Course was great and so was the race. Since this was a small race, my girlfriend was able to meet me at many points along the way to take pictures and to assist me in anyway. This made me really comfortable and kept me going all the way until the end. I would recommend this race to anyone.

This race keeps getting better every year. Lots of food and beer at the end of the race, better than in previous years. Well stocked aid stations, lots of porta potties, and easy parking. Important details like those make a difference, and this race does it well. Costumed races are always fun, this one draws a fun crowd. I'll be back.

Superbly done for a small town event! It had many advantages of a much bigger city event. I did this for my 15th marathon, and it was the most fun one I have done. I will definitely will do this one again.

It is a very nice course. I love running hills so I didn't even notice them on the course. Shirts are nice (though they didn't have the size i orderded despite the fact I signed up in July). Finisher medals are decent enough. The volunteers overall were very friendly and enthusiastic and made the race that much more enjoyable. As others pointed out they ran out beer at the finish already at 3:30 mark for the marathon.

My biggest complaint is that crossing an intersection between mile 14 and 15 a police officer stopped me as well as a few runners that came up behind me for a good minute to let traffic go through. He wasn't very friendly about it either. I didn't appreciate having hand shoved into my chest. In the many road races I have done I have never experienced this. Hopefully the traffic officers will be better next year or the course will be changed to avoid this intersections. Runners should never be stopped. Otherwise very good experience overall for my first marathon.

For a second year race, they have the basics in place. Lots of aid stations, staffed well most times, and some offered gels. Station location was often on top of a mile marker, which is bad- hard to hit splits on your watch and reach for fluids. Mile markers were hard to see resting on the ground- missed half of them in crowds. Ample course coning on this tricky marathon route was appreciated as some late mile course workers disappeared. Varied terrain made for interesting running, though the narrow paths & lanes were very crowded when meeting the half marathoners that started 1/2 hour later. This event cannot handle more runners than they now accept- simply not enough room on the paths to maintain safety and reasonable passing of slower runners. As for pre and post race details: race shirt is great- nice design on tech fabric, the single vendor expo left a lot to be desired- clothes very pricey, no Gu, no cheap throw away runner gloves, single cashier made for a long check out- requiring a second waiver signing at packet pickup makes one wonder what they're afraid of and is annoying- $32 pasta dinner door tickets is way over the top and explains the poor attendance of 80- running out of beer at the finish line for mid pack runners when a major sponsor is a brewery is unforgiveable, they could easily have restocked from their nearby facility.
If you're prepared for a hilly course, this marathon offers a lot of variety and will challenge your abilities. Organization seems to be in place, but better follow through is needed in many places. For this size of an event 5 year age groups are in order- not 10 year. Surprisingly, no local running club seemed to be affiliated, which is a shame.

I ran this race as my first marathon. I was really impressed with the organization. I HATE bad organization.. You park 100 yards from the start line! The organizers and volunteers were fantastic... The themed aid stations were fun.. even had a guy jump out of the woods with a fake chain saw. the 18 - 21 mile stretch is bit boring but other than that fantastic.. it is a pretty hilly course and not easy.. but would definitely recommend this race

Having done over 55 marathons in almost all states and several countries, I can honestly say that this is one of the best marathons out there. True, the course will not be lined with fans like Chicago or New York, but you also don't have to jockey for a place to run with 40,000 other people. The course was interesting, covering all types of terrain and surfaces, and going through the conservancy area was particularly nice. Fantastic organization, good parking availability, plenty of porta-pots, plenty of food/drink at aid stations, interesting tech shirt and medal, and I about died and went to heaven when I saw buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks at the finish line (along with many other food items). The costumed runners also were a fun diversion. I've never before repeated a marathon, but I will this one.

For the first year, I thought there were few, if any, kinks in the organization. I've found that a good expo (this one had a smaller one, but it was still nice), an interesting course (this one had a variety of hills, roads and even some trails), a cool shirt (this is one of the better ones I've received) and a fun post-race party (food and massage) make for the best marathons. This race exceeded my expectations. It was my 12th overall. The course was kind of tough. Hilly and lonely at the end, but I had a lot of fun and would recommend it. Kudos race director(s).

This event was tremendous for an inaugural year. I thought the course was hilly but manageable with only 2 TOUGH hills, and another 2-3 longer, steady rises. Much of the course was on the scenic Pheasant Branch Trail and was pretty and very easy on the legs. I have no complaints about the course layout except to reiterate the mile marker spacing that others have mentioned. Aid stations were adequate and gel seemed to be at almost every other one - usually you MIGHT find gel at like mile 13 and 19 or something similar. The medal was a neat design, but it was tiny; they say this was because the race was so inexpensive. I hope next year that they increase the price by $5 and give us something to be more proud of. I thought the packet pickup and expo were especially great for a small race. Overall, it was a very impressive event and I'll be back every year.

The course was beautiful and winding through town and the countryside. However, there were big hills around miles 13, 23 and 25 that were killers. The organization and overall set up was good for a first-year event. Perfect time of year for this event. We have already recommended it to several friends.