This was my 15th marathon and I've traveled to some exotic destinations, but Erie, PA has a great race going on! It's a double loop on beautiful Presque Isle Park with great organization and plenty of water stops. The temps are ideal, and the course is shady, flat, and has a nice breeze. Put this one on your bucket list!

I ran this in 2008 in the horrific heat and humidity pushed in by some hurricane to the south. I walked lots of the last 6 miles, which I never thought I'd do. I'm a dry, cool-climate girl, so it was tough.

BUT I STILL LOVED IT

Loved the community feel of that pasta dinner on the park site. Shared the bench tables with a couple of gentlemen from a couple of other cities and loved the chat. No hoity-toity hotel banquet halls. This was a great atmosphere.

The organization was fantastic and the shirt is my favorite by far - tech fabric, but looks like your old, gray, cotton shirt; who wouldn't love it? And you get socks too - at that price?

Few fans (small race), but the almost-figure-eight double-loop means it is great for any family friends you bring along - you keep passing them!

We did need to arrive early for parking - but we parked on-site; how cool is that? You can stay in your car or near it until you are ready to go.

I'd love to come back and run this fast, flat course with amazing scenery. I really recommend it.

This is a very well organized event on a very flat course. The pre-race meal was plentiful, cheap, and very tasty. It is a two-loop, 13.1-mile course. I found it to be helpful, as you knew what you were dealing with on the later part of the 13.1. Also, the course layout is very spectator- and kid-friendly, with easy access to runners at start, 6, 13, 19, and finish. Great event. I will run again!!!!

I have now completed 52 marathons in many towns/cities, and this should give me the right to make good assessment of marathon races.

Erie is probably one of the three best races in terms of value for money. Not sure where it was in the recent Runner's World poll, but it should be in the three best. For starters, Erie is the cheapest race in the world at $40, and for that you get a nice long-sleeved tech shirt and a pair of socks. (I have suggested that they raise the fees a bit and get a breathable cap instead.) You also get a nice reusable bag and sometimes they put a little gadget in the bag.

The expo is small, with about three vendors (not sure of the logistics, but maybe they can try to attract some more vendors - even arts and craft vendors). The more vendors, the better for me, since it enables me to pass some time before the race.

The pasta dinner, at $7, is an unbelievable bargain and it is very good. I have had pasta dinner at Radisson for $15 and it was horrible.

The race is 2 laps around the park and it has to be somewhat scenic since the lake is always on one side. There are gels on the course and restrooms are not a problem because of the park system.

The finish line food has to be the best of any race that I have done. There are Subway subs; cookies; Panera buns; fruit; chips; salad; coffee; pop; and on and on. You will never be hungry. There was lots of food left over also.

Another post mentioned that there will be a ceramic medal this year and it is breakable but it is unique. Big Sur gives you a ceramic medal and I think that this is one of the best medals that I have so far. Disney's medal is also good, but look at the costs.

There are not many spectators in this race (it is in a park), so bring your family and they can cheer you on at least at four points. The big races, like Chicago, NYC etc., have more spectators and hype, but they are far more expensive (fees; hotels; race; food; etc). These races need to charge high fees to pay for the elite runners, who the average runner does not care about and does not know. Erie treats you like a friend unlike other races that treat you like a number for your money.

Why should you do this race instead of other races: As I said before, it is cheap; you get good value for money; it is relatively small; it has good organization; and you can really meet and talk to runners here since you see them over again. Do the half if you are training for an October marathon. Not sure why this race is not more walker-friendly, especially in the half, since it is in a park. The slow marathon folks can use the side to finish. I know that they probably have park limits, but it is quiet in the park at this time of year. I am slow runner and getting slower all the time due to age. Unfortunately, I cannot do this year's race do to other commitments but hope to be back in 2011.

This marathon is well run and very spectator-friendly. The course is flat and a nice playground for the kids. I would highly recommend this.

For the number of runners and different races going on at the same time (5K, walk, half and full marathon), there was very little trouble with congestion and direction.

The course is a beautiful run and makes for the perfect first marathon or qualifier.

The one thing I don't understand is the choice of finisher medal. In 2009, it was made of glass... maybe to look like beach glass? I remember crossing the finish line and seeing the ground littered with broken glass. One woman dropped her medal right in front of me because she was so exhausted. Now I hear this year it's going to be ceramic. That's the only part of the race I can't understand. A thin glass or ceramic medal for a marathon seems too fragile.

It's a small point. I couldn't have asked for a better race for my first marathon.

This was marathon number 17 for me and I rank this one very high on my list. Flat, scenic, enjoyable course at Presque Isle State Park along Lake Erie, well organized and friendly race, and a great course for a PR (if the weather cooperates). It wasn't my best day, but I really enjoyed Erie overall. My expectations were exceeded all around and I would run this race again in a heartbeat. Great race and a well-kept secret! Nice job, Erie, PA....

Now the course/race... they're ok. It's a small race, with a looped course. It seems like a lot of thought was put in by the director to make the runners as comfortable as possible. The course was kind of boring, but it was convenient to see it twice, and it was very pretty. Ending a race on the beach is always a plus!!!

This race is probably the best I've ever seen as far as support, (huge) number of volunteers, frequency of aid stations, and quality of the race in general. Not only is it very scenic, but it feels great to have so many people staffing the aid stations, registration, etc. Nothing seems to be an afterthought.

This is a very well run event on a flat course. I didn't feel that you needed the spectators, with the water stops at every mile. I would strongly suggest that anyone who would like to PR run this course, as I was able to PR here. The only con I have is that the parking is cumbersome.