Perfect weather, incredible views! The early start was very appreciated (no lines at the porta-potties). Glad I was ready for the hills. Best part was the stretch through Pt. Defiance Park. I even enjoyed the miles along I-5; it was scenic and close to the finish. Volunteers were treated well (great jackets) and took good care of us. Spectators were sparse, but cheered for everyone.

This is a must-do for any Maniac.

This race isn't so big that you have to fight your way forward and isn't so small that you get lost.

The hilly course winds around the Puget Sound's second-largest city. It features views of Puget Sound, a wooded section around Point Defiance Zoo, one echo-filled tunnel, cherry blossoms and antique houses, and a fast downhill finish.

Volunteers line the course in a manner suggesting there was a special sale at Central Casting, including several groups in costume. For such a small race, the number of volunteers is impressive.

And finally, as icing on the cake, there was pizza at the finish.

I flew in from St. Louis and the entire week before, I kept checking the forecast to hear about rain, wind, etc. Even after I arrived on Saturday, rain was still in the forecast. However, Sunday morning was BEAUTIFUL: 50 degrees, mostly sunny, and a mild breeze. I'm so glad that the weathermen were wrong. As a 5-hourish marathoner with a plane to catch, I opted for the early start with probably 50 or so others, most of whom were faster than I am. The male winner ran by me about the 12-mile mark, and the 4-ish hour runners were near me at the end - and that really motivated me to try to "look good." I am also hoping that the photographer took a picture of me at the finish with the time clock showing an hour less than I took - lol. I was also pleasantly surprised to find the course less hilly than I expected and the last almost 2 miles were almost totally gentle downhills - love that. Very nice race. Would definitely consider doing again after I knock off the remaining 37 states I have left to hit 50.

Boy, the weather was beautiful for this one! The previous night was stormy and rainy, but by Sunday it was clear and sunny. This was my first marathon (so I don't have a good frame of reference in terms of course difficulty), but I felt taken care of from start to finish. And those Maniacs did an awesome job pacing!

This was marathon No. 16 for me and one of my most favorites. I took it slow, since I had just run Boston, but I really loved the course. Sure, it's hilly as advertised, but I found that I preferred the uphills, given that I had trashed my quads in Boston. Still, if you live in the Seattle area, the hills aren't anything you're not used to. I hesitate to give only 3 stars for spectators since that certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment. But if you're looking for lots of crowd support, it's probably not the race for you. However, if you're looking for tons of VOLUNTEER support, then this race truly delivers. Plenty of aid/port-o-potties along the course.

And speaking of the course, can you say "breathtaking?" Mind you, we were blessed with perfect running weather (it had been threatening to rain all week, yet on race day we had cool temps with blue skies with a few clouds). But the scenery was spectacular.

I'll definitely run this race again.

Perhaps it was having to endure the "aroma of Tacoma" as a kid, or watching too many episodes of "Almost Live," but my opinion going into this race wasn't the best. After all, it is Tacoma. I was wrong.

This was the second year for this race, which consist of a full and half marathons, along with a 10K.
I was able to get on-street parking (I got there about 6:00) a block away from the convention center (packet pick-up, finish line and plenty of real bathrooms), and about 6 blocks from the start line (which is where marathon pickup was at).

The race start times are staggered by 30 minutes, so most full and half participants will not be passing one another (the full and half share the first 8 1/2 miles and the last 100 yards).

The weather was just about ideal, as it was cloudy/overcast, with a starting temperature of about 48. There were sprinkles a few times during the race, but nothing significant. While running past Stadium HS (~mile 4), several were commenting that there would be a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier, had it been clear.

The marathon meanders for about 4 miles around downtown, then makes a counter-clockwise loop around the city. The race starts by heading south for about a mile, fairly flat, then turns to head north one block over. The block between makes you realize that this is not going to be a flat race. There are several hills, but if you live in the Puget Sound area, you've already trained for that.

As with 99% of races, the volunteers were wonderful and law enforcement great. I didn't see any significant instances of frustrated drivers being stuck due to runners (the first miles were early enough that there wasn't much traffic - Ruston Way was pretty much closed to traffic - and when it was time to re-enter traffic, runners were spaced out to allow auto traffic through).

If you are looking to do a race in either Seattle or Tacoma, do this one (Yakima in early April is the one to do, if you don't mind driving farther). This "felt" like a race for runners. The Maniacs and company run (no pun intended) a first-class event.

Perhaps the best part was heading to Frisco Freeze after the finish and un-doing all the good for my body that I had done that morning. (Frisco Freeze is Tacoma's version of Dick's Drive In, but greasier. Growing up, my grandparents lived 2 blocks away, so it is amazing my heart made it past 12 years.) Frisco Freeze is at Division and L (3 blocks from where the route goes through Wright Park).

This was a very well staged event, on an interesting and challenging course.The weather was perfect for running a marathon; starting around 48 degrees and rising very little during the race.The course was well staffed with volunteers and drink stations. I especially liked the bright yellow mile marker signs, which were easy to spot from a distance. I would have to rank this as one of my favorite marathons, even though I have run much faster at other places.

I'd never been to Tacoma so wasn't sure what to expect. I really like the variety of the scenery throughout. We ran through downtown, along the river, through beautiful Defiance Park, neighborhoods, and along a super smooth bike path to finish. Great! Kept my mind busy since there wasn't much crowd support. However, I liked the more peaceful journey without all the hubbub.

Small race made it super easy run your pace right from the beginning. No starting line chaos.

Parked on the street nearby so I could walk to and from the start/finish with ease. Awesome!

Volunteers at the aid stations were wonderful! Great to have 3 different GU stations along the way so that I didn't have to carry any nutrition. Love that!

Only 2 suggestions for improvement: the race packets for the morning of were not at the expo site, as advertised. Since we parked near the expo, we had to walk all the way to the start line to get our numbers and then back to our car and back to start line to run. So better pre-race communication on that would've been good. Also, the awards for the women's race were improperly distributed and still haven't been sorted out (two weeks later). Most people could care less though, I'm sure! :)

I would definitely recommend this race to others with fair warning that the hills are very, very challenging. It reminded me of Boston - my quads were sore for a week after!

I loved this course; it was a bit difficult, but the day was perfect and the scenery and atmosphere just seemed right. The maniacs were out in full force and had pacers for those wanting a certain time, which was a nice touch. There are many marathons in Washington state, but I have to put this one at or near the top of my favorites.

The volunteers were wonderful and they gave out Gu, as advertised. Just showing up with running shorts, shirt and shoes is all you need to do, as they take care of you completely from beginning to end!

Listen up!! If Grannie Annie, at age 64 1/2, can do these hills, so can you. The Marathon Maniacs put on one good, challenging race. Thank you for the one-hour early start for us slow pokes. Great medal; great, black, tech, short-sleeve shirt; great directions throughout the course; great traffic control. There's one killer hill just to get your heart rate up, and there are other hills to challenge the muscles. Expo, wonderful: even better. After-race expo is open; baggage pickup, bathrooms, medals - all indoors. This is my 47th state in 50-states quest, and I am very proud to say I came through it just dandy. Tacoma City is a wonderful place to visit.