From the time I arrived in PEC I felt welcome - from community to organizers to volunteers. Nice place to be for the weekend. Organizers: Everything was where and when it was supposed to be. Course: Flat and beautiful. Unfortunate headwind most of race. Spectators: Nice to see families and small pockets of people out in the middle of the country.

This was my very first marathon; however, I have run many half-marathons, and this was a beautiful course at a beautiful time of year. Water/aid stations were located every 2K and were fantastic; and the volunteers did a great job. It is a Boston qualifier, which is a bonus for anyone trying to qualify, as it is a very fast course. There are a few hills at the end, but otherwise, it was just a nice rolling course. I highly recommend this race to anyone!!!

The course for the half is beautiful for long stretches along the lake. There are school buses shipping you to the start at 21K-point where you get your timer bracelet. It is about a 45-minute or an hour wait to the start line. There were long lineups for the portables, so I suggest the bushes across the street. There was no water at the start, so bring your own. It is not too crowded, so you can run your own pace after a couple of kilometers. There's only one real hill at 37, but not that steep. People are very friendly but sparse. I felt bad for the marathoners around four hours onwards because they got meshed in with the halfs and team relay. Around 4:30, the crowds at the end dissipate (mostly there for halfers). Overall, a great experience.

Of the 3 marathons I have run (Ottawa, NYC, PEC), this was easily my favorite. There are not a lot of participants, so you run a fair bit on your own. Also, there are not a lot of spectators, but when you go through a cheering station, the fans are very enthusiastic and there is no doubt who they are cheering for! Interestingly, this cheering can be as meaningful and motivating as that of a big race with millions of spectators like New York. There is a significant hill at about 39K, but otherwise, the course is pretty flat and very pretty. Well organized. Water stations were placed every 2K. Great event for anyone accompanying you to the race - my wife was able to see me at four different locations on the course. Highly recommended.

What this race lacked in organization, it made up for with scenery and small-town charm. The morning start was very unorganized but not unacceptable. The course is mostly flat through the countryside, which is very colorful this time of year, with a few larger hills nearing the end and few fans until the last few kilometers. The food at the finish was great, not to mention the free massages!!!! They made everyone feel like a star. If you want to do a race that you can enjoy along the way, this race will do.

This is a very runner-friendly, well-organized, small marathon (221 finishers this year). But for a small marathon, it was great; it had well stocked aid stations every 2K, good crowd support (considering you're running through the countryside for a lot of it), and really nice scenery. The whole course is closed to traffic, which makes running the course a pleasure.

The organizers are accessible, get back to you quickly and strove to make the whole experience a lot of fun.

Since it's a small marathon, the expo isn't much to get excited about, but they've got a few vendors there.

Great race - heartily recommended.

If you want to run a good course for a fast time, give PEC a try. This years weather was ideal - cool and minimal wind. The scenery is terrific and enough people come out to cheer you on that you won't feel all alone. While gatorade seemed in short supply and the 1/2rs were getting 2 gel stops at least there was no shortage of water. After having run earlier marathons with thousands of runners it was a relief to be able to get into and maintain a pace right from the start. It was also nice for some spectators to watch the finish indoors. And free beer at the end! -say no more!

This was my first time running the PEC Marathon on October 14th. I ran the marathon and the organization was excellent, the volunteers were excellent, and the whole course and spectators were excellent. Thanks for a wonderful and excellent day. I will be back with buddies to do it next year. Once again, thanks for a great day.

I just ran the 2007 edition today. It's a small marathon (this year: 214 in the full, 435 in the half) in a rural setting. Most of the course is quite flat, with one biggish hill at 37 KM and a couple of smaller ones just after. Much of the race is along Lake Ontario or country roads and is quite pretty. In the towns there are lots of spectators, but there are also long stretches with no one. This year there was a problem with the water stations: they'd promised both water and Gatorade at all after the first two, but something like half the stations were water only. Other than that, the organization was good, the people were friendly, and they had lots of food and free beer at the finish line.

Ran this last year. Lovely area between Kingston and Belleville in Ontario. Local wineries to visit the day before. Flying start 1/2 marathon (it starts at the half way point two hours after the marathon) adds a pack of people into the marathon for the last half which has its positives and negatives. Who do you pace off of--especially when you throw a relay race in the mix. Where there are towns there are fans but there are not many towns. People you do meet are great. Couple of great garden hoses in the final miles. Mostly flat with a couple of rolling hills--two near the end which are a bit mean. Real small town, country feel to the whole weekend. Great B and B's around. 500 runners in the marathon about the same in the half. Good BQ course.