I have run Spinx twice and this year enjoyed the route , the morale along fellow runners. I was disappointed to hear about the train incident. That could have been avoided through communication and planning for this. Also , the bikers on the trail REALLY bothered me..I saw many trailing directly behind other runners. Is it possible to post signs to have bikers avoid the trail from certain hours on race day.. I mean they have 364 other days to ride. Also the car traffic at Furman was very unsafe..there were no police monitoring cars at the mall while runners were right next to them. My opinion is there needs to be more safety measures taken for the runners. Greenville is not a small town and would love to see better support from locals.. This race pours money into the city and lots of it! Businesses should post signs welcoming runners-it's a boost to them too. I don't mean to complain but I see a big need for improvements for 2013. Thanks

I had a great time. This is a good local race and I would do it again next year. This is not a big city race so if you need crowds lining the course cheering then you may want to you on look elsewhere. However, there were plenty of spectators along the course and plenty of cheering.

I think there were 500 marathon finishers. Participants were friendly and chatted along the way. There are benefits of doing small races like this. For example I was able to park literally at the starting line in a church parking lot. This was my 5th Marathon and I've never had that luxury of parking so close to the start. The aide stations were good with enthusiastic volunteers handing out GU, Gatorade, and water.

I would not describe this course as being hilly but there are some rolling hills and several long false-flats which can be challenging as you get tired. There was only 1 big hill which was about 100 feet in elevation around mile 12-13 and 1 small but steep bridge around mile 2/24 which I ended up walking on the way back. I ran in the 3:50 pace group but dropped off at the end finishing just over 4 hours. There was a steady stream of runners on the course but by mile 20 I frequently ran by myself. However, I was never alone on the course. Someone was always running within 10-20 yards or so. Faster runners would not have to deal with this.

The expo was pretty small but that's not important to me. The tech shirt was fine. The medal was nice. And we got a pair of sport socks. I drove from Charlotte which is 2 hours away and stayed at the Clarion Inn & Suites which was about a 10 min drive to the start. They had really cheap rates and the room was exceptionally clean.


This would be a good course for a 1st time marathoner provided you trained on some hills and didn't need the excitement of cheering crowds.

I wanted to buy gas at a Spinx gas station to support the race sponsor but didn't see one??? A big thank you to the nice man at the start and finish line who ensured our times were accurate because we were late to the start line. Sorry we were late. The trail was nice and the hill to avoid the railroad tracks wasn't that bad.

I just ran this marathon (2012) and was somewhat disappointed with it.

PROS:
Flat Course - The course was definitely the easiest course I have ever run. There were only a few hills worth any note and even those were smaller than majority of the ones I train on.

Beautiful Course - The run was definitely a very pretty and scenic run down the swamp rabbit trail and through Furman. Probably one of the prettiest courses I have run.

Price - The cost of the marathon is much better than most, especially if you register early. But even a late registration is not bad.

CONS:
Not enough Aid - I guess I have become spoiled in some of my other marathons, but they did not have aid nearly often enough. I was constantly needing more aid and would have to wait too long.

Finish - My biggest disappointment was the finish line. I loved that we finished in the baseball stadium, but once I was done, I had to walk a few hundred feet, up the entire bleachers, and then another hundred or two feet before I could get any water or food. That was a HUGE issue for me. On top of that, the water was unopened cases of water in plastic wrap sitting on a pallet that runners were needing to tear at the plastic to get the warm bottles out. As for an alternative to water, they only had vitamin water, nothing with the calories or sugars that you need post race. For food they only had bananas and a small sandwich (with no vegetarian sandwich options). I really wish they had several more items to choose from.

Spectators - The course is definitely not a spectator friendly course as most of it is done on a trail in the woods and is a straight out and back. I would not recommend it for someone who is bringing spectators in tow.

Kinda-small marathon (about 450 running the full). The start could have really been simplified. There were banners about 100yds apart & Race Volunteers told us that the start of the Marathon was DOWN the street. After walking down the street, some other Race Volunteers said, 'NO, trust me... it's UP the street.' Even 3-4min before the start, folks were walking around asking, 'Where is the Start?' Finally everyone fell in & the Start went off okay. By mile 2, we thinned out significantly & simply followed the paved trail for miles & miles. I ran A LOT of this race all by myself. There is very little crowd support or even ACCESS to the trails. Even though my family knew the area, they were not ALLOWED access to a couple of the streets that accessed the trail system. So, I had NO family/friend support even though they tried to get to the 13mi point, then the 17 mile point, then the 20, then gave up. They BARELY made it back to the finish line to see me finish! Even at mile 25 when I was really hurting & striving for a PR, there was not a human in sight: no spectators, no other runners in either direction... just a long trail. Finally at about 25.5, I heard some cowbells & suddenly the trail spits you out close to downtown. That being said, the stadium finish was nice.

I highly recommend the Spinx Run Fest Marathon to both beginners and experienced marathoners. The course offers a few challenges throughout while giving you a tour of Greenville. The course starts on Main St. in downtown, runs through Falls Park and loops back through downtown onto the Swamp Rabbit Trail, which is bike/walking path with no traffic and a very very gradual incline. You stay on the trail for 6 or 7 miles and veer off into some neighborhoods and a golf course with some decent hills, challenging but nothing to worry about.

After going through the neighborhoods you come back to the trail and head back towards downtown, but not before running 2 miles or so through Furman University. Once back on the path it is all downhill, literally, till the last mile or so. The last mile is uphill into the baseball stadium, where you finish at home plate. The last mile is brutal, but not impossible. After finishing you have to walk 15 or so steps up to the food and drinks, which is NOT THAT BAD.

The expo on Friday was well organized, stress free, and easy to get to. Volunteers were awesome handing out water and Gatorade, as well as GU at one of the aid stations. The spectators were few, but enthusiastic. Restrooms were plentiful at the start of the race, and evenly placed along the course. The one and only complaint I have is that at the start you couldn't hear the announcements they gave over the PA before the gun, that's all. Like I said I would recommend this race to anyone, I will be back next year.

Beautiful course and fantastic volunteers!! The weather was perfect and I enjoyed the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

I do not live in SC and opted to stay in the host hotel, thinking that made the most sense. Unfortunately, they would not accommodate a late check-out AT ALL (they required a 12p check-out and the marathon began at 730a) and they were a good distance from the start/finish with no shuttle. I had to check-out at 6a and did not get to shower before heading back to VA. I recommend out of town runners opt for a property closer to the stadium and check in advance to see if they will accommodate a late check-out. Additionally, perhaps the race director can work with the host hotel in the future to make sure they are more accommodating.

The Swamp Rabbit Trail does cross many streets and some railroad tracks. The police were fantastic but there was a train that crossed the course between mile 23 and 24. The train finally stopped but we had to climb the ladders on the box car to get over the train. Getting stopped for a train and having to lift your legs much at all at mile 23 in a marathon are both quite strange events. I was not qualifying for Boston but I was on pace to PR ....until the train.

Another posing mentioned that the medal doesn't say 'marathon'. They also didn't sell any clothing or posters with the race name on it, but they did have coffee mugs. No souvenir options, if you're into that.

Loved the finish in the stadium but would have liked some music or an announcer or something.

Again, BEAUTIFUL course and amazing volunteers. Great downtown area with nice shops and restaurants. It was a very clean city and I felt safe walking around.

Being a Greenvillian, I am thrilled to hear all the wonderful comments about our fine city and its' people! I'm also delighted that the other marathoners liked this course as much as I do. This was my first marathon and it was great to be able to train on the race route every weekend. The race itself was very well organized, the route beautiful, the (few) spectators enthusiastic! The state police were very supportive and encouraging as well!

The course is very obviously laid out by runners.....it is a joy to run with some challenging sections. Not a lot of spectators but those that are there are GREAT. The only real problem I had was course support...GREAT food at the end but nothing on the course. GU was hard to find and I missed 2 of the stations it was apparently at....I guess volunteers were handing it out at the end of the water stops rather than put it on the table. Some fruit / pretzels / bagels or other small items at a few later stops would make a huge difference. Other than that it is a truly enjoyable marathon course with a great small city to enjoy after. Skip the race hotel....they offer very little and stay closer to the stadium. Definitely recommend this race....just carry a few packs of GU with you.

This isn't a huge event, but it's not small, with 436 marathons, 1269 half marathoners, and 935 5K runners. The city itself is great. The course for the full was changed, and it's quite scenic all the way now, though a long stretch is 'out and back' on bike trails with few spectators, so if you want huge crowds pick another race. It's very, very well organized and the finish is great. Word of warning: the courses for the full and half are all really hilly by most road race standards. Mile 8 of the half is 855 feet and mile 12.5 is 1030 with only one real downhill, so it's quite a climb at the end for that. Mile 9 is 70' of climb with no fall whatsoever. The marathon has most of its climb in the middle, with the worst mile being mile 8 with 68' of climb and only 1' of fall. It's not the course to BQ on if you're cutting the time close.