New Zealand is an absolutely beautiful country so I was quite excited about this marathon. It starts at the base of Mount Taranaki and finishes at the sea. However, it is not all downhill. The only part of the course that I did not enjoy was a section on a somewhat busy highway. There are very few spectators but the race is fairly well organized. I was disappointed that there weren't finisher's medals, and that shirts had to be ordered separately. I didn't order one in advance, and they were all gone by the time I arrived at the packet pick-up - my mistake. Coming from a cold climate, the weather was a bit warm for me, but that could be expected.

I'm 15, and this was my first full marathon. It was easier than I expected it would be because of the support I had. This event is great, and I look forward to doing it again next year and beating my time.