I was very impressed by how well this race was organized. It's a small town marathon with beautiful scenery, enthusiastic spectators (though no large crowds), and a no-hassle start and finish. Getting to the start was easy on the shuttle busses. There were heat lamps, bathrooms, and a tent available at the start, and our bags were easily dropped off at bag check and then picked up at the finish. I even got my throw away shirt back! The course is challenging- the whole race is rolling ups and downs, with 2 large hills mixed in. The last few miles are run on a rough path that was a little hard on the feet, and there were quite a few twists and turns to get to the finish. It's not a PR course, but the scenery and hospitality of Oak Harbor make up for that. There was plenty of food and entertainment at the end of the race as well. I would definitely recommend this marathon!

Ran this for the first time yesterday and my legs are killing me! There are certainly a lot of hills on this course, both the up and down kind! I tried to run on the gravel at the side of the road as much as possible on the downhills to save my legs a little but they're still pretty sore! There is a lot of up but there is also a lot of down, sometimes enough to help you forget the previous up until you get smacked with the next one! :)

Beautiful scenery (especially the bridge and spots neat the water) and largely rural. Although there aren't hoards of spectators lining the course the clusters that are there are extremely supportive and loud, you can hear them before you see them! Volunteers were excellent. Although the roads aren't closed there really isn't much traffic. Space heaters at the start line were a really nice touch!

I like small races that the host town gets behind, you saw all sorts of welcomes all over town for the runners which was nice.

Shuttles ran pretty smoothly so no complaints there for me. Just hopped on a bus at my hotel and went directly to the start. Gear check went smoothly and the volunteer at the finish line already had my bag in hand for me before I reached the booth. Expo was reasonable size for a small race and all the volunteers were friendly and helpful. Medal was pretty sweet!

All in all I'm very glad I did it, it's been on my list for a while and the fact that it went across the Deception Pass bridge this year was the decider.

Victoria folk, it's easily reachable by the Sidney-Anacortes ferry but you'll have to take BC Ferries back after driving up the I5 on the way home unless you leave the next morning.

I was very surprised at how well this marathon was put together this year. The course was great with the start going over the Deception Pass bridge and the last 4 miles along the water. Very little traffic on the course and when there was traffic, there were a ton of cones giving the runners a safe lane to run in. It seemed like there were aid station at least every couple of miles. There was lots of food at the finish since they had a separate food tent for the marathoners. Everyone seemed very friendly and happy to be there. The course is probably the most difficult road marathon in Washington due to the hills, but most of the last 8 miles are downhill or flat. Any course on Whidbey is going to be hilly, but at least the hills aren't at the end. I would definitely do this one again.

Since there are 5-6 times as many half marathoners as full marathoners (1,200 versus 200), it's reasonable for organizers to focus on their larger audience. Much of what results, however, is unfortunate.

The half marathoners run the same course starting just 30 minutes later. What that means is that most of the resources are gone by the time marathoners reach those areas. It also means that marathoners have to weave through the rump elements of the shorter race, particularly walkers.

And when marathoners finish, many of the resources are gone. I was in the middle of the marathoning pack, and the beer cart was gone by the time I arrived. Not running low or difficult to find, just gone. But I guess that's par for the course, because the music was also closing up at the same time.

The wind was atrocious this year, but that's just weather. Since the marathon is owned by the City of Oak Harbor, it's reasonable they'd want the whole course within their borders. But it'd be better to have a south-to-north passage (since that's the prevailing winds) and perhaps one that started in Coupeville. At the very least, eliminate all those out-and-backs on the course. Turning around and running the same path seems unnecessary on the third-largest island in the US.

Very high winds this year, with a temperature of about 50F (much lower with wind chill). Thankfully, there was no rain. All in all, a nice event.

Pros: Scenic country roads for the most part; nice tech shirt; the island is a nice place to visit; the race is well-supported by the Gold Wing Club and spectators throughout route; and the aid stations excellent.

Cons: The out-and-back sections of the course, especially the last one at miles ~19-22, are unpleasant; it's no fun to run by the finish line at the start of a ~7 mile-out-n-back; it would be better not to have to weave amongst the half-marathon walkers in this area, too; and they gave a dime-store medal this year.

I really like the scenery, but the hills are tough. I would suggest doing this event on a year when you cross the Deception Pass Bridge. We didn't this year and it just isn't quite the same.

They mention on the website that this is a Boston Qualifier course. When I looked it up on the USATF cite for certified marathon courses in Washington, the only course I could find was the Deception Pass Bridge course. That would explain why my GPS showed that the course was 0.2-miles long.

Still, I qualified for Boston. I hope the BAA accepts my time.

I absolutely loved this race - it was a wonderful first marathon! Waste Management did a great job as sponsor. Volunteers were well organized and encouraging. Water, Gatorade and GU were plentiful.

The course was generally very good, but the multiple out-and-back sections were a bit frustrating. Also, there were a few idiot drivers on the last six miles of the course with way too little regard for runners.

All in all, though, a great race! I loved the small marathon atmosphere, and the tech shirt is gorgeous!

Definitely hillier than advertised. Trying, long hill up to mile 11 or 12. Very tough mental section on the military base. Second half out-and-back to the south was torture. Great finish area in the park and a Dairy Queen nearby for recovery.

Great transportation the start by bus. Beautiful island with a worker's marathon.

Great, challenging course. Good support from volunteers. Learning that your time is nearly a minute off was crazy! I can so appreciate how N.S. feels. I usually don't write in, but, what a disappointment for those who trained hard and ran this particular 26.2 hard - no chip time from the chip that ran with you on 26.2 miles to correct or confirm a messed up clock time! So, to all 354 who started, congrats! To all 282 who finished, yahoo! To all who ran, finished and qualified for Boston, YOU ROCK and YOU DESERVE IT! Best of all, you are so prepared and ready to take on and conquer Boston! Heartbreak Hill will be a piece of cake compared to this course! Lace up, everyone; there is always another marathon somewhere to run next! Good luck and enjoy each one of them!

My comments refer to the half-marathon; this is my third year running the Whidbey Island Half. Congratulations to the race organizers for listening to the feedback after the disappointing 2008 course changes. This year's course was a world of difference, allowing runners to once again take in the beauty of the island and waterfront for much of the race. I still prefer a point-to-point course rather than looping back and running ground already covered, but ultimately, the course was very nice and ending at the park in Oak Harbor makes good sense. While there are definitely hills, they're manageable.

Prior to the race I needed to contact the organizer several times, and I appreciate that he replied to each of my emails promptly. The course is well-marked and there are frequent aid stations. The volunteers on the course do a fine job. The shuttle back to the starting line was prompt and efficient. Getting into the expo this year was a hassle, but that's due to construction so it should improve again in the future.

The two biggest sponsors (I'm affiliated with one of them) backed off of the race this year, and lack of sponsorship made a huge difference as far as all the extras are concerned. Smaller expo, no pasta dinner, much cheaper t-shirt (and ugly, at that!), throwaway medal compared to the very cool 2008 medal made of recycled glass, plastic bag rather than tote ~ basically, no frills compared to year's past. Understandable given the economy, but a bit of a downer nonetheless. Most notable was the bare-bones feel at the finish line. I ran a very, very small, local half-marathon earlier in the month and there was a greater variety of food and drink at the finish than after Whidbey this year. More importantly, I was disappointed to see plastic water bottles being handed out. Any race that claims to go green should make every effort to avoid plastic bottles. Sure, recycling bins were available, but reducing, not recycling, is the way to go.

As someone else noted, this is not a race where crowds line the course, which is fine with me as I prefer smaller races. The handful of spectators are encouraging, though.

All in all, a well-organized race with a lovely course; let's hope they can line up more sponsors again next year.