I am a 50-State Club member and Marathon Maniac and the race treated us like royalty (although our private porta-potties were not at the start). I must admit that I found this marathon to be a LOT hillier than I expected!! It seemed like the entire mile from 18 to 19 was uphill. And the beginning of the race seemed all uphill. Despite the hills, the course had a lot of enthusiastic spectators. It wasn't incredibly scenic but it was fine. It definitely was fun to run under the real Route 66. Traffic control was excellent.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn which was literally right next to the start (and had a free airport shuttle). And the race director had negotiated an automatic late checkout. It's a short walk to the expo from there. Keep in mind that most restaurants in Tulsa are closed on the weekends.

The race was really well-organized. The finish area was comprehensive and well-marked. The post-race shuttle service was easy and quick.

I ran this race for my Oklahoma race and was not disappointed. I just wish I liked running hills better!

I would echo previous comments and say that this event seemed like the half was the star and the full was more of an afterthought. It definitely felt like once you passed the half finish you were running in a closed down industrial area or repeating the same areas. Overall, it wasn't a bad race but dull as a training run after the mid point. Traffic control was solid, but there was very little in the way of crowd support. The pavement was really torn up in long stretches of the course too. I also got really tired of all the rolling hills packed into the last half of the course. They weren't tough so much as just repetitive and boring.

Good: Energetic, conveniently located and roomy expo, comedy-driven packet pick-up, decent technical shirt, adequate parking at hotels or throughout the town, committed and hospitable volunteers, very well traffic-controlled course, bottled Gatorade at end of race, closely located bus shuttles at end of race.

Not-so-good: Finisher shirts were for sale.

The race director was awesome and thought of everything! The hotels had automatic late check-out which was fantastic. There were volunteers at the hotels with race information and help navigating the city. Extra special touches for the members of the 50 states club - greatly appreciated. Volunteers were helpful, friendly and enthusiastic. Shuttles at end of race were plentiful - no waiting! The course had several miles that were not terribly scenic and no spectators making for a little tough patch but otherwise pretty course and great fans. Not too many eating options in Downtown Tulsa on the weekend - appears many food places are Monday-Friday. Would be great if some would open for this event and then let the runners know. Overall a very good experience.

I would agree with some previous comments. It seemed like everything was put into the first half of this race. It seemed once you passed the half finish you were running in a closed down industrial area or repeating the same areas. Overall, it wasn't a bad race by any means. I'd consider it your average marathon. Pro- Wasn't overly crowded. Very well run. Traffic control was the best i'd ever seen at any race. Cons- The course was pretty boring over the second half. The pavement was really tore up (i'm a trail runner primarilly.. so it isn't a big deal to me but I was suprised at how tore up it was). This isn't a con, it was a moderately hilly course with lots of rolling hills. This isn't a bad thing I was just amazed that it isn't world record legal. If someone could run a record on this course they earned it. I would probably compare this course with Jackson, MS. I'd say just a little tougher than Little Rock and St. Louis. I'd consider Moline, IL. and Boston, easy courses.

I just ran this race today so I wanted to jot down my thoughts about the race. This is a very well run race with a great course. The course winds through some beautiful parts of Tulsa as well as the scenic campus of Tulsa University. Nice rolling hills that weren't too challenging - with the exception of the hill at mile 25.

The race was very well organized. I have run the half at this race three times and the marathon once. Each time the organization was spot on.

The volunteers were also great and they all had plenty of energy. The water stops were appropriately spaced and adequately stocked.

I only have one complaint about the race. There is no finisher shirt. Booo!! Apparently one can be bought, but this is the first marathon where I didn't receive a shirt for my efforts. The price of the marathon was pretty expensive for no finisher shirt. To give credit though, the expo shirts were nicely designed technical shirts.

Overall, I really enjoyed this race and will run it again.

I ran Route 66 Marathon in Nov 2011. My wife is from Oklahoma and we came down from Montreal for Thanksgiving so I didn't know what to expect.

I found great staff at the Expo. All went SUPER fast. Easy to look at the products or just get in and out quickly.

The course was very nice. Not too hilly. Very scenic at times. Volunteers were there from beginining to end. Even coming in at over 5 hours I had no problem getting what I needed during the race and at the finish, lots left for everyone.

All year round, the staff have been active on their Facebook page to keep folks interested in the race and are ALWAYS happy to help.Nice race organized by Marathon Maniacs that includes perks for Marathon Maniacs, Half Fanatics and 50-States Marathon Club.

I'm signed up for 2012 and can't wait to do it again.

Overall, this was a good race, but everything associated with the marathon was extremely small! maybe there are a large number of people running the 5k, 10k, half marathon, relay, etc. but of the 11,000 people projected to run the Route 66 Marathon, only about 1,400 ran the full marathon and 3,000 ran the half...

This was not my first marathon, and I collect the 'official' marathon poster at every race. However, this race never offered one, and I couldn't locate one at the expo either. The expo, was miniscule and didn't seem to have much of anything. This was sad for a marathon that I felt was advertised to be such a big race. The prices of the official race gear were very reasonable, just not very much to choose from...

The course was scenic, for being in the heart of Tulsa, but my favorite part was the area that ran around the Tulsa campus! It was extremely windy, especially running along the river, and it was very hilly! Once again, I could not locate an elevation map on their website! Hopefully, they will change that in the future.

Before the race, I decided to take the Center of the Universe Detour, but there were ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNS telling you where to go, which would have been nice! After I ran past where I should have turned, I had to run back down the bridge just to reach the Detour, a very poor arrangement! To make matters worse, the special coin you receive for taking the 'Detour' is given to you right there, and they make you carry it for the next 10 miles until you cross the finish line, again, not a very good idea!

I had no problems with the bathrooms before, during, or after the marathon. I thought they did a very good job with the number and location of water stations, and I think they did an excellent job differentiating water from Gatorade. I thought they did a real nice job with all of the volunteers!

Great weather, if dressed for it for 37 F. Ran with a pace group assigned to a specific carrol. Great idea and well organized so that you didn't get ran over. My pace rabbit was great and kept the ballons in sight. Was needed for a quick restroom stop. The second half of the marathon was hilly and challenged my effort for a personal best. Great hotel at a fair price and wonderful people. Great medal and shirts. The best was the welcoming at the finish line. I came away with 2 shirts, a unique medal, weak legs, a new PR and a feeling of accomplishing something special. I got more than I expected.

Very impressed! Weather was a challenge, but that was it! All else was great. We stayed at the Holiday Inn, which happened to be yards from the start line. Couldn't be a better place to stay, and not too $$$. Everyone at the hotel was knowledgeable about the race, and the bar was fun and cheap for after-race drinks. The expo was well organized, and within walking distance from the hotel. Loved that they were very attentive to recycling and 'going green.' They had separate water and gatorade jugs with large spouts for anyone who was carrying a water bottle to easily refill. They were set back from the main water station so that you didn't get caught in the crowd while refilling. Very smart and convenient. The course was more hilly than I had expected. I loved all the interesting neighborhoods and schools. Great spectators, even in 30 degree weather. The 2 shirts and medal were awesome. Very original. I will certainly encourage my friends to run this race. It's worth every penny!