Pros: It was easy to get to the start via the shuttle. Easy bag check at the start. Pretty course through neighborhoods, and along the river. Nice crowds for a town that size. Nice clothes for sale at the expo.

Next year suggestions: Add some healthy food options at the finish; maybe add some heaters at the start if it's cold again; add more shuttles back to runners' cars.

This is a great, relatively small marathon in a cool college town.

The course is almost totally flat and fast, and much of it is along the banks of the river, which is a nice place to be running.

The weather was ideal for a marathon this year, and I gather it was pretty typical of Eugene in May.

The expo, pasta dinner and generally organization were all excellent. I picked up probably my favorite race T-shirt ever at the expo (not the official one, but a cool, green, Nike one - running in the footsteps of legends).

I agree with others that it got a little painful running on lots of concrete trails, but I'm not sure how the course could be changed to avoid this without giving up the scenic river route. I don't know why Eugene would pave their running paths with concrete in the first place.

I'm not sure why everyone was complaining about having to dodge slow half-marathoners when the courses re-intersected briefly - it was for maybe a couple hundred meters.

My only real complaint (and this is from someone who missed a BQ by only two minutes) was waiting for the bus at the end of the race to get back to the Hilton. For some reason, there were plenty of buses before the start and only one after the race.

I will definitely run this again next year.

This was my second time running this course and it keeps getting better. I agree with everything else that was said. The only issue I saw was that it was a little crowded in spots and there were some places where the half and the full mixed that looked confusing for some people. Overall though I can't wait to run it again in 2010!

This is a great race!! The course is well marked and mostly flat and fast. The organizers do a fantastic job with communication, transportation, expo, course layout, "after race" celebration, live bands on the course, cheering zones, T-shirt, and medal!

The spectator participation is phenomenal,and& I've never seen anything like it at other races. The crowds and bands are great with cheering you on!

Pros
1. Great course (safe and clearly marked)
2. Friendly to walkers
4. Shirt (great design)
5. Medal (biggest medal I've received to date!)
6. Support in crossing the intersections
7. Spectators / celebration
8. "After-race" food and drinks
9. Volunteer support at water stations
10. Race results by name are in the newspaper a few days later

I've done this race for the last two years and am looking forward to next year already!

I thought this was a very well organized and a extremely fast course with plenty of fans out there to cheer us on.

The weather broke just as I arrived, and I have to say that the weather was perfect for a marathon, with cloud-cover and temps in the 50's.

This race is destined to become one of the best - if not already the best - on the west coast. My Eugene Marathon hat is off to the organizers for a job well done. I will be back and hopefully we can finish on Historic Hayward Field.

I would put this on your list of marathons to run in your lifetime.

This is only my second marathon, but it set my standards very high. The weather was perfect (low 50's and a little rain at the start, but it is Oregon after all), the fans were great and the course was beautiful. There are parts of the course that are concrete. It was harder on my legs and feet than I thought it would be. There are two gradual inclines and one steep downhill in the first few miles, and one hill four blocks-long around mile 9. There is great crowd support there to help you get up it. There are 3 times when the marathoners and halfers split on the course. I didn't get lost, but those parts of the course could be better marked.

The Eugene spectators love this event. They know about running and really support you. The crowd at South Eugene High, about mile 7, was fantastic. You'll feel like a rock star. Lots of people parked and played music from their cars. There was one family who blasted the Rocky Theme from their minivan about mile 6. Awesome spectators. The second half of the marathon along the river is much more quiet. I put on my iPod at that point. I flew cross country to run this event, and I'm so glad that I did. I'll be back next year. From what I've heard, the finish will be inside Hayward Field. How can you resist that?

Another note on the weekend: If you run this marathon, the Springfield Marriott Courtyard was outstanding. They had their own pasta party for charity (which was really good), they shuttled us to the official shuttle (took only an extra 10 minutes on Sunday morning), and they gave away gift bags with bananas, energy bars and gel. They also handed out garbage bags to wear to stay dry on Sunday morning. They know how to take care of runners.

I've run marathons all over the world and nothing can match a marathon in "Track Town, USA!!!" It's a small race, but it's very well organized, with great fan support, and a fast, scenic course. What else can you ask for?

There are a lot of marathons run the first weekend of May, and this is probably the fastest. The course was flat except for one small hill at mile 8 and a few minor inlclines here and there. There was rain the night before but it stopped just before the starting gun went off. We had ideal weather for the race - pleasantly cool, with no wind. The race was very well organized, just what you'd expect from a city that bills itself as Track Town, USA and is the birthplace of Nike. Some course changes might be in order if this race gets much bigger. It was a bit crowded in spots.

I couldn't believe this was just the third year for this event.

For a 3rd edition, it doesn't get any better. The course is flat, fast and scenic through neighborhoods near the University of Oregon and then through parks along the Willamette River. This limits somewhat the areas where spectators can congregate but this is a running town and those who were there were very enthusiatic. Plus the band at mile 8 was worth the price of admission!