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.

It would be no exageration to say this is one of the loveliest places in New England. A combination of small towns, country stores owned by locals, beautiful farmland, the Green and Taconic Mountains and of course the Green Mountain National Forest running along the spine of the state. The marathon course samples some of the best of each of these qualities  although thankfully the course went over some hills but no real mountains.

The people volunteering and spectating were also the best. Always helpful and always cheerful. And the large proportion of children helping, some quite young, was impressive. And a special thanks to the Batten Kill Valley Runners which put on the race and the Granite State Race Services which provided their usual superb technical services.

If it weren't for the very hot day (sun, mid 80s) which hurt everyone's time, it would have been a perfect race.

In attempting the 50 states I chose this race for Vermont as it happened to fit into a trip I was taking out East. I knew this was a small marathon and was a little nervous going into the race as the website didn't have much information and updates were a little slow to come from the race director. However, once on site I quickly realized that the shires marathon is a well organized race (even though this was only its second running!).

Packet pickup was streamlined the morning of the race and course information could easily be found and was well marked while running. I understand that in 2011 they had rain the entire day well in 2012 we had a sweat-fest with high 80's and full sun for the marathon.

However, organizers were quick to add ice all throughout the race and volunteers were lovely at the stops offering iced water/Gatorade and cups of ice for runners to use. They also iced down the race shirts at the finish line which felt great on your back as you reclined in the shade of the giant tents they had set up.

A few things about the course: it is hilly but worth the climbs! The first half is definitely more brutal but I found that the second also contained several short but steep uphills. This is also a very remote course and while the volunteers and few spectators were wonderfully supportive don't expect throngs of screaming fans.

Also I would definitely suggest carrying a hydration system with you for this one as I felt like the aid was a little spread out even though many volunteers created 'unofficial' stops in between to give out ice and water. My only suggestion for next year would be to think about starting the race earlier. I know this was an unseasonably hot weekend but a 9am start in May is too late and it should be moved up at least an hour. Even though this was my slowest marathon to date I still think it was probably my favorite and I definitely felt like I earned that medal when I crossed the finish line!

On a side note - stayed in Bennington for the race and found this town to be simply charming with some fun shops, restaurants, and several nice hotels/inns.

This race was amazing. It was almost 90 degrees which was tough. There was supposed to be water every 2 miles and then every mile after mile 20. They really stepped it up and put water, ice, pretzels, and support at every half mile after about mile 15. The volunteers would ask us how we were doing and ask if we needed anything. Everyone was very concerned that we were staying cool.

The course itself was beautiful. Being from a flat area, the hills were tough but most of them were over by halfway through the race. I liked that the course was on pavement, dirt roads, through a covered bridge, towns... It made every turn interesting. I also thought that they had a fantastic idea at the end with the T-shirts. I actually had been wondering why we received our shirts at the end instead of at the packet pickup. Well, someone smart decided to soak all of the T's in a pool of ice water. When you crossed the finish line they wrapped the towel around you neck. After hours of being in the heat it felt so good!

Afterwards there as good food and great cookies. I would have loved a beer but that wasn't offered. The towns of Bennington and Manchester really catered to the runners that day. I am really impressed by this race. The only negative part (besides the heat) was that I wish some of the streets would have been closed to traffic. It was tough to have to watch out for cars. This didn't happen a lot but when it did it was a little annoying. Also, there was one stretch where we were on a busy streets and the shoulder was coned off for us but both lanes of traffic were open.

We had to run single file on the edge for about a mile. You had to be careful because if you stepped a little to the right you were in traffic and if you stepped to the left you sloped off the edge. Otherwise, this was fantastic. It was well organized and a great experience.

There seemed to be a lack of aid stations for the first 8K or so...and that was a bit worrisome because race day was going to be quite warm, and with a race start of 9am...uh oh. After that small glitch however, this race delivered. The remainder of the race had a huge amount of excellent volunteer support, complete with ice (I wouldn't have been able to finish this race without it), pretzels, candy, water, and Gatorade at every aid station.

The course is a point to point with a descent for the first 2 miles and then some climbing in the middle. There are some postcard perfect views of the mountains and small towns (there's even a covered bridge crossing around 5K). There was a section around mile 20 that pushed runners way over onto a tiny shoulder of the road and there was some traffic congestion, but much of the race was on quiet roads and shaded gravel/dirt paths. A nice touch: Our race shirts were given to us at the finish line, draped over our backs sopping wet and ice cold.

With finish line temps in the mid to high 80s, this was very welcome. The ice cream, cold cuts and cold soda at the finish were a big plus. The ceramic medal is an excellent touch too. I PW'ed at this race, but it still ranks as one of my favorites. For a race only in its second year, it's very impressive. One suggestion: More shuttle buses to and from the start at the beginning and end of the race.

This is a fantastic marathon. If I had to give it a letter grade it would get an A. Start the race 2 hours earlier (at 7 a.m.) and I'd give it an A+. Volunteers and the organization were amazing. Aid stations were VERY well stocked with water, Gatorade and ice. Thank you thank you thank you for the ice! So many additional people came out with garden hoses, bottled water and ice to assist the runners on this unseasonably warm day. The course is hilly, but quite beautiful.

Mile markers were spot on. It was nice to pick up your number the morning of the race. Nice finisher's shirt, which they soaked in cold water and wrapped around your neck at the finish line. The medal appears to be handcrafted which gets bonus points from me. Nice set up at the finish. Plenty of shade, massages, music and tons of good foodcheese, crackers, fruit, ice cream and pizza.

Family and friends brought their dogs out so there were lots of them hanging out at the finish. Even more bonus points! Great job to everyone involved. It doesn't get much better. You can pay twice as much and run Chicago or Green Bay and they'll stop the race due to the heat, or you can come to Vermont, earn bragging rights, have a great time and get credit for a marathon!

Unlike 2011 constant cool rainy sog, 2012 was Hot, Hot, Hot, but the aid stations, medical support and logistical organization were the best of any of the 50+ marathons I have run. My compliments to the organizers for anticipating the hot weather and having ice at every one of the abundant aid stations. Course support with medical rovers on bikes making sure that the runners were o.k. was well appreciated. The soaking wet finisher's shirt at the finish line was pure genius.

Even though it was my personal slowest marathon, I will run it again next year if they continue on as an annual event. The crowds were not as large as in last year's inaugural, but what a cheerful group of volunteers along the way at each intersection and all the aid stations. Well done! This race is becoming my favorite marathon.