I rarely ever do reviews..especially poor ones but here goes. Getting there is complicated at best...have to be there 2 hrs early to catch the bus and lots of waiting in traffic. The course was very boring for the 1/2 marathoners and even more so for the full as you run the same course twice. You run through neighborhood streets. No ocean views. The second have of the run is on a golf path? At best; thus very narrow and crowded. On the other hand the weather was great for December...just find some really good music to keep you going.

My expectations were high in that this would be a beautiful marathon along the ocean....

Pros:
+ weather warm (near 70) and windy
+ course was shaded by the large trees
+ lots of great volunteers - friendly
+ flat course
+ well organized
+ course was pretty (trees & nice homes)

Cons:
- course a little boring (little variation - the whole thing was run on neighborhood streets)
- didn't see ocean or beach at all
- medal and ribbon were the worst I've ever received - embarrassing really
- course too narrow miles 7-11 or so

We stayed in Charleston (great city) about a 40 minute drive down (allow for at least 1 hour on race day) - we left our downtown hotel around 5:15 and made it to the shuttle area by 6:10am...shuttles were fine for us....overall if you're looking for a fast time - go for it.....

This was my first marathon in several years so I chose a flat course. The island is beautiful and mostly shady. The crowds were not overwhelming but they were enthusiastic and encouraging. The pre-race pasta dinner was great and I liked that post-race we had a sit-down full meal indoors. I stayed on the island which was I recommend. There was a shuttle to the start from my villa and also a return after the race. Very convenient. It was a wonderful experience.

Complaints - they ran out of premium beer at the post race party and I am a beer snob so this irked me. I haven't decided if I like the 'medal' or not. It is certainly different. My wife is using it as a suncatcher in one of our windows.

Did the 2012 half marathon. The weather was perfect - great time of year for this event. The course was through various neighbourhoods - very flat which is awesome. We enjoyed the run and got our best time ever. It was disappointing however that the organizers decided to go cheap. Event tote bags were not provided (in an effort to be environmentally conscious) but they were for sale (in an effort to be revenue conscious). The finisher medals were not secured with ribbon made from cloth or similar material, but with 'present wrapping' ribbon (very cheap). There was only gatorade made from powder at the finish line - no bananas, oranges, bagels, granola bars, yogurt, etc... that you would find at other events. To get anything to eat you had to find the after party and stand in line - not cool after you've just run 13+ miles.

What a great run! Kiawah is absolutely beautiful and I totally enjoyed the island. The run was fast and flat from start to finish. Start was a little congested with a lot of walkers clogging the first mile or so. With the narrow road, it presented a bit of a challenge getting past people but I wanted to run the first mile with my girlfriend who was running the half. Our fault for starting so far back in the pack.

Tons of water stations and friendly people. God bless the folks in Kiawah. The run was good overall. If there was one thing that could have made it better, it would be more of a straight run. There was a lot of roads where we went down a street and back that made it a little difficult, but overall I was cool with that.

I picked this race looking for a BQ and to play some golf with my dad. Talking with a local, this was the best weather we could hope for (54, no wind, 95% hum). They've had really high winds in previous years. Humidity wasn't a factor with the lower temps. The only small hills were on the 1st and last miles. I actually liked having all the turnarounds, because otherwise I never saw anyone. The island seemed empty, so don't expect throngs of cheering people. Post race was the best experience I've had at a race.
If you are going to golf, do it before the race. Very painful after.

We stayed on Folly because it's 'our beach'. The shuttle parking was fine, but it was slow getting into the lot. I'm glad we didn't leave much later. The course is beautiful, but monotonous. South Carolina potentially has perfect running weather in early December and 2012 was not an exception. Small crowds, long gap in water between 20 and 23 was a bummer.

This was my 28th marathon and it rates as one of the best courses yet. That said, the medal was cheap and like a Christmas ornament and the post race meal was barely edible. Loved the scenery and the incredible amount of lovely women who ran the race. I would recommend it for anyone from a first timer to a serious runner looking for a Boston time.

Flat, fast course, pretty well-organized, good logistics, beautiful location, good weather. The start was very crowed and not especially well organized, and the final 8 miles or so marathoners had to weave past 1/2 marathon walkers on the narrow bike path.

Last Saturday, I just completed my 19th consecutive year of running the Kiawah Half Marathon. What great weather in such a beautiful place.