Best marathon value going - a $45 early entry got me a great medal; a technical T not littered with advertising; and entry into the small field race that was well planned, organized and executed, with 21 aid stations and purse money (for the much speedier folks) that amounted to $59.52 per entrant. Can't beat that.

Great organization and, as rumored on the internet by previous runners, this was the "best-pyloned course ever." The only downside on a rainy day was that much of the course was on the pyloned side of open roads, and hard rain meant running through lots of puddles where grates could not handle the volume of rainwater quickly. Course got progressively tougher from 90 minutes on as a result of pooling water.

The second half chase was a very interesting aspect of a small field, and it was a good late-race confidence-builder to reel a few folks in who had seemed far off when they first came into view.

A nice event. Consider this one as a great alternative to big-city Ontario marathons.

I would not say that this course is hilly - more like rolling hills. I did the half and appreciated the downhill section at the end of the course. Some sections of the course were narrow on the shoulder of the highway. Fair number of aid stations. Traffic control should be done by police only. The girl at the 9K mark almost had a vehicle turn in to me.

This was my 13th marathon. The course was hilly as expected, with minimal fans along the route. Not many people I spoke to knew about the race, which was sad since everyone associated with it was nice. I have a gripe about the race expo - I asked about the availability of Gatorade and I was told there would be sports drink. It would be better if they were more specific. Some Vaseline stations next year and some power gels along the route, but those are minor complaints. I am glad there are marathons up north but I will limit my races to the bigger cities for now.

I started to train on my own in January 2007, using John Staton's Book from the running room. It sure prepared me very well to achieve my goal. This is my first marathon ever and my goal was to finish it, which I did. I sure plan to do it again.

Overall this was a decent race. The course is relatively flat although I found it to be lacking in scenery. Most of the route takes place along city streets in commercial areas with a small portion through residential streets. I ran the half which was one loop, the full being two times around the same circuit. For a relatively new and small race I felt the organizers did an excellent job. The route was clearly marked and there were lots of enthusiastic volunteers. The expo was small but informative. The weather was cool but sunny which was expected for this far north at this time of year. Although spectators were minimal along the route, those that were there were very enthusiastic. There were lots of aid stations along the course and a good supply or yogurt, bagels, oranges and bananas at the end. For those in the marathon the 'chase' adds a different twist. It is certainly worth running at least once especially if you've never experienced northern Ontario.