This is a great race that offers quite a challenge, especially the second half. The expo the day before was very well organized. I had my packet about 5 minutes after entering the building. Great vendors on hand. The jacket the full marathon runners was awesome, best thing I've gotten from any race. The first half of the course was great, especially if you went to school at the University of Akron. Running through Sand Run was tough, and there were a lot of hills after that. The best part was turning down Main St. and then running in through Canal Park. It was really cool to see that many people there cheering. It was a very well organized race and I'd love to do it again.

Do you like a marathon course with continuous ups and downs that make it extremely difficult to get that coveted BQ?

You do?!
Well, then Akron is the marathon you want to enter.
Many hills throughout this one. A couple of nasty, steep inclines between miles 19 and 22 make this a course that yields slow finishing times.
There is an abundance of food at the end to appeal to those who want their marathon race to serve them dinner. Beer also.

This was well organized from beginning to end. Free parking downtown, expo was first class, hydration and GU stations were plentiful, the towpath was scenic and post race was well staged. Would have enjoyed more bands along the course but overall I would highly recommend this marathon.

This marathon was great! As my 17th marathon and after doing many of the 'big' ones I was absolutely blown away by Akron. Organization was great, nice sized expo, and very nice Brooks jacket (nice alternative from the 100s of race T's). Fans and crowd support were great and I thought the motivational signs along the course were a nice touch and kept my attention throughout the race. (until the end when EVERYTHING seemed annoying, lol, but that is expected in the final miles of a marathon.) The firework show at the start was amazing as well- what a nice touch. The course was interesting, I liked the variety but I definetly wouldn't describe it as a 'flat' course. I went in thinking it would be perfectly flat (which is my own fault for not looking at the elevation profile before hand) so it was a bit discouraging to feel constantly like you were running on an incline or decline. Still eeked out a 2.5 minute PR so can't complain too much. :) Just want to warn those who love perfectly flat courses like me that this isn't one of them.

Totally worth a few hills though for one of the most well-run and fun race experiences out there! Cheers to the race director and volunteers who make it happen!

As others mentioned, good race for the price. Jackets were a nice touch, however, there was an issue with some female jackets, so mine just says Brooks - marathon is not even mentioned. I run enough races not to care too much, but it would be really disappointing if this was my one and only... I guess there is also a hat.
I think I would have one other negative - finish line area - have some liquids sooner. I had to ask several people where I can get some water. Food bag - not impressive, but I like the two beers idea.
So... minor complains aside - absolutely perfectly organized race. Great stops, well marked water v. powerade cups; plenty of GU on the course - first time ever I've seen volunteers open them for you. Nice touch! Clear mile marks with clock. Hilly, but that was advertised. Varying surface, which is awesome. Nice medal. Lots of parking spots - FREE!
All in all, I'm glad Akron was my Ohio pick on the quest for 50 states. Great job!

I've run marathons from the mega-marathons like Disney to the smaller ones like Hatfield-McCoy; this race was about mid-size for a city race and had a decent number of runners from full, half to relay, around 13,000 runners total. I really had worries about logistics, but from start to finish this was a class-act race that was amazingly well-organized.

Swag? You get a VERY high quality running jacket as well as a medal and finisher's hat. Parking problems? Not even an issue, even with lots of road closures. Porta-jons? Plenty for all at the start. Water and Powerade stops? Check, and more than enough where I had to pass a few. Gu stations? FOUR. That's far more than most races offer. Crowds? Check. They were enthusiastic, and because your name was on the bib you would hear your name called out over and over by strangers cheering you on to run strong.

The course itself was really never dull; the start alone had fireworks with the Goodyear blimp hovering overhead, and you ran past the Firestone plant, through the lovely Akron University campus, a crushed gravel towpath on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, the refreshing Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens (one of my favorite parts) and a triumphant finish in Canal Stadium. The residential neighborhoods also had plenty of enthusiastic spectators, especially children wanting a high-five.

The course was modified so it was not as hilly as past races, but it is still a little hiller than most courses I have run. Some of these hills sort of sneak up on you as you run them, you realize you're a little winded and see 'Oh, I'm on an incline!' Also, there is a wicked downhill in the final miles that I found were a little brutal on the knees, so be careful going down! You do have to sometimes apply the brakes a little when running this course.

The only drawback was the finish, it's very crowded and can be confusing to navigate. It took me a very long time to find the family reunion area, and I had to find an information desk to inquire where to go. The last thing you want to do is shuffle around for 20 more minutes when all you want to do is relax! But that one snag is nothing compared to a highly recommended race.

I loved the Akron marathon! It was challenging, had great crowds and support and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an Ohio race.

This is one of those marathons that you have to run. Jim (race director) does an amazing job. From great volunteers to small things like, volunteer's tags on their necks indicating whether they are holding water or powerade to real fireworks at the start. Even the weather seems to be perfect every year. The course is well balanced with moderate hills and a few miles of trail/sand path. Volunteer and crowd support is awesome.

I love this marathon. I ran the full in 2009, 2010 and 2012.

Extremely well organized
wonderful support
great medal
really nice marathon jacket and hat
The fireworks at this year's start was awesome....very exciting
Weather this year was perfect
All and all, my favorite Ohio marathon and one of my favorite marathons, overall!

I ran my 10th Akron Marathon on Saturday morning and this race has not lost a bit of energy, enthusiasm, or A-1 organization since 2003. Great Brooks jacket, baseball cap, drawstring bag, and finisher's medal to all marathon finishers at a very reasonable entry fee is your reward for running in their race. The knock on Akron over the years has been the # of hills; there have been course adjustments to help limit these and though the hills still rear their ugly face, the course is definitely faster. Notwithstanding, as I say every year, Akron has a top notch priority to make their race appeal to every runner and treat them like an elite athlete; Congrats for another banner race. See ya' next September!!

The Akron Marathon went all out for the 10th Running. Fireworks at the start, the Goodyear Blimp flying overhead, perfect weather, 20 aid stations, finisher hats and by far their best looking medal to date. If I could only run one marathon a year this would be it. My only complaint was the changes to the course, they added more cement and I didn't care for the Howard St decent. If it ain't broke don't fix it.