Be prepared to keep track of how many laps you make or you may run too many or not enough laps. It's a very expensive race for what you get. It's the cheapest medal you will ever receive, although I don't run a marathon for a medal. The food was gone when I finished at about a 3:30 marathon pace.

When I'm old enough to run a BQ time, this is the race that will get me there. I've tried to break 4:30 for a couple of years, but the heat and hills usually got in the way. I've run the LCFB Half and Marathon Relay in the past, but with the favorable weather forecast, I knew it was my destiny to run the full Hamster Marathon. The flat course is marked every 1/4-mile, which assists with perfect pacing. In most races, we mid-packers never get to see the fast folks run. This time, I was thrilled to be lapped (several times) by Chuck Engle and other sub-3:00 racers. Most people respected the RDs request for slower runners to stay inside (to the left) - tho' after 4 hours, it didn't matter so much that the remaining runners drifted right. Although I PRd by 13 minutes, I didn't get a medal - word is that the company shorted the RD by a box of 100. But Jeff's a stand-up guy and I know mine will show up in the mail.

Finally - I'll add my deep thanks to the hat/wig lady and her family. They hung in there for more than 4 hours and their enthusiasm was greatly appreciated!

I loved this marathon. This was my second marathon, and I thought this one was great! There was water every lap, so I didn't have to worry about being hydrated or worry about when I would come across the next water station. It was a fast, flat course, and the 1-mile loop was great. I was worried about going around the same loop 26 times, but it was way easier than I ever expected.

On the plus side, I actually like the one mile loop; it helps with pacing and mentally breaking the race up into segments. There were a few spectators who were very enthusiastic and helpful (special thanks to the guy with the megaphone; you really helped). The host hotel is nice. On the bad side, only two porta-johns? Thankfully I didn't need one. Not a very high quality t-shirt and no real race goodies to speak of, which is fine, but at the cost of the race you might think there would be more. And at times the loop gets pretty crowded. Even though they are constantly telling people not to run side by side, you'd commonly encounter groups of runners or walkers four-wide.

My husband and I actually just ran the half as a training run for the Kentucky Derby Marathon in the spring. We weren't sure what to expect, but thought it would be more fun than by ourselves on our usual route. I was impressed with the organization, and the people were very nice and accommodating. We're used to running hills so the flat course was a little bit of challenge. That "using different muscles" thing is really true. I applaud the marathoners because I don't know if I could have gone around thirteen more times. My only concern was that we didn't realize we had even started the race. There wasn't a gun, horn or even audible announcement. We were just standing around and all of sudden everyone around us started to run, so we did. We weren't sure if we had officially started until we crossed over the line. Our first mile was horrible. Thanks to the lady with her two little girls. We loved seeing the new hat each lap around! I also missed out on the third place award in my age group to a girl named Ron. Congrats if you're really a girl, but just had to wonder if that was a mistake or not. Anyway, thanks to Dublin for a fun training run!

It was just as advertised. A race to dig deep into and get your goal done. Based on my 10 years of running, I can truly say, I loved it because I was able to use all the information I gathered over the years to achieve my goal. I have always been a 5-5 1/2 hour marathoner with the desire to be 4:30's. This time I was able to get it done. And that is this race, with the hotel close by, miles counted every time you cross the line, cheering sections in the same spot, as well as the fueling station and congratulations given with ease. I didn't find the 26 1-mile repeats boring because I was there to get the task done. I will go back!!!

And as for the lady with the 26 different hats and wigs: Thank you; you made me smile....

I have run the LCFB Marathon 3 times now and I have enjoyed them all. My only concern was that I did not receive a finisher's medal when I finished this year. They said that they ran out of medals and would mail me one; I hope they follow through. I can understand this if I was one of the last few to finish, but I was in the top 40% of the field.

I ran this race without shoes and got a (shoeless) PR. The spectators were amazing and the course was great for me.

I had read about how poorly organized this race was, so I was bracing myself for a bad experience. If the race had been poorly organized in the past, there have been some improvements. Lap counters were great, I never had to wait in line for the porta-pottie (which ALWAYS happens at other races), and directions were very clear.

The only problem I had was finding out that I would have to wait for my medal to be mailed out to me because they had run out. I know there were a lot of race day registrants, and I understand the logic of not making more medals than you have runners. I'd rather wait for my medal than have them waste medals and have to drive up the fee for next year.

This marathon is exactly as advertised. It is a one-mile loop run 26 times. It is well organized and the people are wonderful. The host hotel is accessible and provides some warmth on a February day in central Ohio. We had great weather for the event in 2009. It is a fast, flat course with no surprises.

There needs to be separation of events between the marathon (to qualify for Boston) and the other events (Relay, 5K, 10K, and Half-Marathon). Today's event seemed geared for more of the non-Boston qualifiers as the loop was very congested at several points. It was too challenging to pass people on the corners and through the finish line and aid stations. There should be two different weekends with all non-marathon events on Saturday and one marathon event (women's or men's) on Sunday. This would ensure a better opportunity for both women and men to qualify for Boston or run a fast marathon around a fast, one-mile loop. With two separate events, there could be potential for two successful running expos, which is needed to promote the local area running and health places. The host hotel (Crown Plaza) did a very nice job with the accommodations. Thanks to all of the volunteers, support, police, and the remainder of the crew for making the event as supportive as possible.