This was my first marathon. The bands were great, all of the water stops were organized and well stocked, and the spectators were very encouraging. I thought the course was very flat, and I am not sure what some consider hills, but I did not run anything I would consider a hill.

The only thing I thought was lacking was the goody bag; everything else was great.

I used this race to go for a PR, since it was billed as flat and fast and I had already BQ'd. The first half was as advertised - I could have PR'd for 13.1. However, there were more hills than anticipated in the second half. But my main problem with the course is that there are too many (44) 90-degree turns, and one very tight hairpin 180. It's a hip buster!

Other than that, the expo was good, the number of bands on the course was awesome, and I still managed a BQ for 2011, if not a PR. The T-shirt and medal are both pretty ugly, but I like the finisher hat. That logo is as old school as Jim Tressel's offense!

For not being one of the bigger marathons in the nation, it sure was exciting. Many thanks to all of the cheering spectators and musicians. I remember the cool saxophone and the man jammin' "You may lose or you may win, but you will never be here again... take it easy." Nice.

I have some perspective on aspects of the race that most readers will hopefully not need, but it's nice to know it's available. I collapsed before the finish line of the half marathon due to a problem with my heart. The medical team came to my aid immediately and calmly packed me up and got me to the emergency room only a short drive away. I was very impressed with the efficiency of the entire process.

My biggest surprise arrived yesterday when my drop bag that I had waiting for me at the finish line arrived in the mail. (I never had the chance to pick it up.) That is the kind of "going the extra mile" attitude that runners really appreciate in a race. Thank you very much to the entire organization for putting on such a quality event.

Everything was easy to get to, I enjoyed the course, and the spectators were great. Turned out to be a enjoyable first marathon. Only two complaints: the start was unorganized and crowded; and I felt lost after the finish.

This is a great, small-mid-sized-city marathon. Columbus is a nice town and the volunteers were great. The route winds through beautiful neighborhoods and is mostly flat.

The start was unorganized and family members clogged the corrals by staying with runners until the gun sounded. The race needs to fix that. The finish is great, being downhill and into a corral of fans squeezed between buildings. There were an amazing number of musicians and fans along the route (especially for a small marathon). Weather typically is good and cold and great for running. Trees were in perfect color, making the sunrise spectacular along the tree-lined historic streets.

PROS - Music at about every mile, plenty of food and drink, flat course, nice town.

CONS - Very little at the expo, shirt Nazi refused to change sizes for me even though the very nice tech shirts were clearly running very big, the race start was crowded with non-runners, and weather is a wild card in Ohio during October.

You put on a great race again. Only two complaints: crowded start area and white t-shirt. I'll be back to run my 20th Columbus Marathon next year!!

This was my first marathon, but I have run other races in many parts of the country and even outside of the US.

PROS:
Electric Atmosphere: If you are thinking small when thinking Columbus, Ohio... think again! Columbus is the 16th largest city in the US. There were about 15,000 participants lined up for the start! Fans were everywhere along the run, cheering ALL participants on. I felt like I had thousands of fans, even though only my spouse came to watch. It was truly inspiring to have complete strangers cheering me on to finish all throughout the course.

Wonderful Scenery: The course moved through high rise downtown, a small college campus town, multiple historical neighborhoods, The Ohio State University campus and the Arena District. Fall trees were in the midst of changing colors and provided a beautiful backdrop. There was just about everything on this course, which kept the entire run interesting.

Mile Markers with Race Time were Clearly Posted: Every mile there were very large markers with electronic timing posted. The time was from the gun start (not your electronic device), but it was still a very useful tool.

Perfect Water, Gatorade, and Carb Gel Distribution: Every mile or so these stations were available. They were well staffed and the volunteers were very encouraging.

Awesome Finish: The final mile was a complete celebration and was full of cheering fans. At the finish line, the MC announced every finisher's name as they crossed the line to the roar of the crowds. Volunteers placed the medals around all finishers necks, while other volunteers covered the runners with warming capes. All finishers also received a winter running hat. Runners then made their way through an area, still safe from the crowds, where they could stock up on bagels, doughnuts, water, milk and chips. This area opened directly into celebration park, where family and friends were waiting. A live band played on stage, while families enjoyed the festivities and various booths and games. Runners could enjoy a free 15-minute massage. It truly was an awesome finish. Very well organized and the kind of finish you would expect from a top-notch event!

CONS: Since no event is perfect, I have to add just a few minor cons. I must emphasize again that these were minor.

Cold: Ohio weather is unpredictable during this time of year. Most of the time in Ohio, you will not see temperatures in the thirties in October. Unfortunately for this race, the starting temp was around 33 and it only warmed up to about 45 during the run. If you run this race, just come prepared for colder weather with proper layers.

The Ohio State University route: The course near the university ran through some side streets that were not as well-kept as the rest of the event. I actually rolled my ankle, but recovered. If they made a few minor changes, the course near the university could be much prettier. The nicest areas of the campus were not part of the course.

I will run this marathon every year, but will keep working towards my goal of 50 in 50 states. The Columbus Marathon was fantastic!

This was a great marathon for a PR. Fast course, tons of music on the course, AMAZING weather, great spectators, water stops galore, two gel stops, and no crowds on the course.

The two negatives were: 1) the crowded, disorganized starting corrals - too crowded to find the start or the bag drop (though it didn't affect the run at all); AND, 2) the t-shirt was skimpy.

But overall, I would highly recommend it and I would run this again.

I ran Columbus for the second time, and mid-October in Ohio brought ideal marathon weather: Start in the mid/upper 30's, finish in the upper 40's.

Course is well laid out and a variety of neighborhoods. Very disappointed in the experience of running through OSU campus. Being one of the largest campuses in the nation and integral part of Columbus, you would think that the OSU administration would do more to support the race. There were no campus organized activities whatsoever, and it was a virtual ghost town for the several miles routed through campus. Would be nice to have OSU band play or some support by athletic teams and/or educational staff. Lone support was the few brave young soles who decided to get up before 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday.

Course volunteers were great, with very well organized/staffed water stations. The finish line area was not staffed properly with gear check unattended and bags left for anyone to grab without checking bib numbers. I needed to find a massage area and it took five minutes to find any volunteer in the Celebration Village to find out were it was.

Overall I would say that it's a decent mid-size (15,000 combined runners) race: 4,000 full, 7,000 half, then some 5K runners, and walkers. But I left unsure if I would race again. I get the feeling that race organizers take runners for granted. The expo is the worst I have seen, with little or no giveaways or incentives to check booths, and the t-shirt they give for a full marathon is a joke.