Great people, great food, great course- such a good marathon!! There's not the hype of the bigger races but it's definitely replaced with a close knit and welcoming community that genuinely cares about the runners and making it the best race possible. I LOVE this race!

I signed up early for this race and paid under $50 so I wasn't expecting a whole heck of a lot. This race far exceeded my expectations. There were water stops at every mile. Gu was offered twice on the course. A race volunteer rode her bike alongside runners at the back of the pack offering water and extra Gu. Water stop volunteers were awesome. And, they gave away a pair of running socks in the race packet. Aside from being exceptionally organized, the course was quite flat and the scenery was amazing, with views of Lake Erie along the course. Run this marathon!

The race directors Jan and Mike and the Erie Runners Club deserve a lot of praise! This smaller marathon delivers everything promised. Fast flat course in a scenic location at the Presque Isle state park. The course is run entirely on roads, no trail, most of the course is blacktop. The park road is lined with trees, at several turns views of the harbor/lake and beach opened up. One little incline (a bridge) to climb, otherwise as flat as it gets. The course was well marked and did not twist and turn much. The half-marathon is one loop around the park. The full marathon is two loops, so you get to pass all the spectators at the finish area cheering people on, which was very cool and a boost of energy with thirteen miles still left to go. 2012 had perfect weather conditions. Cool, dry, not too windy, even a bit of cloud cover for the first part and shade from the trees for some of the second part.

This is a very well organized event, run with the athletes' needs in mind. Organizers were responsive to questions and sent informative updates. No long lines for packet pick-up morning of. Drop bags were available. Parking in one of the park lots was a short walk from the Rotary Pavilion.

As part of the goodie bag I got a long-sleeve olive sweatshirt and cool-looking athletic socks with Erie Marathon on them (best keepsake from a race ever). The ceramic medal with a bright print on it is also different from the standard metal ones. Switching to the half and new registrations were allowed till late.

The race began early in the day, at 7am, which is a great precaution in case of warm weather. The pavilion by the start line had bathrooms (lines were okay, not too long) and port-a-potties outside (shorter lines).

Food and cold water and soda were left at the pavilion afterwards, chips, sandwiches, plenty left even later in the day.

Several hotels within a few miles of the start provided discounted rates, early breakfast, and 2pm checkout the day of.

The course was well staffed. Water and gatorade were offered every mile. Huge help since I didn't carry my water, just a few gels. There was also a gel stop somewhere around mile 6.5 of the loop (GU vanilla flavor) and the 2nd loop passed through it again (so two gel stops effectively). Mile markers were visible, the course route was straightforward to follow, each water stop had multiple volunteers and some also had a bunch of spectators (like the Olympic Village water stop, it was nice to get some loud cheers a few miles in but especially so on the second loop). There were a lot of spectators around the half-marathon/marathon finish area and some in several other spots, and many of them were still there for the second loop.

For a smaller race it was nice to see so many people throughout the race. Between the volunteers, other runners or walkers, and spectators, you were never running alone or feeling lonely on the course! I actually liked the two loops. By the second loop the course felt more familiar and mentally easier to complete.

Volunteers on bikes were patrolling the course - saw them several times at different points in the race, great for safety. The other lane of the park road was open to traffic, and there were some vehicles passing by, so stay to the left side lane and if you're veering towards the center, keep an eye out for passing cars and pickups, but drivers were generally courteous.

Overall a great small marathon well worth the trip!!

I ran the 2012 half marathon, based on previous reviews of this race. I was not disappointed!!
Beautiful park setting, wonderful organization. No line at packet pickup, and the free shirt & medal were unigue and cute. (As in I will actually wear the shirt.)

A lot of water stops, each led by organizations who were competing to be voted best stop. This made them fun and festive.

A lot of park bathrooms along the route. Great announcing at the end. Pasta dinner the night before? Better than Italian restuarant food.

First time staying a hotel the night before the race. All that went well. am considering making this race my first full marathon next year. But you have to do the loop twice, and I am not sure I can psychologically handle that!!

Only sorta negative? The route is flat, and shadey with a lot of trees. However you are looping an isle on Lake Erie, and I assumed the water views would be plenty. Not really. A little disappointed.

Overall, amazing experience and will do this race every year they hold it!

Decided to enter this race after researching best BQ races. The Erie Marathon was a great race! I was hesitant because it is a 2 loop course. Don't worry. The are so many positive things about this race that 2 loops was not even an issue. In fact if you have family or friends cheering you on, they will get to see you a few times along the way! Spectators and volunteers were awesome...and there were enough of them to be supportive and motivating. Water and Gatorade every mile. A few port-a- potties along the way and restrooms along the way as well. A shaded, wind- protected course. A flat...and I mean FLAT...course. Don't miss the pasta dinner. Don't miss the pasta dinner. Yes, I said that twice. 2 choices of pasta, 4 sauce choices, salad, bread, 3 cake choices for dessert. The sauce was delicious! Long sleeve poly- cotton shirt, and socks in race packet. My name printed on my race bib! And all all this for the amazingly low price of....wait for it....$50. (I registered in August). Oh and best of all...I BQ'd. : ). Don't miss this race!

I am glad I picked this race as my first marathon. What a great race! Having the names on the bibs was awesome, it really helped to have people calling your name, even the other runners! All the volunteers were great! There were plenty of water stops. The volunteers, at each water stop, were cheering on the runners, it helped to motivate you to the next mile. We lucked out with the best weather. The pre-pasta dinner was very good, homemade sauce and fresh local bread. Beautiful shirts and medals, designed by a local artist. The parking was very easy and close to the start and finish line. There was plenty of food and drinks at the finish line, for even the slow runners, like me. The Erie Runners Club puts on a quality race!

This was my first time running at Presque Isle. I loved the location of the race. The park is so pretty and easy to navigate. My husband was able to do his own run that morning and then watch me in several spots along the way. It was great to have water stops every mile. There weren't a lot of spectators but you don't really need it because you can just look at the pretty scenery. I figured some people wouldn't like the official shirt b/c it was 70% cotton but it was great to wear post race to warm up. In addition to the shirt, you get a pair of socks with the Erie Runners Club logo and a great bag. You can go in the Lake after the race (directly across from the start/finish) for great recovery for your legs. Well organized and super fun race. I would do it again!

My Fourth time here. My third Boston Qualifier and my Third PR on this Course. Simply the BEST COURSE in the country. Amazing organization, quality volunteers and did i mention the amazing course?? Erie, You did it again, and again, and again. If you want to BQ and PR, run Erie.

Just finished this event and it was awesome! The organization was great, there was a ton of Aid stations, and the volunteers were great! I would have given the spectators 5 stars but there just wasn't many of them. The ones there were great. Only negative comment is the race shirt, I love the design but I thought it was going to be micro-fiber and not a T-shirt. Other than that perfect event!

This was my first marathon and what a great experience. I live in Erie and only started running 5 years ago. I love to run at presque isle and the start was cool and even at the end the tempertures were OK. The shirt and medals were great. The pasta dinner was great and the water stops were cheering for us even as later runners went past and post race food plentiful even at the end. Thanks to the race directors, the volunteers and for the Erie Runners Club for making this older, pace challenged runner feel just as much a marathoner as the winner.