This year I ran the half-marathon. I have run the full marathon here four times, I think, and the half twice.

This is a wonderful, magical place and is one of the most beautiful courses you will ever have the privilege to run.

The first half of the marathon (which is the half-marathon course) is a little hilly, and some people complain about the road being rough. I almost exclusively run on trails, so it was a smooth treat for me! The second half of the full marathon seems downhill both ways - really.

As far as lodging is concerned, get reservations early if you want to stay at one of the nicer places in Fortuna; but this year I stayed at a cheaper motel in Fortuna, which was just fine, and had vacancies the night before the race.

My one complaint is that this year the shirts were made from very thin cotton. I can roll my entire XXL shirt up and hold it in my fist. It was, they said, "organic" cotton. But I can't for the life of me figure out the advantage of that - I'm certainly not going to eat it.

Anyway, the shirts look like they aren't going to last too long, and the cotton is so thin that your, uh, anatomic features show readily through the shirt. It doesn't matter much to me because I have dozens of race shirts already, but two of my friends I ran the race with were running their first half-marathon. My first race was in 1983, and the shirt was a flimsy thing like this that didn't last more than a year.

They were selling technical shirts for, I think, $30. I actually bought a tech shirt this year from last year's race for $15 and I love it. And no, I didn't run the race last year - shame on me - but I have run this course seven times total, so big deal.

Anyway, my advice is that if you come back, buy the tech shirt for 15 bucks. Great deal.

The volunteers and staff were all wonderful, helpful, and friendly. This race is a happy event. I took photos before and during the race this year and posted them on Flickr. I can't post a link, but just search Flickr for Avenue of the Giants Marathon.

Hats off to the organizers and volunteers at this tremendous event!

Where I come from, the hills are of the "all up with no switchbacks" variety. I train on grades up to 13% and had read the profile. Nevertheless, my legs were surprised by the constant grade, though I never encountered what I thought would be a steep climb around mile 5. Describing the course as "relatively flat" is deceptive, even understanding that hills and perception of grade are relative. I've been running/racing for 37 years, so I have a bit of experience with hills. The grades will take your pace down a few notches. Be honest on the website; runners will still come for the opportunity to run "through the redwood forest," but will have a better understanding of what they're dealing with.

Good support at the aid stations - lively Boy Scouts! As far as spectators, we had the company of the beautiful trees - plus it was fun to watch the unfolding of the marathon from the half-marathon's point of view on the other side of the road.

I was baffled by the finish line, though, as both the 10K and marathoners fed in around the corner at the same time. While I'm sprinting to what I believed to be the timing mat, I cross, then slow, nearly stopping, not realizing until spectators yell at me and being passed by the other runners, to "keep going." That this wasn't the finish line. The first mat apparently was for the announcer to call names. This should be made clear on the website. Sometimes races with different distances have several finish line chutes. I didn't know. I kept on going the extra few feet, a few seconds slower for the stopping.

This was a wonderful race - the scenery was amazing and the people we encountered couldn't have been nicer. There were not too many spectators due to the race roads being closed to vehicular traffic, but the ones that were out there were fantastic. Also, I have never run a marathon where the other runners were so supportive! Those trees put everyone in a good mood! A lot of people have commented about the ERG - I actually liked it. I normally can't stomach the too-potent Gatorade/PowerAde at races, so this worked well for me. There were plenty of aid stations, which was nice. The port-a-johns were actually serviced during the race, which I have never seen before and really appreciated. The only complaint I would issue is that water and food were very scarce when I finished (3:58). I had read that about previous years so I packed some in the car for afterward and was fine. I would recommend doing the same. We made a vacation of the trip, and I would recommend the same to anyone. If you travel to that area, you certainly need a few days to do it justice. I highly recommend a drive to the coast, and the town of Ferndale was a great place to stay.

The trees are all they were advertised to be. Some of us even witnessed one of the giants fall around 50 yards to our left. Very majestic - I would have been frightened, but saw it clearly from the first crack, and it was definitely not headed toward the road. I also saw a deer leap across the road; it never touched down until it cleared the pavement. Now for the negatives: The pavement on the first half was very rough, and so much so that, for the first time in my nine marathons, my first half was significantly slower than my second. Also, take a hint from the other comments and bring your own snacks and drinks for the end. This part doesn't need to be a big deal. Most of us can plan ahead. Also, plan your lodging ahead. We did, and we were pleased, but it fills up fast. This race did a better job with the porta-potties than any of the other marathons I have done, even though the other races were better organized in other areas. The water stops were plentiful, but the last was out of cups when I came through. This was not a big deal, as it was only around three-tenths of a mile from the end. They still had some in pitchers for anyone willing to cup their hands.

This event must be the most scenic of all the events that I have run in my 26 years of running worldwide. I will never run a big-city marathon/half-marathon again. "Well done" to all who make the event possible, including the wonderful pasta party. I hope to see you all again next year,

-Peter Torre

The course was as scenic as promised: there were majestic trees, moss and ferns, and cheery streams. The people were great too; I loved the Boy Scouts and other volunteers, and there were even some cheering campers on the second out-and-back. The first out-and-back was sort of scary and bumpy; I am not a fast runner, but I think that would be a problem for them. My main complaint was that there was no water at the finish for my time group (4:33).

Getting into the river afterward was a big bonus - cooling therapeutic water. :)

Thank you!

There is no question that this marathon is the most secenic that I have ever run. The trees are incredible and I would recommend it for that alone. Of course, every marathon has room for improvement and here are my suggestions:

1) Don't advertise this course as flat. While the hills were not steep inclines, there were definitely some hills (it's all relative in this part of the country, I know).

2) Please find some fluid replacement other than ERG. This was so diluted that it was sometimes no different from water. This was especially problematic for me since the air was quite humid and I began cramping up by mile 20 and could have used the extra sodium of a sports drink. I guess I should have carried my own.

3) There should be an abundance of water at the finish line. I finished mid-pack and there was very little water left. The 1/8th of a bagel with peanut butter was not very appetizing....

So, not too many complaints. I signed up for this race knowing that there would not be spectators, and that's fine. I also think they did a good job spacing the marathoners, half-marathoners, and 10K runners. Also, a nice t-shirt with no gaudy advertising.

I love this course. Running in the majestic redwoods is like running through a cathedral of gentle giants. They are amazing trees. This is also a fast course due to the extra oxygen generated by the giant redwoods, and because it's relatively flat. I have run this race's sister - the Humboldt Marathon - twice in October, and the Humboldt Half Marathon three times. The Avenue of the Giants can take some lessons from Humboldt's organization.

This was the first year with a new director. Since this race is expensive ($90 on race day), I hope she listens to my concerns. I remember when Humboldt was $35 around 6 or 7 years ago and it was such a great and enjoyable race because the runner support and organization was 100%; however, Avenue was the worst organized marathon that I have run. Prior to the race it took 45 minutes to get from the highway exit to the parking lot due to gridlock traffic. I suggest arriving 1.5 to 2 hours before the race. Volunteers did not know where the marathon start was nor where to leave our sweat bag when asked so I started 8 minutes late leaving my sweat bag with a volunteer. I had mistakenly left my own Cytomax bottle at the start and had to rely on the race's ERG drink, which was served in tiny cups half-way filled and super diluted (like water) on the second half of the marathon course. I bonked due to lack of electrolytes.

The food and drink at the finish was disappointing: a bowl filled with tortilla chips in which thousands of runners before you had been reaching in to pull out chips, along with tiny cups to fill with apple juice. Lucky for me, an experienced volunteer (not the director) saw that I was bonking at the finish and asked me if I needed help. Thank you so much for noticing and caring. He found my sweat bag and sought medical help for me. The volunteer firemen who volunteer their time to assist runners in this race were extremely helpful and patient while I recovered and one of the firemen scored a PowerAde from a volunteer's personal stash. If it wasn't for the firemen's time and support, races would not be able to happen.

The people who volunteer for this race are all helpful; I just hope that the race director listens to runner concerns so that she will improve the race for next year. We were lucky that the weather was not warm; otherwise, she may have had a line of runners at the medical tent due to the lack of ERG and food on the course. More bananas and the addition of cliff bars would be great. When I had recovered and told the race director my concerns she had remarked that her husband never drinks while running; so I suppose that this means she is not a runner and may not understand that probably 90% of runners need ERG while running a marathon and that her husband is an anomaly. Thanks to all the volunteers for their help - especially the volunteer who saw that I needed help and those great volunteer firemen who rely on donations to keep their station operating. I haven't forgotten.

This was my first marathon. Despite getting injured mid-run, and having to walk the last 5 miles, I loved every minute of it. The start of the race was a bit jumbled, and many of the slower runners had no regard for starting in the rear (like I assumed was common practice). The weather was excellent, the traffic control was perfect - even in the later hours that I was walking, and the aid was good. Fruit, ERG, and water were at every station, about every 2 miles apart. The thing I might see being a problem for some people is the crowd/support. There were campers and supporters maybe only once every 2 miles. As for the runners, the biggest gap between myself and another runner was probably never bigger than 100 feet. There was a large number of people participating in the early-bird and normal marathons.

Beautiful scenery made the run a pleasure. This is a race with no frills. The organizers work hard to accommodate walkers, which makes the entire first half somewhat challenging for runners who must meander frequently through clusters of walkers while being careful of footing on the uneven road surface. Course volunteers were plentiful and upbeat, and the fresh orange slices they offered at the aid stations every couple of miles were fabulous! The staging area was great. The run across the bridge just before the finish line was exhilarating. The short sleeve t-shirt was a disappointment - nice artwork, but even on a standard maroon shirt, it was rather feminine for a guy, and the fact that females were given a white 'girl style' shirt without being advised this would be the case before the race was a bummer. (I'd much rather have been able to have a maroon shirt). Very nice finisher's medals! The area is gorgeous. I plan to stay at least a few days to explore if you travel very far to get to this race!