I completed this race as my 2nd marathon and am a novice but trained with the Galloway plan for 26 weeks. The race is small and is not as welcoming to newbies as Santa Rosa marathon isespecially with the time limit of 6 hours. The course is scenic and vehicles are sparse. But the roads are not closed for the race, so it's necessary to dodge any cars that are present throughout the course. If you do this race, be sure to train a lot on uneven terrain, because the rural roads are torture on the ankles, having to deal with the heavy arc of the sloped roads. Even on the flats, the road is not flat and has a high arc. It's also hilly in places, but that wasn't as much of a challenge as the slope of the road. Being from out of town, I expected the road surfaces to be relatively flat from one side to the other and hadn't anticipated such an arc; my ankle started bugging me at mile 17 and I walked the last 4 miles, coming in just before the 6 hour limit. When I finished, the festivities were being dismantled. So there wasn't really much of a celebration to congratulate the few slow newbies who didn't know the race isn't for novices. I was satisfied with finishing, despite the challenges and would consider doing the race again. But I would need to be sure to train for the slope of the road. I received the commemorative wine glass, which was a nice touch. And they did seem to allow some of the people who were just beyond 6 hours to finish the race, which was nice for them.

This is a beautiful course that rivals Big Sur and the Humboldt Redwoods. It's a small marathon so I found myself running alone for long stretches, but that was OK because I just took in the scenery. It's also somewhat tough with rolling hills for 20 miles. As long as you do adequate hill training you'll be fine. There weren't many spectators along the course but the few who were there were warm and friendly. Finally, the race organizers provided great goodies; a technical shirt, an attractive finisher's medal, hot food at the finish, a wine glass, and a wine and beer garden. This is a great marathon. I hope it doesn't get too big and lose its charm.

Only my second race but it was a beauty from the Expo at Kendall-Jackson through the finish in downtown Healdsburg. Spectators were sparse but high-spirited (thanks for the Mimosa pit stop at mile 12!). Nice swag, too- good tech shirt and the medal was a wine bottle stopper. Tasty Mexican food at the end the race. They also had beer & wine which I'm sure was excellent but I wasn't really in the mood for it before 9:00 a.m..

This is a small event. On 10/10/10 there were 223 Full, and 712 Half marathon finishers.

Volunteers: Though few were on course, those who were there were wonderfully positive, helpful and friendly. Finish is well-populated.

Course: Beautiful, shallow, rolling hills beside vineyards.

Expo: Did not attend, but getting my bib number the morning of the event went smoothly.

Event shirt: Attractive, long-sleeve, tech shirt for the full marathon (and I assume just as attractive for the half).

Local support: Offers of water from a garden hose, to drink and/or wear, were much appreciated!

Police support: Friendly and sufficient.

Finisher's medal: Attractive enough, with the same one serving for both the full and half.

In 2010 it was hot (around 90). I run in the middle of the pack, neither first nor last. That I found the water stop at mile 11 temporarily out of plain water in such a small event is unfortunate but not too surprising.

That this same water stop should STILL be out of plain water when I came back through is inexcusable. (Mile 15 of an out-and-back course; electrolyte was available.)

The plain water at more than one of the events water stops tasted of the garden hose from which it probably came. (1) Get a water sponsor, or (2) water the garden for five minutes before filling the water jugs!

To the volunteer at the mile 23 water stop: You are an angel from heaven (or at least that's what I saw when you handed me two ice-cold 16 oz. bottles of water). Thank you!

The registration for the event had a special where 4 runners could register for the price of three. In my group this encouraged 12 of us to give this event a try. And now, after the event, I think the general consensus is that once is enough in this case. But don't let that dissuade you if you haven't run this one yet. Sure, Events With Sole dropped the ball a bit when it came to the water supply. However, I suspect a cooler day would not have illuminated the organizational flaws so acutely. Small marathons have a charm all their own.