Really nice race...I have run many marathons and this was one was one of my most enjoyable races...and I will do this one next year...Nice relaxing run with great scenery...A few rolling hills...Trees...some waterfront viewing.... and no big town hassles like traffic or thousands of people...Nice volunteers and helpful organizers.

I have run this course twice and I have enjoyed it both times (8th State this year.) Nice small Marathon that runs along Lake Michigan and Spring Lake. The long sleeve tech shirt features an Oktoberfest Dog drinking from a beer Stein, gotta love that. There was a minor snafu at the beginning, but EACH RUNNER has the responsibility to know the course, the race director announced where to turn MULTIPLE times. Even having run it before, I blindly followed the pack, but that is my fault, not the race directors. I look at it this way, I am now an Ultra Marathoner! Great Party sitting out on the lawn along the river with Pulled Pork BBQ sandwiches and Beer from the host Brewery. Sounds like a perfect early fall Marathon to me. I will be back next year.

Ran the half last year and had a great time. Decided to run my first full here this year. Price is good, long sleeve tech shirts are great, beer glass and medal were cool, and the food after was tasy. BUT, when the race started, we were supposed to take an immediate right. The leader and his escort both went straight, and everyone else followed. By the time we got to the 1st mile marker, my Garmin said 2.3 miles. 1.3 miles added to a marathon may not sound like a lot, but KNOWING that you have to run that extra distance at the end for the entire race is a lot of extra weight to carry around with you. They were apologizing to each runner individually at the end, which was a nice touch, but that was an error that was inexcusable.

This is a small marathon, but the course was really nice: a combination of beautiful bike trails (very well maintained) and some quiet, georgeous neighborhoods. Water stops were well staffed by enthusiastic helpers. The medals were nice and the music after the event was great.
The Expo was very small and held outside, along with the packet pickup.
We skipped the pasta dinner because the weather was cool and it also was held outside. After the marathon, they held a free lunch for the runners. They did not have a vegetarian option, but did a nice job in accommodating our request when we inquired.
Overall, it was a really nice marathon!

I ran this race in part b/c I'd heard such great things about the scenary. In truth, it was okay but not great. Given how close I was to so much water, I thought I'd see a lot more of it along the way. The 'sports drink' was just simply awful - called Heed or something like that. Many runners complained that it left you feeling yucky after choking it down. There seemed to be slightly limited parking with all local businesses threatening to have you towed if you parked at their establishment.

Overall it was a nice event and the guy giving the post-race entertainment was hilariously talented.

I choose this marathon as a backup race in case my original race 2 weeks earlier went bad. Sure enough, my first race went bad and I signed up to run Oktoberfest. The main reason is because its a short drive from Chicago and the marathon appeared to be small and hassle free.

There are plenty of Pros and Cons to a small marathon. I had a feeling I would be running alone for much of the race and the crowd support would be small. Knowing this in advance, it wasn't a problem for me. Looking at the rollers on the course, I wasn't sure if this would be a PR for me, let alone a BQ.

First of all, I LOVED this marathon! It's everything as advertised. Check in was fast and easy. We drove in from Chicago and had enough time to pick up our packet and enjoy the $5 pasta dinner. $5..you kidding me? Wow! The long sleeve tech shirt is one of my favorites! The beer glass was a nice bonus. They were selling last years shirts which were really cool and I wanted one, but I have this funky thing about not wearing race shirts I don't race in. The host hotel looked far away, but it was only a 8 minute drive.

Arriving to the start was easy, with no traffic to contend with. Parking was easy. There were plenty of porta johns at the start line. No hassle getting to the start line with only 120+ runners. It helped the Half Marathoners started after us. Started with no problems and off we went towards Lake Michigan to do small loop then head back. It wasn't flat for the first 8 miles, but I wouldn't call it hilly either. The course was well marked . I didn't see much of Lake Michigan, but the area was pretty. The volunteers at the aid stations were incredible! All of them did a great job of yelling "water" or "heed". Since I don't do well with Heed and you can't see the difference between the two, this was important to me. Great job on the Aid Stations!

Since this is a very small marathon, there wasn't traffic control at every intersection and there were a few times you had to navigate around cars. Car traffic was very small and it wasn't a problem. Coming back around the 14 mile mark, runners were spread out. This is where I lost the runner ahead of me and I felt there was nobody behind me. It was like this until the finish. Again, I knew this was a small race, so I expected it.

Next was the loop around Spring Lake. I thought I would see more of the lake, but I did not. Most of the loop was one a bike path, with some areas going into a neighborhood and back out. We had a cool morning with overcast skies, which made for a perfect race. Later, the sun started to come out, but since we were on the bike path, we were shaded the entire time. Approaching mile 20, the rollers started. I will say there were a bit challenging, especially with tired legs. I lost a lot of time, but my overall pace was still strong. Around mile 25, it starts to flatten out and you make several turns until you reach the final stretch. The finish line wasn't that far from the final turn. I was able to pick up my pace and finish with a 22 minute PR and a strong BQ.

The medal was great! There was plenty of post race food and the free lunch after wards was great. The awards ceremony was a very nice touch. The awards they gave out were incredible. Very nice touch! I can't say enough about how great this marathon is. My 9th and one of my favorites.

It is a small marathon with potential, but:

Good:
- nice medal
- finish area - restaurant/bar; life entertainment (that bouncy guy was awesome)
- you get a pint glass - no, no free beer comes with it
- lunch - pulled pork sandwich + chips (beats bagels and bananas)
- most intersections had at least one person guiding you, so it was difficult to get lost (despite all the turns - see bad below)
- no hills
- very nice long-sleeve shirt

Bad:
- Watered-down or not well mixed sport drink - what was it anyway?
- TOOO many turns on the course
- Hammer gel - banana and raspberry??? What happened to flavors that most people use, like vanilla?
- nothing at the expo - like gu or blocks
- rather lonely run, but that's to be expected given the size of the event.

A smaller but enjoyable race. Start and finish at the Old Boys Brewpub. They offer race day pickup and registration. Course is flat to rolling mostly through nice neighborhoods with a couple out and backs. Mainly quiet running with little to no spectator activity. The course is not closed however and you are contending with traffic and are forced onto the sidewalks. I think there could be an improvement in marshaling not only with the traffic but in providing course directions (other than tape arrows on the ground). Water/aid stations were basic. Good frills (long sleeve tech, finisher medal and a finisher's glass). Great post race; outside on the pub deck, live music, by the river, free BBQ meal and a chocolate stout.

Small expo consisting of mostly local community sponsors. The kid's race during the expo was a nice change and gave my kids something to look forward too. Spaghetti dinner was plentiful and inexpensive. Weather was awesome for the race! I liked the fact that the marathon runners started about 15 minutes before the half runners. Plenty of water stops. Nice course and I had an awesome PR. Kudos to the race directors and volunteers! Spectators were a little sparse along the course but plenty of activity at the finish line. Great looking long sleeve shirt. This was my ninth marathon in nine different states and the Oktoberfest marathon event was one of my favorites. There were lots of cool sites to see in the area as well. Lake Michigan was awesome.

This is a race that illustrates what community racing should be. Kudos to all that continue to plan and put on this small marathon. Highly recommended for those who just want to run a marathon for the pure joy of running. Well organized, friendly, scenic in many parts, convenient (start, finish, packet pickup, pasta dinner all in once place, with a hotel across the street connected to the start/finish area by a boardwalk), family friendly (kids events and activities on Friday and Saturday), great volunteers, and just plain fun. Old Boys has fabulous food and beer! Great Michigan marathon option.