This course is very beautiful. Mostly a flat course with small hills at the beginning and end. I love the course support with the Sasquatch giving hi-fives to everyone at Mile 6. The hydration aid stops were great - about every two miles with Nuun and water. I brought my own GU but Hammer gel was also provided a few times along the way. I ended up finishing better than my goal time, and placed 3rd in my age group! I am looking forward to my next one! Thank you Bellingham for a great first marathon experience!

I ran this marathon with little training due to a four month upset hamstring. I went mainly as a companion for my lady friend who is on her way to complete 50 marathons in 50 states. I couldn't resist the town's enthusiasm at the expo, and after 43 marathons under my belt I decided to make Bellingham Bay my 44th.
My first delightful surprise was being dropped by the bus at the starting line and guided inside to a warm gym, contrary to most marathons where you are dropped off early in the morning in the middle of nowhere sometimes in the cold, sometimes in the rain.
My second surprise was the opening ceremony. The native Americans blessed us by the spirits, and to the sound of the chanting drums we were sent off to the starting line.
Although the course was extremely scenic, the 30-40 mph headwind deprived you from enjoying it. Looking up or even around would cause you to run extra distance to retrieve your hat or even lose it entirely. My lady friend chose not to chase hers down.
As the early lonely miles dropped behind us, at mile 17 my concentration was spooked by the rush of noisy and fresh half-marathoners who joined us at their mile 4 and took over the course. Going around them was a struggle that I've always experienced at the beginning of any race, but mile 17 and the ones after requested an extra effort. We were outnumbered 10-1 and the fans were cheering the half-ers. At around mile 20 from a small group of fans a lady in a Boston Marathon jacket saw my different colored bib and went out of her way to cheer me on. I felt recognized and discovered.
It was disappointing at mile 22 to be passing a few feet away from the finish line and seeing half- marathoners and fast full marathoners finishing to the sound of a live band, the announcer and cheering fans, while the rest of us continued on to finish the remaining miles.

This race would have been a favorite one if the half-marathoners had a different course and mile 22 was further away from the finish line. I hope the organizers think of us full marathoners and perhaps make those changes.

Marathon course adjusted (yes, 1 'last' time) to remove the Ferndale Rd and Interurban out-and-backs which reduced elevation about 50' making BBM one of the lowest elevation gains [=FAST] in the region. Live music awaits finishers. Beer garden at the finish area will quench your thirst during the post race party in Depot Market Square. Finally, new host hotel location at the beautiful, well appointed Best Western Lakeway Inn for BBM expo, packet pick-up and pasta dinner.

If the race organizers want to float this as a destination marathon, they have a lot of work to do. The course was fine, but it wasn't particularly scenic and didn't make the most of what's available in Bellingham. If you need or want spectators and great finish line food and atmosphere, this is NOT the race for you. I enjoyed it well enough since it was in my own backyard, but I would've been seriously disappointed had I come here from any distance.

The new course is faster and even more scenic than the previous course. Aid stations were plentiful and well staffed. This is a great event that continues to improve each year.

After having completed the 2010 Bellingham Bay Marathon, I have mixed feelings. I love running in my backyard and home town, but this race is striving to be a destination marathon and falls far short. Among other things, they need to choose a course and stick with it rather than changing it significantly each year. But in addition to that, the "goods" simply don't justify the price.

The goal with this latest course was clearly to establish a "flat and fast" race reputation. I suppose the organizers achieved their mission, but the course leaves something to be desired. It's fairly dull throughout the first half - particularly running out-and-back along a straight stretch of road for one portion - and if spectator support is important to you, forget it. Things improve vastly once the course finally reaches town, but the race really doesn't have a "Bellingham" feel to it.

Organizationally, aid stations were frequent, as were portable toilets, so that was great. But the expo (not important to me, but some people care about it) isn't much of anything. The t-shirts are bland and the medals are nothing special. Again, not vital issues to me, but these races do cost a pretty penny and especially if B'ham wants to attract more entries, they need to put out a better product.

Along those lines, the most notable omission was hearty, plentiful food at the finish line. I can honestly say I've never run any race - including very small, local 5K runs - that had so little to offer in the way of food and drink. Very disappointing. The vast majority of people I talked to said the same thing. The finish area just didn't have the atmosphere one expects of a race like this.

Since I'm local, I do want to see this race succeed, but competition for racers is stiff - especially when the run is scheduled within two weeks of both Portland and Victoria. I have no desire to do races with tens of thousands of runners, so I like that aspect of B'ham Bay, but I expected a better product overall.

There was a new marathon course for 2010. As with most races, the half marathon out-numbers the full. In this case the breakdown was 1,262 half/401 full. There's also a 5K, but due to the start times and course routings, participants in that race are not a factor with the marathon.

The full marathon starts about 15 miles from the finish line (car distance). The starting point was adjacent to the Lummi Tribal Hall (first portion of race is on the Lummi Reservation). After the shuttles dropped full marathon people off, you waited inside the tribal hall (no need for garbage bags or old sweatshirts as you wait for the race to get started!). After some Lummi ceremonies we headed outside and started the race (maybe 5 minutes to get marathoners in place before starting).

The first 8 miles follows Bellingham Bay; however, since it was cloudy/misty/rainy there was not too much to see (the day before was a clear as could be). Miles 9-11 are an out-and-back. The first half is definitely rural.

At the 14 mile-mark, you meet up with the half marathoners who are at the 4 mile-mark (mile markers are synchronized). I was concerned that we would be stuck behind oblivious, 6-abreast walkers, but the race start times are such that if you are a 9:00 minute/mile marathoner, you'll meet up with 9:00 minute/mile half marathoners (Great planning, organizers!! If you are faster or slower than 9 minutes, then you will have differing speeds.) It was strange going from relative solitude to entering a swarm. Near mile 19 you pass within 100 yards of the finish area. At the 21 mile-mark, the half marathoners head left to the finish, while the marathoners do a 3 mile out-and-back. When you rejoin the half marathoners at mile 24, you should be faster than the half marathoners, which makes the last 2 miles go by quickly. There were the usual bagels and bananas at the finish area.

The course isn't the best that I've done (Yakima), but it is very good, with a few hills (no killers), scenic views (if the weather cooperates) and varied scenery. You certainly will not get bored (maybe miles 9-11 which are straight as an arrow).

As always, the volunteers (primarily soccer players, swimmers and families) and law enforcement were wonderful (including the police officer directing traffic at mile 23 in Fairhaven who was in my Spanish class 30 years ago).

Overall: a very well organized race, with a great route. What more can one ask for?

New point-to-point marathon course wrapping around Bellingham Bay, offering panoramic views of bay, islands, mountains and city. The course is likely to produce new event records and have more attain Boston/NYC qualifying times with far fewer turns and elevation reduced by 800. The half marathon and 5K courses were also improved to help athletes reduce their times.

I ran this one for my daughter, who deployed from Ft. Lewis to Iraq on the same day as the race. The course is enjoyable and challenging. The unpaved sections of the bicycle trail are crushed gravel, the boardwalk section along the bay coincided with low tide, and the aroma of "diluted decay" greeted us. I don't find that smell to be objectionable, as I enjoy visiting the shore. The volunteers were vocal, and the fluid stations were adequately spaced, stocked, and staffed. An enthusiastic crowd gathered at the finish line. Spectators were very sparse along the course. Weather conditions were absolutely perfect, in my opinion. It was 39 degrees and clear and calm for the start. Winds were gentle during the race, and never got gusty for me. I was fortunate to not be out there too long, and I ran a new personal best time in this my 53rd career marathon. This was for my daughter, US Army SSGT Shelley Taylor, as she begins her second Middle East tour of duty. I'll see you in a year, Shelley.

Love, Dad

First off the negative:
The course crosses railroad tracks near the 11-mile mark. I was stuck with the other 8-minute/mile people for a few minutes (thus the 4 stars for the course). I just deducted my wait time off of my "official" time and ended up with a PR. Once the train went by, it was like we were at the starting line again with the excitement and some bustling, but it made the race that much more memorable (for the record, I would prefer not to have to wait for a train).

Now the positives:
The organization of the race was spectacular. The weather was just about perfect, with sun, but primarily in the shade. The views were great. The course was a nice mix of neighborhoods, parks, rural areas, with a start and finish in the downtown area. I was able to drive up the morning of the race, get a parking spot near the start/finish and get my packet fairly easily.

I'll be back next year.