Last year people complained about the 9:00 AM start time. Vermont in the spring is always a trick, and 8:00 will almost certainly be a bit cold. With a point to point race and buses shuttling runners, a later start would be nice.

I know awards aren't for everyone, but something a little more than Maple Syrup might be nice. First place age group awards were bigger than 2nd and 3rd place overall awards. We're not talking big awards here, but some sort of keepsake/commemorative type thing would be nice - even if it's just the official finishers certificate with photo (costs an extra $30 through the photographers...)

Nice course, wish there were more dirt roads, but the paved roads it is on aren't awfully busy.

Little more polishing and this will be a real nice race.

This is not a flat course or a course you should expect to PR. But it is a very well organized race with great scenery. Very rolling terrain with steep couple of miles before the half. Second half rather flat with some downhills. Very easy bib pickup and Bennington is a classic New England town. Race volunteers were great, weather was perfect(cloudy and low 60's) and very nice food spread at the finish. My kids even filled up on sandwiches and ice cream. My only suggestion would be to start at 7 am as an 8 am start would have been tough if the weather was warmer. Not many spectators on the course but those who were out there were very supportive. All in all, a very nice experience and I hope to be back.

Small, well-organized event I highly recommend. Crowd support was sparse, but terrific where present. Wonderful scenery along the entire route with plenty of water stops, a superb post race spread, and a unique finisher's medal that I really enjoy. Only caveat: I would argue the website's claims about the last six miles being mostly flat - there were plenty of climbs after mile 23.

Wow, I have never experienced such a positive event. Every person who organized or volunteered in this event had the biggest smiles on their faces and passed it along to the marathoners along the way. The course is beautiful with the first half somewhat hilly. Fortunately there are enough 'rest' areas between hills to recover. The support along the course was terrific, the views spectacular and even though it was a smaller race, you never were 'alone'. My only suggestion is perhaps offering bags or trays after the race in the food tent and perhaps picnic tables to sit at to eat. My hands we busy holding my mylar wrap and my shirt and my water I had nothing to hold the wonderful selection of food. All in all it was a great race, I would recommend it to everyone to experience the beauty of VT

lots of fluid on the course, many downhills, great food at the end, all volunteers very enthusiastic. Awards were given in a timely manner. I can't think of anything negative about this marathon.

This marathon rocked. Organization was incredible. More than enough water/gatorade stops. Awesome, AWESOME spread after the run. Incredible ceramic medal. The course is not 'easy' but quite manageable. Very affordable run and in my opinion better than the big races. The scenery was incredible. Naturally, fan support is very small compared to the 'big races'. Yet, the people along the route and at water stops were really positive and vociferous. My only gripe is that you do share the road with motorists a fair amount. Yet, there were lots of race officials and police at all intersections which made things safe enough for me.
If not for sharing the road I'd have given this awesome run 5 stars for the course, which I adored.

This was a great race course with great volunteer support. It's a small race, so don't expect too much in the way of crowd support. The port-a-potty situation was excellent compared to larger races.

A correction for the record: It WAS an incredibly hot and sunny race, but it never reached the 90s or high 80s as some others are claiming. It reached the mid-80s afternoon, and it was in the low 80s around noon.

This was my 64th marathon and my 32nd state. I thought it would be cool in Vermont this time of the year, but the weather did not cooperate on this race, it hit the high 80s and we had full sun throughout the race. What impressed me was that the organizers quickly mobilized extra aid stations throughout the course. By habit, I carry my own water bottle (one of those wrist mount types) so I was comfortable throughout the race.

Hotels and B&B. I stayed at the Henry House (circa 1769), but there are plenty of B&Bs in this part of the state. I chose the Henry House because of its age and the fact that it is right by one of those red covered bridges. Race day logistics were a snap. Plenty of parking right at the start line.

This is really a beautiful course. It goes through some city streets and then heads into the hills onto a hard-pack dirt road. About 6 miles on city streets, then 13 or so through the forests, and then the rest on country roads. The forest road is almost totally tree shaded, so once we entered the forested section, it was about 10 degrees cooler.

The finishing line had more food than I have ever seen at any marathon I have run. Wow! You cannot go away from this hungry! The finishers medal is a really neat ceramic medallion that is hand-crafted. Nicely done, you will be proud to show this one.

Organization was great for a small race. Every intersection was staffed and you never wondered which direction to turn. Most turns were also clearly painted on the streets.

Porta potties were quite sufficient, I think they had some about every two or three miles.

No complaints, very well done.

The course contained beautiful New England country roads, some rolling hills and enough flats for recovery.If I could have given a '6' rating to the fans and volunteers at the aide stations I would! They offered encouragement and enthusiasm to each of us personally. Unusually hot day and ice was available everywhere. Random neighbors were out with their garden hoses for anyone wanting a splash of relief. A bagpiper played at the top of a hill climb. Docs on bikes casually cycled back and forth. And a surprise greeting at the finish with your cold-water soaked race tee-shirt and a pottery 'medal' handcrafted by a local artist. Will definitely do again!

This marathon was well organized and the volunteers went above and beyond, especially trying to accommodate runners on such a hot day. They also had a very nice technical shirt that included both mens and women's sizing, always a plus. On the negative side, the finishers' medal was a bit lackluster and if you're looking for a big expo, you'll be disappointed.

This is a small race, of course, and a small expo is expected. The course is very scenic running on Vermont's beautiful rural roads, but the first half is quite hilly. I feel bad to give this marathon such a low rating; however, I feel there was no excuse to start this marathon at 9 am. This was my 43rd marathon and possibly the most miserable because of the heat. If we had started at 7 am, we would have had the opportunity to run during the much cooler temperatures. At least most runners would have made it to the halfway point before things really started to heat up.

When you have a late spring marathon, the start time is very crucial, and I know of very little marathons that start this late. In addition, for those of us that are traveling, it leaves even less time after the race to make it to our next destination. Hope they can change that part of their race because I think this event has potential.