot of other WI marathons that are better.