I also ran this year (2012.) I did the half relay with a friend because I had developed a stress fracture mid-way through training for the full. She took the first half as we decided it would be hard on my leg because it was mostly downhill. At the halfway point I had grabbed a bottle of water while waiting, I heard a volunteer state they had run out of water at the halfway point. I kept my water bottle and
gave what was left to my friend, which was a good thing as she wasn't carrying anything.

The first couple of miles into the half were downhill, after that mostly uphill/rolling hills. As others have stated, the course profile is deceptive. There was barely any shade in the second half, we were running from side to side of the road trying to use the little shade available.
It became obvious that extra aid stations had been added, luckily, and thank goodness for the ice at mile 23! What few spectators I saw were wonderful. This was my 5th half (I've also done 1 full marathon.) I was more sore after this race than I have been from any, even my full.

I'm sure this was an off year, it was 87F when I finished, people were being taken away by ambulance, and turning around at the half to stop and not run the full.

Generally had a good experience with this marathon despite the incredibly hot weather. The course is very beautiful rolling hills, the last 8 miles or so with little to no shade. Because of the heat, my friend and I took it much slower than usual. Because 5 hours had elapsed, toward the end of the race, there were points where the cones leading you in the right direction had been taken away with no race directors at those points to show you where to go. I had to ask a spectator at one point which way the course went. Made the finish a bit hard to find.

The organization was pretty good about getting everyone as much water as possible during the race. One neighborhood was wonderful and had hoses out to spray us with lots of extra water.

If you plan on bringing any friends or family with you, it may not be the best choice. This is why my spectator rating is low. All of the spectators we saw were very encouraging and wonderful, but very scarce. My husband was with a friend from the area and tried to find me at several points listed on the course map as good spots for watching the race. Unfortunately, even with his 'local guide' he found that most of the roads to access any of these points were blocked/closed. He was very frustrated by this, and only found (by accident) one place to catch me around mile 23.

All in all, a good experience, but if you depend on your friends and family for more water or fuel at different mile markers, this may not be the best one for you.

This year was a bit of a downer for those who suffered thru Boston and hoped for better conditions. The weather for the day was quite similar, but starting at 8 instead of 10 and having a fair amount of shade on the course makes quite a difference. Many performances probably suffered at least a little on the second half as the big downhills were done, the temps continued to rise and the amount of shade diminished.

COURSE: Take a look at the elevation chart and you'll think you are in for easy one, but not really the case. This course is all hills. There are some fast, easy miles in the first half that tend to spoil you a bit, but by the last uphill section on the second half, you'll be praying there isn't another hill to climb.

PROS:
1) Easy logistics
2) Interesting course
3) Pasta meal included
4) Indoor facilities at start area
5) The best water cups I've ever seen (keep using these!)

CONS:
1) Understaffed and undersized water stations. For a late-May race, this has to be improved.
2) Pasta dinner- while adequate for the runners, it was quite bare bones (no meat at all). If you have guests with you, you'll want to avoid it.
3) Bus loading- I still don't understand the inefficient bus loading method used for busing to the start. Runners were needlessly standing in line when multiple buses could have been loaded at once.
4) Finisher medal- I was surprised to see the medal was exactly the same as the one from 2007, except the date wasn't even engraved, but rather a sticker affixed to the back.

Overall, I recommend this race. You can definitely PR on a good day and a good race to get a BQ for the following year since you can't really use Fall races any more.
It would be nice to see the race organizers avoid some corner cutting as with the pasta dinner and be a little more creative with the medals. I would be happy to pay a little more to see these things improved. Little details do make a difference and can add character to an event.

I liked the course, but I may feel that way because I prepared well for it. I did more hill training than usual and came out to do a dry-run of the course six weeks before race day. So, I knew to expect significant downhills in the first 15 miles, then some rolling hills and a couple large hills in the last 10 miles. I also knew there wouldn't be much protection from the sun late in the race, so I used S!Caps and made sure to drink lots of water along the course. If I hadn't done that, I would have fared far worse.

It's fantastic that many of the roads are closed to traffic, but that made it harder for spectators to get out to see me. There are really only four good places for spectators: the start, mile 9, mile 16 and the finish. Mile 9 was exhilarating because lots of people were lined up both sides of the turn. There were lots of people at mile 16 too, but I don't remember it as well. I would have loved more spectator support around mile 21 or 22, but the roads were closed off for safety.

Yes, there were pockets of spectators along the course, but for the most part they appeared to be people who lived on the street, which I appreciate greatly, but I wanted to see my family late in the race for that morale boost. If you're expecting a large crowd to support you most of the way, this isn't your race.

I think the race was very well organized. There was lots of water at every stop that I ran through (~ every two miles), and I needed it because it was hot. Some stations also had orange slices and gels. The volunteers were awesome and very supportive to me. It's admirable that all the support staff in this race volunteer for free and all funds raised go directly to the Red Cross. My wife drove me to the start, and there were no problems finding it or parking. The high school hallway at the start was a bit cramped, but cozy for this size race :)

I didn't have any problem with runner density along the course, but if the field size grows, that could become a factor, especially in the first two miles. I met some great people from the running club at the expo, though it was a very small room with not much to offer. The pasta party was good, and worth the cost but the host hotel looked a bit outdated. We didn't actually stay there. We booked a room at the Pocono Inne Towne, which I recommend.

They had 5am breakfast for the runners, and late checkout at 3pm for the runners. It's situated near mile marker 25, which could be convenient for others staying with you. The town of Stroudsburg was also a great place to stay. I wish we could have stayed longer.

I had hoped to BQ at this race, and was on pace to do so all the way up to mile 20, but the heat really affected my performance late in the race, and made those late hills that much harder. Given the higher temperatures, it might be prudent to consider an earlier start time (7 or 7:30?). I still PR'd with a 3:11:57, but I was aiming for sub-3:10. I'd love to do it again and already put it on my calendar for next year, as a consideration.

The first 13 miles were flat, downhill and shady. I ran with the 4:25 pacer and many in that group, this was there first marathon. At mile 8, the water stop ran out of cups and we were told to use our hands. By then, the temperature was almost 80 degrees. After mile 18, there were signs of water stops and remnants of water bottles on the ground, but the people had abondoned the water stop as they had run out of water. Those handing out ice after 23 miles was a lifesaver.

Although the downhills were fast, there were still plenty of uphills. Not an easy race, especially with the heat this year, climbing into the 80s. The end of the race could have been better organized as we had to wait for an hour in the hot sun for a shuttle bus. If you do this race do lots of hill training.

This was my first marathon and I enjoyed the experience. I read the comments from past years so I knew what to expect. Plus, I ran the last 20 miles in training so there were no surprises.

This race has gotten more popular this year; I believe due to the Runner's World article on the 10 fastest marathons. There were 1,200 registered this year compared to about 800 the yeear before.

The race starts on a narrow road and you could feel the crowding. It was not too bad, just maybe not the small marathon it was in the past.

The starting point was at a high school that was open to use the bathrooms and halls to warm up. It was chilly in the morning so it was nice to get inside. By race start it had warmed up to about 60F. They had a ton of porta potties near the start line and there were no lines - very nice!

The first 6 miles is gently rolling, and then the big downhills start around mile 6 for 3 miles. After that it changes to rolling terrain again. As the race goes on, the frequent uphills start to cancel out any benefit of the downhills in the 2nd half of the race. With the temperature nearing 80 temps in the 2nd half, the uphills were hard and seemed to be around every turn.

The course is beautiful, and I thought there was enough crowd support. It was a nice day, so there were many people out along the way. The water and gatorade stops every 2 miles were good and had plenty of people cheering too.

The race ends at the high school stadium on a nice (new) track. I thought that was a nice way to end the marathon, but that lap seemed very long!

If you want a nice medium size marathon without all the nonsense of the large events, and an unusual course, give this one a try.

I enjoyed the small time atmosphere of the marathon. the course was scenic. The first half was somewhat downhill which beat up my legs. The heat and the second half hills really got me and I did a lot of walking. Normally I run a marathon end to end. This race should start at 6:30 to beat the heat. the host hotel was not very pleasant. the pasta dinner was surprisingly good.

That speed bump need the finish line has to go. Very dangerous. Many runners didn't see this and has fallen.

My 15th marathon (counting 2 in Ironmans) and ironically my slowest (3:43 vs goal time of 3:20) despite the downhill course.
I tend to over-stride and the downhills between miles 6-16 pulverized my legs such that I couldn't handle the 4-5 hills in the last 8 miles. A lighter, more efficient runner might not have the issue. Although it was a warm day, I am from the South and didn't think it was THAT bad, as 70% of the first 20 miles were in the shade and the humidity was non-existent almost. It seemed like 50% of the runners had ipods so it was a quiet run if that matters to you.
My only real disappointment was that this course is not spectator-friendly. The directions to viewing areas are confusing. Also, be forewarned - this of Pa near Stroudsburg was terrible for cell phone reception, so have a backup plan for communications with family, friends, etc. Overall, a very nice small marathon, I would do it again just train differently and just have the Fam go out to breakfast and meet 'em at the Finish Line.