The Nashville course is just perfect - it challenges, it's fun, there's lots of fan support, and it's in a very friendly city with lots of great restaurants.

I would definitely return to this one.

Overall, I think that Nashville did a really nice job compared to some big-city marathons. As mentioned earlier by several posters, it is definitely a half-marathon event, with a marathon thrown in for the heck of it!

The course was basically two runs: The half-marathon, then another half just thrown together. The first half was a lot of fun, and even reminded me of Boston in some parts (with the great crowd support). The second half was more like a small marathon, with very few spectators and running through isolated parts of the city. It would have been nice to run through some of the downtown parts in the later half.

The weather (which no one has control over) was brutally hot, yet the organizers seemed prepared for it.

Pros
1. It's a Saturday marathon, so you can enjoy the famous Nashville night life.
2. The expo was decent, as far as expos are going.
3. The first half of the course was really neat.

Cons
1. All of the official merchandise was running stuff; whats wrong with a cotton t-shirt? Just because I run doesn't mean I want only to buy running stuff!
2. If you want a party atmosphere, DON'T CHARGE BALLPARK PRICES FOR BEER! Why would I stick around for the band (who was good by the way) when I can cross the bridge and hit the main strip and buy cheaper beer?!
3. The second half of the course was a big letdown after the first half.
4. Using an obscure energy drink on the course is not fair or smart, as some people are very sensitive to what they can and can't take in on a run.
5. GET BETTER control of the runners. Around mile 20 the half-marathoners were supposed to be on one side of the road, and they were overflowing onto the marathon side, getting in the way. Put some more volunteers there to control it.

Overall, I would recommend this race, as there are a lot worse out there. By the way, thanks to all of the volunteers!

A group of us picked the Country Music Marathon for our spring marathon and I believe that, for the most part, everyone was pleased with the event. Nashville is very welcoming to visitors. There is nothing you can do about the weather, but the heat along with the rolling hills was a big challenge for a person coming from flat Illinois. I would classify this as a hilly course - nothing overwhelming, but you know you are running hills.

I thought the expo was good, but a little small for the number of people coming to the event. There was plenty of merchandise with various levels of prices.

Now, I have to be a little nit-picky. This is clearly a half-marathon event. It is very frustrating when runners fib about pace times to get a earlier corral and you subsequently have to run around the half-marathoners. I have no problem with people walking, but it would be nice if the organizers would announce at the expo or at the start for walkers to move to one side and not have 4 people walking shoulder-to-shoulder, forcing runners to zigzag around them. I did not feel I got into a rhythm running until I was pass the 13.1 split.

Now, I know it was hot, but I thought I would have seen more bands. Maybe some bands were no-shows, but there was a lot of silence on the course.

The availability of the porta-potties was adequate, but I wish they had more at the start. I ended up running into McDonald's within the 1st mile.

I thought the water stops were undermanned after the half-marathon mark. At a couple of stops, there was only one or two volunteers frantically trying to service all the runners.

The fan participation was good, and some spots did not have any spectators, but that's fine.

Organizers could do more with the food after the finish. On the course, the bananas and oranges are always nice. But was not impressed at all with the finish-line food.

I would recommend the CM for the experience of Nashville and the challenge of the hills, but I was not overwhelmed by the event. If you are looking for a fantastic half-marathon, then this is the place. But, I think the marathon falls short.

This was my first marathon and I can't say enough good things about it. The first half of the course was fabulous, with tons of fans, signs, bands and shady trees. The second half had a little too much concrete and asphalt for me, but isn't that always the case after the half-ers split off? There's nothing anyone could do about the 80+ temps, though they really messed up my race. The aid stations, med tents and race volunteers did an outstanding job, having sprayers on hand to cool us off, lots of sunscreen, plenty of fluids, salt packets and even ice at some points. A wonderful first marathon in a crazy-friendly, hospitable city. I'll be back!

I have run the CMM several times now, and this year I was disappointed at how it turned out. Nashville is a FANTASTIC city to have a marathon in, and the people there make awesome spectators, but Elite Racing is ruining the experience by opening the floodgates to too many runners without really planning for them.

It's no secret that the half-marathon is the lifeblood of the race, but the 4,000 full marathoners completely take a back seat to the 30,000 halfers. (I have run both the half and the full marathons.) Elite is charging $80 for the half and $85 for the full, so it's obvious where they make their money. Sadly, for $85, Elite does little to reward the runners. The race shirt is a disgrace - a black and white, uninspiring print on a shoddy "technical" fabric. This is the tenth anniversary of the race, and the shirt hardly inspires me to want to go back for more.

More importantly, the course CANNOT handle so many runners in the out-and-back sections, especially in the first 3-8 miles. It was crowded when they were running 17,000 runners six years ago, but now it's nearly double that. Nashville has many fine streets that could accommodate the race and that would dramatically reduce the congestion. Just adding more start corrals and using the wave start does not alleviate the crowding. Walkers still find their way to the front of the pack and dominate the scene for several miles. I actually found myself walking for the first quarter mile because, even with the wave start, I couldn't get through the walkers.

My suggestion is that Elite Racing overhaul the race course and eliminate the out-and-back sections in the first half while maintaining those in the back half. This would consolidate fan support where it is needed most and open up the roads for the tens of thousands of halfers and their fans.

Nashville is a great city and the Country Music Marathon is a super fun race to run, but Elite Racing has to either limit the racers to about 20,000 total or make better plans to accommodate the masses that continue to grow each year.

When the organizers decide to make it more "scenic" in a city marathon... watch out. The addition of even more hills to a hilly course was, at best, unwise. There are too many choices for spring marathons to put up with all of those hills. Sorry, CMM. This is my last one. The overall good organization and a very attractive technical tee for the marathon are not enough to bring me back.

For such a hot day and a large crowd, I give Elite Racing a lot of credit for this production, and I pretty much look for reasons to hate on Elite Racing....

This is not a purist's marathon. It's for people who enjoy the crowds, the celebration, and the bling. To that end, if you're OK with paying the steeper prices to register and you don't mind dealing with the crowds, distractions and manhole-cover medals, then you should have a good time.

The most important think to note here is that on a hot day like this, the entire production, including the hotels, were on top of things. There were lots of well stocked water stations, medical staff everywhere, etc.

If you like large crowded productions, run this race. If you're more into intimate races that leave you on your own for your motivation, or if you like scenic courses and don't care either way for spectators, find something else in TN.

My one complaint: late in the race, the half and full courses hook up on the same street. It is clear that halfers should stay on the right and fulls should stay on the left, but the halfers were taking up the whole road. Keep in mind that, at this point, the full runners are running 8-minute miles and the halfers are running 13-minute miles. I didn't appreciate having to cut and run around so many when I was trying to finish the race.

This is not my #1 choice for a full marathon. There were a lot of half-marathoners, which made it tough to get a pace set for the 26.2 miles. The weather made it more difficult to support the runners as the time went on. The folks out watching the race were helpful, giving out water and other items. The medical staff were abundant.

The convention center was a mess with people trying to get their race packets on Friday night. My goody bag had no goodies. :( There was no finisher's shirt, which I would have expected to be technical, given the registration fee. I came in from out of town, after work, so I did not have any other options. If you are somewhere local, I certainly would recommend showing up early.

The course was overly hilly for what the website was showing. I am not sure if they did not update the information from the previous year. The multiple out-and-backs made this mentally difficult. Coupled with the heat, this was not my day.

I would not recommend this race to anyone planning for a full marathon.

This race is probably great for a 1/2 marathon runner. The focus is truly on that race. The crowds, the bands, and the course are best in the 1/2 marathon (which is the first part of the marathon) race. So these initial 13 miles are very crowded and you must zigzag to get around the slower folks (despite the corral start there were a lot of slower 1/2 marathon runners out front). After the 1/2 marathoners peel off, the course is not very exciting; no bands are playing, and the crowds are thin. Many places, there are no fans at all. Thank goodness for the junior high school cheerleaders, who were stationed every few miles near the end.

The water/Cytomax breaks were fine; all of these volunteers were super nice and friendly! But was this really a country music marathon course? On the second part of the course was no music! Honestly, I ran past 4 stages that were empty and two with bands taking a break. I know it was hot (believe me, I felt it), but if the band is not playing, then turn on the radio!!! It was not much of a music marathon - really a disappointment.

Oh, and at the starting line, when runners particularly need to relieve themselves... there was a 55-minute wait and... NO TOILET PAPER! Brutal.

So, overall, thanks to the wonderful, kind volunteers. But organizers: please try to rev up miles 13-26, if you want this to be a marathon (and not just the famed 1/2 marathon).

Actually, the five marathons I've done, including the Chicago Marathon meltdown in 2007, it was at this marathon that I set my PW.

The heat and course's long stretch of inclines are the only things my body remembers. But if you are looking for country music fun along the course, a free concert after the race, a beautiful city, spectator support, exceptional race number pick-up, helpful and knowledgeable volunteers, plentiful water and sports drink along the course, no long lines at porta-johns, a methodical corral system, well organized shuttle bus service (from your hotel to the start line and from the finish area back to your hotel), easy gear check in and out, a useful technical shirt, and a nice finisher medal, go for this marathon.

Overall, I did enjoyed this marathon and would highly recommend it for the fun of it. It's not a BQ course for the back of the pack.