This was my first time running the Umstead Trail Marathon, although I train in the park nearly every day. It was a challenging run, but made enjoyable by the wonderful, dedicated, caring volunteers. Thanks to ALL OF YOU! The single track sections were nice but they really wore me out. The hills at the last 4 miles were tough. Thanks for a great race; I will be back next year!

My first marathon, and it was everything I thought it would be. The runners were great. Since it was out-and-back in some spots, you pass runners, and everyone was saying, "Great job; keep it up!" I would recommend doing a training run or two on the course. I look forward to running this marathon again. Great job by all staff and volunteers.

What a sensibly organized race this was! When I started running marathons out of blue two years ago, I went straight into a 50 states conquest. This was my 32nd, and joys of running on the trails have been growing on me lately. I like everything about this race; the toughness of the course, and great support that I received at every aid station. The race packet had a pair of Smart Wool running socks with blister preventer, and several high concentrated ginger chews in addition to the race tech shirt. While we were running, at aid stations after 20 miles, they served a cup of coke. I am not much of a soda drinker. But when I run a marathon, I always crave for some carbonated drink, namely Coke, after drinking tons of water and Gatorades for hours. They also served great snack on the race, and hearty meal after the race. These people know the beauty of the small race on the trail, and do everything in their power to share it with you. After the race, they also had a door prize and I got another cute shirt from Great Outdoor Provision Company, organizer of this race in addition to the finishers mug. Everything they gave me will be used by me on a daily basis. That's what I appreciated the most. Oh, by the way, I fell in love with Raleigh, NC.

Any new appointed race director needs to be required to come to this race to see how to do things right! Period.

Every year, everything is perfect... except the weather (which was perfect this year!!).

The course is challenging, but beautiful and fun. You often get to see your fellow runners, as there are several places where you double back. One of my favorite races. I'll be back.

But my pint glass finisher's award was defective! Doesn't hold beer very long at all....

I have done 13 road marathons prior to this. This race may have converted me. What a beautiful course; support was great and all of the people involved were awesome. For your information, I have tested my pint glass and found it to be fully operational.

My first marathon, and I couldn't have picked a better one. Doing most of my long training runs at Umstead definitely prepared me for race day, but I still got my butt kicked around mile 23 (good, old Cedar Ridge).

The event organization, volunteers, aid stations, other runners, and the park itself were simply awesome. I plan on making this an annual event and would recommend this marathon to anyone who wants a challenge.

This is the third time for me running the race. This year conditions were perfect (about 30F at the start, going up to 53F during the day - way better than last year, starting at 55F and ending at 81F). As always, the organizers put on a great race with the best aid stations/on-course roaming bike support. Umstead is a very challenging course with lots of hills, and it certainly got to me around mile 20.5, going down Cedar Ridge. I am very happy to have improved my time and gotten my coveted finisher's pint glass, this being the year of the bunny. This is still my favorite marathon and I'll definitely return next year.

The course was fantastic and the people are top-notch. Extremely well-organized, and there's great camaraderie with other runners with such a small field. The aid stations were well-stocked (thank God for the Fritos at mile 24) and they also had volunteers on bikes checking on the runners - delivering me much-needed water between stations.

I really would like to thank the organizers and volunteers. This was a great experience and I hope to make this an annual event for me.

This note is to thank all of the wonderful people who make the Umstead Marathon possible. It is a classic event that should be on the running resume of all runners. It's very obvious that the many volunteers put forth a great deal of effort in the event. Plus, they have some really great swag. Thank you very much!

This was my second time running this race, so I knew what I was in for. Unfortunately, this year the weather was a major factor, with a starting temperature of 55F going up to 80F. Having primarily trained in the mid-30s I wasn't used to running under those conditions anymore; thus I had some problems in the later parts of the race - especially going down/back up on Cedar Ridge between miles 21.5-24, which was tough. But then again the course is described as "very hilly." ;-) Can't blame them for false advertising. This is still my favorite marathon because of a challenging course, excellent organization and outstanding volunteer support. Hopefully next year it will be a bit cooler and I'll be able to improve my time.