What a friendly, supportive town! Thank you to all of the residents and businesses. The weather was perfect. Shuttle service to the start was great. I liked the wave start! I was never bunched up in a pack. The course was as flat as a course can get, and therefore I was able to set a PR. Yes, the bridge at mile 23 seemed cruel at the time, but every race has to have some "trademark." This was my first marathon that I did not have ANY soreness the following week. I loved looking at the neighborhoods. I saw the cutest pink house. The pirate theme is super. Never a line at the port-o-pots. I don't know how that happened. Don't change a thing!

The pros:
- Organization (shuttles) was excellent
- Fan support was great
- Very nice cloth bag, tech shirt, visor, medal
- First half (especially the woods road) was beautiful and diverse
- Vacation in the Outer Banks!

The cons:
- The second half is HOT with NO SHADE
- I was so thirsty at mile #21, and the cups had barely one gulp in them. Could they be running out of water???
- They give cool washcloths at the finish line, but they take them back before you can leave the chute

Overall:
Personally, I won't be running OBX again because the hot sun really wears me out (two years in a row). But if you're okay with hot weather, it's a great race. While it's completely flat, it's not quite as easy as you'd think. But the organization and fans were beyond expectations.

This marked the third year in a row of running the OBX marathon. I agree with most comments already posted - scenic, challenging course; great spectator support; nice area. However, it's apparent that this race is growing in popularity and the organizers are stepping it up. The best one so far. The medals were excellent for all the various races. There was just a sense of class about this event. The Outer Banks really embraces this weekend.

This was my first marathon and the conditions were absolutely perfect. Plenty of fan support, water, Gatorade, etc. The first half was beautiful - the three miles in the woods were both challenging and an ego boost... that was my favorite part!

This marathon had so much going for it. The expo was in a community center in Kill Devil Hills, and was quite large. I arrived about 10:00 a.m., and it was already overrun with people. Parking was hard to find, but it all worked out. The starting line was in Kitty Hawk, near the intersection of Highway 158 and Woods Road. Parking was available at the school across the highway. Other parking options were available - from Wal-Mart and Manteo - with shuttle service. The start was at 7:20 a.m., which is an unusual time. So we needed to be paying attention. There was a runner cap for this race, but I never heard if it sold out. The half marathon was the second half of the marathon course, so the marathon start line was not as crowded with this set up.

The starting line routine was unlike anything I have seen before. They lined up the runners in groups (by projected finish time); then they let the groups go one at a time. Each successive group had to wait a minute or two until they were released by the timing folks. I am not sure what purpose this served, unless there was a potential to overload the timing computer. This method just meant that there was a bigger gap between gun time and clock time. Again, it all worked out fine.

The early part of the race was on country roads. Just past Mile 3, we were running on a paved trail that gave way to a beach road in a residential area with Albemarle Sound to the right. That was scenic. From Mile 4 to Mile 7, there were lots of folks out cheering for the runners. About Mile 8 we were running along side of First Flight Airport (with no chain link fences). Turning the corner there was the Wright Brothers Memorial. We circled about 2/3 of the monument - a huge sand dune - then crossed a field and entered another residential area. About 9.5 miles in, the road turned to dirt and entered the woods. We were on a kind of clay and sand dirt road. Part of it was packed down and part of it was more like gray beach sand, so it was a bit of a challenge. And this road was a series of low profile hills. At mile 12.5 we turned off the dirt road on to a trail through the woods. A half-mile later we were out of the woods, at the midway point of the course. Here we entered Nags Head, and were running on Highway 158. We had a couple of detours into residential areas, but otherwise we stayed on the highway until reaching Roanoke Island. While running along Route 158, traffic - restricted to one lane - was backed up and going very slowly. The bridge to Roanoke Island was the endurance test for this race. It was huge, and you could see it coming. I just kept my head down and ran as much of the bridge as I could. Just like that we passed mile marker 23 and were heading down the other side. The traffic backup continued until mile marker 25, where we turned toward the town of Manteo. At mile marker 26 we turned another corner, going down the stretch and were almost home. Some wise guys put up a sign there that said, "Short cut" with an arrow pointing straight ahead. Very funny.

The Outer Banks really plays up the pirate theme. That was fun. The race was well organized from start to finish. There was Hammer Gel available at four aid stations, from about mile 9 to mile 22. There were several first aid stations along the way. There was water and Gatorade throughout the course, and cheering aid station workers. Fan support was outstanding, and near the best of what I have seen. The town of Manteo (finish line) kind of got overrun with people, and some local merchants said they had trouble being able to get to their shops and stores.

The finish line routine was typical: Bananas, apples, sandwiches, water and more Gatorade. Even nearing five hours, there were still a lot of people in the streets and finish line area. A band played for the folks about a block away. Restaurants and shops nearby looked pretty busy. This was a fun race; it was mostly flat, well supported, and it was a PR record for me. But when I started, my objective was just to cross the finish line. The PR was just an added blessing on this very good day. One last thing: The medal had a pirate skull and cross-bones on the back of it. How cool!

This was a fun event. The race was well organized, and the volunteers were first rate. Water stops were well staffed, well equipped, and smoothly run. Most of the course is great. I loved the trail section, which offered shade, scenery, and a welcome break from the pavement. Most of this off-road section is well-compacted and fairly wide and does not need to be feared! After being spoiled by a pretty flat course, the bridge felt longer than it really is, but that's Mile 23 for you, right? And without the bridge, we wouldn't have the amazing finish in downtown Manteo! The post-race party in the streets of this great little waterfront town was a blast. The perfect weather was a nice bonus, too.

I really enjoyed the first half of this course, which went through some pretty residential areas, along some bike paths, around the Wright Brothers Memorial and even on three miles of trails. The second half was a bit tedious, being mostly on the main highway with no shade. I think it would have been better if this had been an out-and-back course, which would also eliminate the need for the shuttle bus back to the start. Overall, a very good event that was well organized with great crowd support.

This was my first marathon. I could not have asked for a better place to become a marathoner. The course was diverse and challenging. The trail portion was demanding, as was the Washington Baum Bridge at mile 23. The spectators were simply wonderful and the organization was flawless. I plan on making this race an annual event for me and my family.

Well organized event. The pirate theme was perfect, and the town/businesses were so welcoming to the runners. I did not like the portion of the course through the woods (loose sand, tree roots, narrow trail, some mulch, and rolling hills for three miles), but it in no way took away from the overall weekend. I would recommend this marathon to anyone looking for a first or 100th!

This run was gorgeous and we had great weather! The expo was well organized and packet pickup went smoothly. I switched from half to full and I had a volunteer walk me right to where I needed to go, making sure I was taken care of. The town is all about this race, as it brings in a crowd during the off-season, and the course spectators were great. The course was relatively flat, except for a few small hills on the wooded trail and then the bridge, but even that wasn't horrible. Water, Gatorade and gel stations were well stocked throughout the course. Great race, and I will definitely be back!