Top notch organization. A very well run race. Particularly like having the reward ceremony a reasonable time after all possible winners had finished.The course was nice, the hills not bad at all. I was a little disappointed that there was no beer available after the race, but it was only a short walk to a nice bar across the street.

Here's something to consider when choosing a hotel. The host hotel is very convenient to the start/finish line. But we chose to stay at the Embassy Suites in Old Town. Its about a 15 minute walk to the start, but you are near lots of great bars and restaurants.

I have run the Omaha Marathon every year since 2004 (with the exception of 2011, when I volunteered), and honestly it gets tweaked a little better each time! I enjoyed it well enough in previous years, but I really like the improvements in the course, the organization, and ease of the expo/packet pickup. The volunteers were fabulous and helpful as usual. Regarding the course itself, it has taken out some of the tougher hills of past years, but still has some hills to give your legs the necessary variety they need. Also, this year is the first to include Minnie Lusa Blvd into the lovely shaded Miller Park. Being from an Omaha suburb (Ralston), I never tire of seeing the Omaha landmarks like the Old Market, downtown, Little Italy, Florence Blvd and Carter Lake...all highlighted along the course. While Omaha does not boast of the massive number of spectators as bigger city marathons do, the many that are out are enthusiastic and cheering, as are the aid station volunteers. And the aid stations themselves were well stocked and frequentevery few miles. The finish at TD Ameritrade Park (stadium of the baseball NCAA College World Series) is a great place for cheering crowds and lots of room to relax, meet up with friends and family and unwind post-race. The glass medals were very unique and the awards were nice as well. Race director Susie Smisek gets my highest praise for her dedication to every detail and her personal interest that every participant has a great experience. I've run marathons from coast to coast, but there is a special place in my heart for the Omaha marathon. I'm very proud to call this my hometown race!

Course: This is the typical medium-sized city race that combines multiple races into one, and has a few good miles through downtown landmarks and scenic residential areas but also has a lot of 'filler miles' through industrial parks and less-than picturesque neighborhoods. The course is on the hilly side, but not deserving the fuss it receives. Spectators weren't memorable in a good or bad way. Having never been to Omaha, I explored the city after the race, and was a bit disappointed that the course seemed to skip a lot of the prettiest parts of the city.

Organization: What the race lacks in other areas, it makes up for in stellar organization. Logistics, communication, facilities... all top notch. I really liked the extra perks, like the free pasta dinner and bus tour of the course - great way to meet other runners who had travelled there for the race. Downtown really caters well to host an event like this (near airport, lots of hotels, restaurants & parking within walking distance).

Swag: Average at best, and definitely over-hyped by organizers. For me, the medal gets creativity points, but that's about it. It's glass medallion with generic lanyard (exact same for marathon & half). No year on the medal, and the only difference between the Marathon and the Half is a swirl of color inside the Marathon Medal (mine is a black ink blot... yippee). The shirts were pretty cool; unique long-sleeve tech with no obnoxious advertising, so I look forward to wearing it around. The shirts ran a little small, and although it fit me, I heard lots of complaining. I was a little disappointed in race organizers trying to put a spin on obviously sub-par swag. Medals were a 'green initiative' and 'functional as a sun-catcher,' but they were really just a cheap way to reuse prior year medals (that said, props for going with a local manufacturer). Small shirts were called 'compression shirts,' but they were just small (that said, they seemed willing to exchange).

Overall: As far as Marathons go, you can do better, but you can also certainly do much worse. For someone in the region who registers early, this is a great value marathon. Someone from far away and/or registering late might be a bit disappointed. I'm glad I did this race, but wouldn't make it a repeat.

People really down played Omaha in all the reviews I read of the marathon. It didn't deserve it. Omaha has a lot of charm and a really quaint 'downtown' district. The Old Market area is a must see, the Upstream Brewery has some good beers and good food.

As for the marathon, what a great run! I really enjoyed the course, even with the few repeats of sections. Miles 22ish to the end were along an open road, which was a little nerve racking but at least we were facing traffic. Also, the roads are a bit slanted by the curbs and the angle got to me over those four miles. The aid stations were kinda oddly spaced for awhile.

The crowd was fun, they seemed to really enjoy the runners.

I really liked starting by TD Ameritrade park with a nice view of the pedestrian bridge across the Missouri. Both the bridge and the satium weren't there just 6 years ago. I liked that the one substantial hill came early, then you could ease into your right pace after that. The weather was perfect this year!

Very well organized event. Not too many spectators, but lots of great enthusiasm at the water/Gatorade stations. Got to see the Woodmen building from every possible angle, a few times as the course does multiple loops around the city. Perfect weather.

Very impressed with the overall race organization and was pleasantly surprised by the course. There were enough hills to give the legs a break from the flat portions of the course, and the downhill sections more than made up for the uphill sections. We lucked out with very nice, cool weather. The food at the end was pretty standard: dried out bagels, bananas etc. However, Qdoba provided tortilla soup that actually tasted pretty good after the race. I was a bit disappointed that there was not beer at the end, as this is part of my post-race ritual. Nevertheless, I would recommend this race for anyone in the area or if it is needed to get your Nebraska marathon done.

The best thing about this race is the convenience. The hotels will pick you up at the airport and take you back. Air service to Omaha is competitive and frequent. The race is well run. Fan support was sparse in places and the course was not scenic in places and boring. It has a low entry fee that includes the pasta dinner with a name speaker. I finished at a 5-1/2 time and there wasn't much food at the finish. The race starts out with a 10K and half and I guess they ate up all the food. No real issues with this race.

I went into the Omaha Marathon thinking it would be brutal, because of all the rumors of it being hilly. But it really wasn't bad at all. I'm from an area with no hills, and I did no hill training leading up to the race, and I managed to PR. The only sizable hill is at mile 7.5, and after that, it really levels out.

Organization is great as well. The expo is easy to get in and out of, and there are a number of hotels within walking distance to the start/finish, which makes it super easy for out of town runners.

The course has good support, with aid stations every two miles or so, and there is ample shade to block the sun. And the medals are the coolest thing ever. My only complaint is that the half marathoners and the 10K runners took all the good snacks at the finish line.

I flew in from California to run this race as part of my quest to complete 50 States. The course was not easy but was fair and a bit challenging in places...the organization was flawless and the weather was perfect. THANKS to everyone involved for helping to make this such a great experience.