Andrew Jackson Marathon

This was my fourth marathon and first in 17 years. The new course is pretty good. Lots of volunteers at turns and intersections to stop traffic. Half marathoners outnumbered us marathoners by 5 to 1 I'm guessing. This course is two 13 mile loops. Second half was extremely lonely after the half crowd finished. Aid stations/volunteers stuck around for us slower runners. I do think this race definitely caters to the half marathoners more than the full. Guess the beer garden and food ticket were for the half marathoners unless you finish the marathon in less than 5 hrs. We marathoners are used to long, lonely training runs, so finishing with not many people around isn't that big of a deal. All in all, a good route, some good hills, great volunteers, a few enthusiastic, encouraging spectators in their front yards. I think something should be done to help encourage more full marathon participants to enter and the food vendor/beer garden should be enlisted to stay at least through the 6.5 hr mark.

For as many years as this marathon has been held, I was surprised by the small field of runners. The marathon is well organized, the right frequency of water stops and porto-johns, interesting scenery (farms and neighborhoods) and good post-race refreshments.

This was my first year for Andrew Jackson. I really enjoyed the size of the race. The aid stations were every two miles, no guessing. This made it very easy to plan my stops. Weather was great, a bit of rain but not too hot or cold.