A great small marathon with no hassles. Flat, fast, point-to-point course. Park near the finish, plenty of buses to the start. Didn't expect much crowd support at a first-time event, and the mostly rural course didn't provide many gathering points, but the people who did turn out were great and very supportive.

Well-stocked finish area with lots of food, drink, and free beer. Nice relaxed block party atmosphere. This is usually a pet peeve when races run out of food around the time mid-pack marathoners finish, but not here.

Only drawback was the unusual heat. Organizers adjusted with an earlier start for the half marathon, which was probably smart. Wish they could have also started the marathon earlier too. Half-ers joined the marathon course at about mile 18 - an hour earlier than planned - and walkers caused some congestion. Would not have happened if the heat hadn't caused last-minute start time change for the half, so I expect next year this will be a nice, fast race.

I recommend it.

This was the inaugural year for the Qualifier Marathon in Midland/Bay City Michigan. Since I live in the area - I thought it was a perfect chance to run a local marathon.

Course: Super flat which gives opportunity for fast race times. The course started in Midland and quickly left the town for the country roads. Absolutely no shade on the roads and scenery was minimal.

Crowd support: Due to small size - crowds were limited but some very nice neighborhood stations - 'Margaritaville' - etc. Due to extreme heat - many locals were set up with water hoses to spray runners. I think this saved my DNF!!

Organization: Excellent - especially for such a small marathon. Route was clearly marked and orange traffic cones were used throughout the course. Medical help, ambulances - in great abundance. Good number of aid stations with Gu, Gatorade, and water.

Weather: Record heat made this course miserable for the mid-packer. No shade and hot temperatures were difficult. Organizers cannot control the weather - and did a nice job of reminding people to hydrate and moving the start time of half marathon up.

Improvement: Weather! Course route is flat and fast - but quite boring. Consider running through Midland or Bay City - both have interesting streets and neighborhoods. ALso long stretch of one country road was very tedious.

I have run 7 full marathons but only ran the half at this event. It was a wonderful run, extremely flat, and would have been crazy fast if it hadn't been a very hot day (mid-80's by the finish). To the organizers credit, they moved the start time of the half from the scheduled 10am to 8:45 with a rolling start until 10, to let people run ahead of the heat. The organization seemed very good and the volunteers couldn't have been more helpful. More than enough water, Powerade and Gu. The course is a point-to-point. For the full it starts in Midland, Michigan and ends due west in Bay City. For the half it starts at a community college campus midway between. Shuttles provided to both starts from the finish area. It is very rural, going mostly along country roads through farm fields with several houses lining the way. The people who lived along the course made my day! They were out in force and super-enthusiastic, providing ice and extra water, and spraying runners with hoses and sprinklers. I didn't expect much spectator support on this course, but it turned out to be the best part of the race. The finish is in downtown Bay City and had a great atmosphere.

The medals were very nice, and the short-sleeve tech shirt is attractive (has a nice cut to it). Though they were out of size small by the time I got to the expo. The expo was quite small (maybe it had been larger earlier on; I was there toward the end). Standard finish line food and amenities (massage, beer, music). I had a great time and would run this race again, especially for a Boston qualifier (though I've been there, done that, and want to let someone else have a turn).

Great community support, flat course will be fast on a cool day

It is flat. Could be a fast course. Well supported aid wise.