This is an especially great vacation race for people who live in parts of the country where its cold in the winter.
Starting right next to the state capitol and finishing downtown on the other side of the capitol building is really cool, logistically this seems to work well for a race of 22,000+ total runners. Being an urban course through a big city it is not overly scenic, but its almost never boring, as spectators line most of the course. Crossing the Colorado River twice just outside of downtown is cool, and Livestrong's 'yellow mile' of signs and chalk writing on the road is a nice boost. The elevation profile is just rolling enough to make it interesting and a little challenging; miles 3 to 6 are steadily uphill then miles 6 to 9 you descend the same grade you just climbed (only a few streets over). The rest of the course is moderate ups and downs with a good amount of turns, so no real long boring stretches.
The only part of the course one might find uninteresting would be the 2-3 miles between 15 and 18, going through a less-nice part of town along Mopac Highway with not as much crowd support. Just around the corner though on Foster Ln. is an especially enthusiastic half mile or so of supporters and (the year i ran it) a team of cheerleaders. With about 5K left you go through U of Texas' campus and run by DKR Stadium where the Longhorns play. Also the final 10K is mostly flat to downhill, which is a relief when your growing weary.
Be aware this course does not have gels or fruit on course, just Gatorade and water, and apparently now theyre offering Gatorade Endurance chews at mile 17 according to the website. Not a complaint just something to prepare and plan for.
The mile signage is accurately placed and plenty visible, and the digital clocks every 5K is a nice aid for even pacing.
The expo is big but not overwhelming, and there are tons of vendors so if you like running gear and other stuff bring some cash. Packet pickup, though, is quick and easy, which is good if your a no-nonsense type that would rather avoid the distraction of new products and gear.
The finish line festival is among the best I've seen, more than ample food and recovery drinks to choose from, but no beer; the only addition/suggestion I would make.
The medal is awesome, one of many highlights of this event, and the finisher's shirt and other race swag is all very cool too.
Overall this is a superbly organized marathon that offers the big-race experience at a reasonable price, I definitely recommend Austin to anyone looking to head south for a winter destination race.

This race provides a good opportunity to spread marathons out over the year, and I can do a winter, late spring, and fall race. Having it on the holiday weekend makes getting there easier. The race is very well run and spectator support is great. The first 11 miles are congested, but it clears out well after the half turns back downtown. There are a number of rolling hills in the first half, but other than the final hill close to the finish, the back half of the course was mostly flat.

The spectators were awesome. Thanks to their generosity in handing out bananas, fig squares (these were NOT from the official water stops), I felt my nutrition intake was adequate. The official water stops only gave water and gatorade, NO gels. These volunteers really made my day. I was really thankful to each one of them, and let them know so.

The course was just 26.2 miles of rolling hills. Nothing too big and long. It rained the day before the marathon. But on race day, the weather was perfect for running. Overcast and eventually warmed up to the mid 60s for the later part of the race. It was a chilly wait at the start, so putting a huge trash bag over my body to block out the wind really help.

T-shirts ran on the larger side. I normally get a medium size shirt, but their medium is definitely too large. I'm 5'7, 140.

This was a very well organized race. It's great to check off my 15th state out of 50.

For you triathletes, don't forget to check out Lance Armstrong's bike shop while you are in Austin. It's called 'Mellow Johnny'. And we had great steak at Lambert's. It's a restaurant that is walking distance from the Long Center where package pick up was.

The last 200 meters of fencing was covered with some green visual blocking material = no spectators to cheer you on = anticlimax and dissappointment for the people who have been following you. Why? Also, 5 policeman/woman shepherding you aggressively through, against one of the barriers 100 metres from the line. Are we some sort of security risk? Needs to be seriously changed. What happened to the 'friendly' finish area?

This was a great race with a challenging course. Even though I came to this race expecting hills, I was not quite prepared for the sheer amount that we had to run through. The last hill just a few hundred yards from the finish was especially cruel to glycogen depleted runners. But apart from that, the views were very nice, the runner support was top notch and the organization from the Expo to gear check and pickup were great. The after race chow was Ok but not even the silicon drinking cup makes this a memorable after race affair. Not sure where this course ranks in the difficulty range, but I'd recommend it to novices (like myself) looking to challenge themselves.

My wife and I were impressed with the various 'green' features of the race especially the bike valet, a protected corral for the bicycles we rode to the start. The race director read a letter from President Obama at the start, and Lance Armstrong also congratulated all the participants. We also liked the quality of the water stations, staffed by cheerful volunteers. The support from the crowds who often handed out their own banana & orange slices was neat. The live music for the first 11 miles was high quality. After the half marathoners split off, there wasn't much music until the finish - but the Dale Watson Band at the finish was the best! We sat and enjoyed them for at least a half hour. The yellow and black tech shirts and finisher's medal were high quality. We train on hills in Colorado, so these hills, mostly long gradual climbs, did not pose a problem for us. We did not find the neighborhoods very scenic, but the bridges, state capitol and downtown were better. Indeed, the banana, dry bagel with no spreads and bag of chips was disappointing at the finish. All in all we enjoyed this race and enjoyed Austin too!

A well organised race, even if not the most scenic. The spectators were enthusiastic and plentiful, and I was especially grateful to the lady who handed me a banana when she noticed I was having difficulty opening my cliff bloks packet (why do they make those packets impossible to open when your hands are cold?)
I stayed at the Omni. It was convenient for the start and they did a good carbo meal on the Saturday evening.

I deferred from the 2011 marathon b/c of injury so I could run the 2012 race. While I have run the half here in 2010 I can tell you that the hills for the marathon pose a definite challenge. Looking back on the marathon course it was easy, but that's just because for this race it's a MUST to TRAIN ON HILLS. Whether it's a downhill or an uphill runners need to be prepared for what they are going to face. That's not to say it was easy the whole way through; it was difficult. But the training on the hills is the key if you want to survive.

I never hit the wall, not once. The weather was perfect, the crowd support was fantastic, the fluid stops plentiful - almost every mile and a quarter. As for the finish line, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. All we got was a bagel, a bag of chips, a bottle of water, and a banana. If you're going to have runners tackle a course like that at least have something for the runners to enjoy at the end.

The medal and the shirt were a nice perk.

I have run 21 marathons, and 17 in Austin. I'm a Round Rock resident, and have seen the changes over the years. Unfortunatrly, it is all about Austin, and not the runners. The old point-to-point downhill course was awesome compared to this tricked-up 'hillfest' we have now. That is miserable. I will keep running, 'cause it's close, if I don't get selected for Houston. Funny how Houston has a sold-out lottery with twice as many runners, and we have a so-called 'sell out' one week before the race. Ya'll don't understand; we want flat. The uncertain weather is enough to deal with.

Get rid of the hilly course. The overcrowded 1/2 marathon is a nuisance, too. Sorry to be critical, but this event could be first class, if people would remember what a marathon is really all about.

I just came back from an injury and ran a PR at the marathon today. I was estatic! I came home, tried to pull up my official race results, and...nothing! No results found. I double checked my chip was on correctly, with the right side facing up. I was immediately in tears, having overcome what I thought would be all of the things that could possibly go wrong, and then to end up getting a PR and my results aren't showing. I submitted an inquiry to the race results, but haven't heard back. Honestly I feel so cheated and upset that I can hardly write this. If any official happens to read this, please help!