We were going to spend a week vacationing in Nashville so I decided to run the 7 Bridges marathon as long as we were that close. Good experience, beautiful city, nice trail/park system and packet pick up, start and finish all in in one area, that really make it nice for out of towners. The weather was great. Volunteers did an awesome job! No complaints. Keep up the good work!

The weather was absolutely perfect for the race. I'm not a big crowd person so it didn't matter to me that there weren't a lot of people out. However, there was way too much running on the side of busy roads. I don't understand the comments about a beautiful course - this reminds me somewhat of the Cleveland Marathon - a lot of industrial areas (gotta love the styrene fumes coming off the BASF plant!!). It is flat and fast, other than the bridges which aren't a big deal. The worst part for me was how much concrete there was - very little blacktop. My ankles are still a little crunchy. It's a perfectly innocuous marathon (decent organization, etc) but really shouldn't be rated this high. Columbus or Akron would be much better options at this time of year.

This was my first marathon and I was really impressed with beauty of the course and the professional organization of the event. The pacers were right on pace and were a great help with experienced advice. The start was a little disorganized but really was a non issue. I would highly recommed this run and I can't wait to return next year!

I had a great time at this marathon and could easily recommend it to any one looking for a small town experience and/or family vacation. Briefly, in no particular order:
1. Easy to get to start line.
2. Small expo. Local running store was there but the GREAT deals were at the store, just a few blocks away.
3. Great aid stations although some were short on Powerade. The Almond Joy fun size were a TRUE treat!
4. Nice technical shirt and medal. Note, I usually get a women's medium shirt, but the small was a better fit.

This was my first, and the organizers did a great job at marking the course and ensuring a well laid out course. The race started a bit later, as I think the timer set-up was delayed; and while one station had some goldfish and M&M's, it'd have been nice if there were more of those. Spectators were awesome, as were those as the aid-stations. Scenery was pretty fantastic, til we ran about 4 1/2 miles along Amnicola Hwy, but I suppose we can't all run along paradise. I'd recommend this race to others.

This race was lots of fun. The scenery was the prettiest of any race course I've seen. The volunteers were very helpful and friendly. Water stations were well stocked with plenty of drinks and snacks. I especially appreciated the fruit toward the end of the marathon course. My only suggestion is including a sign that points half marathoners and marathoners in the right directions at the split-off point. I didn't hear the volunteer telling marathoners to go straight and instead I followed the half marathoners and got off the course for a while before I realized what had happened. This was partially my fault for listening to my music instead of paying attention, however, I know lots of participants listen to music while running and I think a big sign with arrows pointing people in the right directions would have been helpful. Other than that, it was a great race and I'd recommend it to anyone. Other runners were also friendly and spectators were supportive. Chattanooga is an awesome city!

If you want to run a fun beautiful Marathon..this is the race..not alot of people to cheer you on..but very scenic..the 2nd half is the best..hills were not bad.

The course was beautiful along the river and over the bridges in Chattanooga. The spectators along the way were great and very inspirational. There were plenty of water, gel, poweraid stations along the course. There were parts of the course along the river-walk that were not marked at all. The organizers could have prevented this by adding small signs with arrows or solicited more volunteers for the event. These were complaints from the previous year that were not addressed or ignored. There are also steps on two parts of the course. When asked by one of the members of the race organization team how they could make the race better I told him they should find a way to eliminate the steps. His only reply was 'Move to Florida'. It was disappointing to be asked for feedback and get this type of response. It would also have been nice if they would look to provide some sort of sports drink at the end of the race. All in all I would run the race again. With a few years of growth and if the organizers listen to the runners this race will be great.

The course is really amazing! The iron bridges, the meandering river, the morning mist hanging over the valley, the scenic RiverWalk, the picturesque town. I attempted to follow a pacer, but developed stomach cramps around mile 18 and had to run/walk it in. But through mile 17, my pacer was spot on with each mile - a living metronome! The medal and the t-shirt are artfully designed. The volunteers were cheery, helpful, and seemingly well-prepared (especially the group around mile 23 - they screamed for me like I was winning! Thanks!) The course was well-marked and safe. There weren't many spectators, but it didn't matter - the scenary was enough to keep me going. The expo, packet pick-up, and the finish line were well-organized; the volunteers were able to answer questions and offer advice. The ONLY small piece of constructive feedback I have for this race was the website/app were not very helpful. I don't think it was updated more than once in the months leading up to the race. I kept checking to see if it was sold-out and to see if there was info about road-closures or a more detailed maps (that might show actual water stops or porta-potty locations). About a week before the race, they did post some info about the pacers, but not much useful that I could really plan with. But please understand that this feedback is totally over-shadowed by the amazing race itself. Chattanooga and the 7 Bridges marathon rock!!!

This was a first year race, and it went very well. The start was a little confusing to most I think, it was dark and no one knew what was going on, but the finish was awesome!!!! It had a small town feel, and the volunteers were great!! The aluminum water bottle at the finish line was great, and the communication months prior was great, the directors actually answered the facebook posts immediately and returned e-mails!!! That never happens! The expo was really small, so for first timers they didn't get to experience the expo-hype and pre-race excitement of a big city marathon.
The city was great to run through and the course was scenic and not boring at all! Am planning on running it again this year for their 2nd annual marathon! Drinks along the course were plentiful, t-shirts nice, and the only thing would be to have the date on the medal. Overall, can't wait for it again! Hopefully the weather will be exactly what it was last year, PERFECT!