Unlike the folks who were scheduled to run in New York, I had been planning on running in Manchester all along. New Hampshire became my 24th state on my way to completing all 50.

It was a small and simple race, but quite enjoyable. I agree with a lot of what other runners have said: The course was hilly, so it's probably not the best place to attempt a PR. For the most part, the race was scenic, although as an earlier post stated, parts of the course (especially near the end) were through industrial parking lots that were not terribly well marked. Parking was plentiful very close to the start/finsish, which was nice.

I was afraid that November in New Hampshire would be really cold, and in some years maybe it is. But the weather was terrific in 2012.

Overall, I give the race a big thumb's up. If you're not doing NYC, Manchester is a good alternative on that weekend...

This marathon is low-key and low stress. You can park for free in a city lot 1/4 mile from the start, wait in the host hotel lobby until 5 minutes before the start, and be right back at your car at the finish. Area hotels are plentiful and inexpensive. Many newer ones are at the Manchester NH Airport just a quick 5 miles away, and the marathon itself is one of the less expensive ones. The course is a bit hilly for a PR but you can certainly run a good time here if you have trained properly. Some nicer areas of the course include a packed dirt trail portion past lakes and forest and a stretch of the bike path. Spectators were friendly and enthusiastic and I can't stay enough about the police support on the course. The police were very friendly and super helpful at all road crossings. A great marathon or half marathon to put on your schedule.

Another NYC-er kicked out. The city of Manchester was nice and cute, the weather was unbeatable (besides a little wind), the course was mostly very pretty. I enjoyed the trail sections, both paved and unpaved.

The rolling hills throughout were challenging, as was the total lack of crowd support after the half. In New York miles 16-19 up 1st Avenue are full of cheering people 10 deep on either side, and the last few miles in the park are also insane. When I needed them most (after all those hills), no one was there.

A stress-free start was amazing, though. I was well-rested, warm, and ready to go. I probably would not do this marathon again, but I had a positive experience and am so glad I did it.

I was one of many runners who registered for the Manchester City Marathon very last minute after the NYC Marathon was cancelled. It was a great alternative and I'm very happy that I had an opportunity to add this race to my list.
The course is very challenging with rolling hills from beginning to end. I had trained for a flatter course so I struggled a bit but if you are properly trained its certainly manageable. There are areas that go off pavement and on trails for a bit.

I liked the change of terrain and scenery. The last few miles were very difficult and there are a few curbs you are forced to get up and down on - these are tough on tired legs. The wind was nasty at the end too. The last stretch of the race down Elm Street is awesome.

There is also a half marathon and relay so the field is larger in the beginning and you do run through the relay transitions. I enjoyed this especially since the crowd was huge at these areas.

The crowd support was very impressive considering it's a relatively small race. It seemed all of Manchester was out with their family and dog ringing a cow bell and cheering the runners. It was great to see so much support from the town when I'm sure the traffic and road closures are an inconvenience to them.

I thought the organization of the race was incredible considering they had unexpectedly doubled the field 48 hours before the race. Adjustments had to be made including giving some full marathoners half marathon bibs and giving the late registrants last years t-shirt but none of that mattered in the end. I did hear that they ran out of finisher's medals but had ordered more to send to anyone who did not receive theirs. There was plenty of water, Gatorade and gu on the course.

A great benefit to doing a smaller race like Manchester is the relaxed start. Prior to the race I was in the warm host hotel lobby stretching and using a clean bathroom with no line. This is not a luxury I would have experienced in NY! I threw my race bag on a truck just a couple of minutes before the gun went off and had plenty of time to line up.
They used NuVision Action Image for race photos, which allow you to download pictures for free.

I'm a huge fan of this since most race photography companies charge huge fees for race photos.
If you are up for a challenging course and well organized race, I definitely recommend the Manchester City Marathon.

I entered this race at the last minute due to the cancellation of the NYC marathon. The organization was excellent and was able to extend the registration time to accommodate the many others who were doing the same thing. The expo was small (probably about 20 vendors), but it had lots of free goodies from the vendors and packet pickup was well organized. The aid stations were well stocked and the volunteers were very helpful. I liked that they gave out cowbells so the runners' support group had something to use to cheer us on.

The course was very scenic. It ran past a lake and river. We ran along some packed gravel trails (for maybe 5 miles total). There were trees that were mostly still colorful. And the residential neighborhoods were nice as well. There were definitely some rolling hills, but nothing unmanageable.

The finish line had free massages, a band, soup, hot chocolate and coffee, and fruit.

The fans were great at the start, finish, and relay areas, but were sparse throughout the rest of the course.

Some areas to improve:
-The start line was crowded and it was hard to gage pace of the runners without some pace signage. With the narrow road at the start, it took some weaving to get into the right pace.
-There was only one porta potty at each porta potty stop along the course, and often times there were lines.
-The end of the course was a little confusing. There was one point where I didn't know where I was supposed to go. More signs or volunteers directing you would be helpful toward the end.
-Water stops were every other mile. It would have been better if after mile 20, they were every mile. At that point, you're living water stop to water stop.

Overall excellent race! I would highly recommend this to anyone who needs to check New Hampshire off their list.

I decided to try it out because I heard that changes were made after all the comments about the 2011 marathon. Next November, I will definitely be running a different marathon.

PROS:
- volunteers and (minimal) spectators were very good
- awesome gels (Gu! The good flavors!) and gatorade along the course
- expo the day before was small but had a nice variety
- new course incorporated some trails, which was cool variety
- hot chocolate at the finish
- frequent port-a-potties along the course

CONS:
- the majority of the course was through random sections of the city, which included behind industries or through parking lots at certain points. Course went through lots of dingy neighborhoods that weren't very scenic
- there weren't as many hills as what I imagine in the past, but the finish was at the top of one (small, but still, what sadist planned that?)
- I'm a slow finisher (5 hrs) and almost all the food was gone by then. I got a small cup of watery stuff a volunteer claimed was chicken soup and a cold roll.
- pick up was advertised to be only the day before from 10-4 so I had to rearrange my day to get there (I'm pretty sure I spotted a table with bibs before the start that morning - sneaky devils)
- very very few spectators. The majority of the support was actually from random citizens roaming through the city but who weren't actually there to cheer you on
- a lot of people from the area used it as an opportunity to hold political signs instead of encouraging or entertaining ones. One read along the line of 'It's hard to run... from Obama's problems, vote for Romney blah blah blah'

SUMMARY:
I'm sure it could have been worse, I'm glad I didn't run it back in the day. Would not do it again.

The mob mentality pressured Mayor Bloomberg to cancel NYC on Friday at 5:30pm. What a huge disappointment 36 hours before the race, unreal. Enter Manchester,N.H. They kept marathon registration open until late Saturday afternoon. I drove down from Portand,Me. and registered at 3pm. Awesome, Thank you! Went to Boston for a great evening and drove back in the morning, less than an hour. The course is a bear with relentless hills, but it forces you to take it easy early, which is good and there are places to pick up speed.

If you are a good hill runner you will kick butt here. 1st rate organization, great job, well done. I had a great time. The stretch running in the woods was super cool, as was the crowd coming out of it & with an announcer on a loud speaker no less. Neat stretch on a dirt road a few miles later with gorgeous lake views. Great support at mile 19 coming down a big hill into the city where the half marathoners went left to finish & the marathoners went right. I was running solo down the middle of the downtown street, fans yelling & an announcer calls out my name on the loud speaker. What a cool thing, it gave me such a boost late in the race when the quads were starting to rebel.

The bike path was awesome at 23 & 24. The single lane wooden bridge over the river added mega 'trippy' charm. Running on smooth red bricks with a ROUGH river just to your left at mile 25+ was surreal. Sunny day, gorgeous fall foliage in a classic New England setting. Great neighborhoods to run through. I wouldn't come here looking for a PR but if you want to run an awesome marathon and have a great experience, come run this. And you get an extra hours sleep the night before, what a bonus!

I was one of the 500+ last-minute runners who signed up for the Manchester City Marathon after the NYC Marathon was cancelled. The organizers of this usually small race (approx. 500 marathoners in 2011) deserve thanks and admiration for their generosity and flexibility, allowing late registration through Saturday evening and scrambling to supply the suddenly larger group. The Manchester City Marathon offers a grueling course of rolling hills and at least this year a tough head wind. The hills weren't terribly steep, but they just kept coming! Yet as challenging as the course is, it offers a back-to-basics reminder of what the marathon is really about: pushing yourself to the limit in the company of fellow runners who are doing exactly the same thing. I met some first-time marathoners and international runners from at least 5 countries who had planned to run NY, and we were all working hard. Much of the course is beautiful but totally quiet; in places I ran alone for 10 minutes or more. Manchester offers none of the party scene distraction of a big city race (though the spectators in town and at transitions were great). As someone who thrives on external distraction and motivation during the marathon, I really had to dig to find my own internal drive. I recommend this marathon to runners who want a challenge in the company of a friendly comomunity. The scenery is varied with some especially lovely park trails and rail-trail sections along the river. Kudos to the organizers for running a well-organized event despite unexpected surge in numbers.

I ran this as part of my quest to run a marathon in all 50 states. This was state #9. This is the ideal time to run a marathon in the Northeast, with cool but too-cold temperatures. The expo was small but fine for a small marathon. The course was hilly as expected, but only a couple were on the long side. Most were short but took their toll on my legs and endurance, expecially in the second half. Hydration stops were adequate, about every 2 miles, with GU at miles 9 and 17. Volunteers were plentiful and encouraging. I liked the 3 parts of the course that were on trails or bike paths. We did run with traffic for a lot of the race, but I never felt at risk of being injured. The post-race food was running out by the time I finished, but it was adequate. The t-shirt and medal were just so-so, nothing special.

Whoa. I was primed to run a 3:07-3:10. I ran a 3:24. This race was a killer. They changed the course to apparently make it easier and I am frightened to know what it used to be. Hill at every mile today INTO a head wind for pretty much the entire race. Holy schnkies! If you are into difficult challenges and levels of torture, run it! The organization was great and the people were soooo nice and accomodating. I came up after NYC was canceled and apparently 400 others did also. Nice event but be ready. Hill training dot com and then some. At mile 20 I felt like the hill was a 90 degree perpendicular hill...into the wind. Awesome.