Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara - Race Reviews

I made the long drive from Milwaukee to complete another marathon. This was marathon #20 and state #19 for me. The expo was very small and underwhelming. They had no official merchandise on sale except old race shirts/jackets with previous dates embroidered on them. We did receive a nice cinch bag and a cotton t-shirt which I always appreciate. The host hotel (Hilton Garden Inn) is VERY convenient as it is steps from the start/finish line. Race morning was perfect weather with high 50's and a cool breeze. No corrals as most of us looked to be seasoned runners. The race started and off we went. I had close to 50 runners in front of me and i followed the pack. A quarter mile into our run, I saw runners turning around and doubling back. I then saw an ATV racing after us screaming to 'turn around'. While looking to my left confused, I barreled into another runner. Uninjured, I began to run the correct way. By the time I got back to the race start, I had logged almost a half mile. We then had to weave in and out of the back of the pack half marathon walkers. Everyone (including myself) was frustrated. Once I got into a rhythm and was mentally settled, the race was enjoyable! The course was perfectly marked with little rolling hills the entire way. Aid station support was perfect! Almost no spectators and little entertainment on the course but I could care less about that. Most of the course is run through residential upscale neighborhoods. It did get a little humid towards the end which led to some leg cramping. Finish line was solid as they announced your name as you crossed the line. Medal was decent and post-race food was okay. Weird to see that there were no Combos snacks at the end of the Combos Marathon. Unlimited beer at the end was nice to see as well! All in all, a solid marathon that I would recommend. The race director sent out an apology email about the race start which I thought was nice. Other than that debacle, it was a good event.

This race is billed as a fast course, and it can be if conditions are right. The course is mostly flat, but does have some small hills, nothing major. The race begins early since this is southern Georgia. We had lovely cool temps in the high 50s at the start; 2.5 hours in, the sun was brutal and the temps/humidity were high. The back half was a trudge. That said, great support, well-marked course (understand some of the elites were directed the wrong way at the start; this did not affect those of us in back, but I was sorry that happened for those who were looking for a record). Spectators and volunteers were wild about the race and excited for all runners. The visit to Albany was really neat; it's a great city. The headline sponsor is now Combos, and you better be a big fan. The branding is EVERYWHERE, including the medal. Overall, a really nice marathon in a friendly and interesting city!

Small field with a 1/2 and full marathon starting at the same time. Small 'expo' for packet pick-up. Easy to get to, super easy parking. I drove up about 40 minutes before start. Lot's of pacers/almost in 5-minute increments. The course is almost pancake flat. Hydration about every 2 miles. Well-marked mile markers. Not many spectators-course winds in/out of neighborhoods, not many people are out. BUT-the ones that are, make up for it in enthusiasm! Yelling, cowbells, jingle bells, it was excellent. Albany makes you feel welcome-lots of 'welcome runners' signs all over town. Yes-I BQ'd with a 10-minute improvement over Chicago 2019 and now have a 15-minute cushion. I'd do it again if I need to BQ!

This race was very well done. The spectators were plentiful along the course and very enthusiastic - one of the best supported races that I've seen. Water stops had plenty of volunteers with great energy that definitely gave you a lift. Plenty of fruit at the later stops too. The course was flat and ran through some really nice neighborhoods. Intersections were well controlled. The police officers were very friendly too. A great race.

This was my 5th marathon, and all the previous races were fantastic, yet this one exceeded the others BY FAR. Things I liked: -Small town, no traffic -Hotel (if booked well in advance) was SO convenient being close to the start and finish -Nearly perfect weather - aside from the humidity, it was 60 and cloudy. -The course was a 'loop' but didn't feel like it. I personally liked all the turns (and felt I had an advantage because I memorized the course beforehand). And it kept things interesting enough to where boredom, or fatigue, really weren't exaggerated because of possible long tangents -THE PEOPLE. wow. At every aid station and even more, it felt like the entire town was in their driveways and on the street corners. Things I didn't like: -The course added about 0.2 miles to my garmin. Which, could affect goals and pr's for people. It was because of all the turns, and that's understandable. I was prepared for that. -Other than that...The expo? Idk. It was small but fine. -The lack of gatorade bottles and food options at the finish? There's like nothing I can really complain about. I don't plan on ever running the same race twice, but if i did, it would be this one. I didn't even mention that I PR'd and ran sub-3 for the first time! I recommend this to ANY and EVERY distance runner who is interested in running a marathon

Small, adequate expo with easy packet pickup. While the half and full started together, we split almost immediately so there was no congestion. About as nice a course as one can have in a city with only a few miles on main roads, and those were out of the way early. The rest included college campuses and nice neighborhoods. Rolling, but not hilly. Nice post race goodies. My only suggestion would be to have the civic center open at the start in case of 'weather'. It was nice out, but if it had been cold and/or rainy, that would have been beneficial.

Perfect weather three years in a row. Outstanding flat course and enthusiastic support volunteers. Plenty of parking near start line.

Ran the Albany 2017 marathon. Very well-organized and easy to navigate. The expo is in the hotel right next to the start line. Unfortunately the hotel was sold out when I went to book hotels but if you do stay there, it will be very convenient! The race day was also very well-organized. There were water stops roughly every 2 miles, and a few gu stops as well. The only complaint I have about the course is that I ended up running almost 0.2 miles over according to my garmin, which was pretty frustrating. Perhaps due to the many turns on the course? Not really sure. Many miles of the course were very beautiful - the last half or so went through the residential areas of Albany, which were very quaint and beautiful! While there were not that many spectators (it is a small town), the ones we saw were awesome, and grateful we chose to come to Albany to run! And of course, something that draws a lot of people here is the chance to BQ in the South east. PRed by almost 10 minutes - however my previous time was on the Atlanta Publix Marathon which is extremely hilly. Still very happy. Definitely flat. Maybe 2-3 small hills (nothing compared to ATL!)

Parking was super easy and we stayed 5 miles away at hotel. Packet pickup easy. Course was pretty flat, hillier neighborhood section the back half. Wind was a big factor as the morning went on. My pace dropped a good 15-30 secs per mile with the headwinds. Aid stations were great although the advertised 'every mile after mile 18' on the FB site was not true. Also the Hammer Gel was in little Dixie cups - tough to eat. Glad I brought my own gels. Local spectators were excellent. Much better than the Marines who sadly represent our youth - the majority of them were staring at their cell phones and not engaging with the runners. The ones that were paying attention were great. I know, its not their responsibility to cheer us on, but its a big mental boost when they do and let down when they seem like they don't really want to be out there. The main bummer was that the course was 1/4 mile long. Everyone was talking about it during the race and after. From the first mile, it was 100 feet, then by mile 16 you couldn't even see the mile marker for several minutes after everyones Garmins beeped. Mentally very discouraging. Fortunately I had a BQ with enough of a cushion, but I'm sure many did not. My final time distance was 2 1/2 minutes slower than what my Garmin showed for a marathon distance. Even the half marathoners said they noticed it too. Ive never had the official race course be longer than my Garmin. Its always been the reverse due to me not running the tangents. Would have been nice to have Snickers at the finish as advertised too. My friends who ran the half said they didn't see any either.

This is a smaller marathon, but I found that it was extremely well-run. We arrived to the Expo and found it adequately stocked with helpful volunteers, local running shops and various sponsors providing small give aways. Went to the pre-race dinner. It was typical hotel spaghetti, salad & bread. It would be GREAT if these types of pre-race dinners would provide more current runner menus like grilled chicken, rice, quinoa, grilled veggies, etc. but that's a different topic. Weather was pretty much perfect. Course is mostly flat, really only one significant hill, all others gently rolling. The course goes along some big roads and then winds through mostly neighborhoods where there are neighborhood type crowds there to support. Some more crowds would be nice, but the ones present were definitely enthusiastic. And I'm sorry, I just love when a USMC cadet is telling me 'way to go' thank YOU to the soldiers who were there to volunteer and cheer us. Excellent traffic control by Albany cops I was truly impressed by their skills of keeping the runners safe and traffic moving. There were wonderful support stations located about every 1.5 miles, well stocked with water, gatorade, gels & fruit as well as portapotties. The volunteers working them were enthusiastic and helpful. The Course begins and ends in nearly the same spot (making parking super easy) along the river and near the beautiful Ray Charles Plaza park. Great spot. The host hotel filled quickly so we stayed about 6 miles away getting to the race and parking the morning of the race was super easy.I would DEFINITELY do this race again.

This is a review of the 2015 race: I needed to shave 5 minutes off my marathon PR to BQ and as a runner in Atlanta, running the annual Publix Georgia Marathon is very difficult. Way too hilly to PR. I was looking for a fast, flat race nearby in the Southeast and Albany seemed to check all the boxes. PRE-RACE  Easy drive from Atlanta. About 2h 45 mins.  I stayed at the race hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn which was tremendous. It's a 3 minute walk across the street to the start-line. Expedia.com forced me to register for two nights, but a week before the race I called the hotel and was easily able to cancel my second night. Highly recommend that any out-of-towner stay in this hotel. You can walk to the start line, and walk back from the finish line (two different places). Plus, they had free coffee on race morning in the lobby.  Packet Pickup: Easy as can be. Hotel ballroom is small, so it was crowded, but I got my stuff in 5 minutes. My only disappointment was that the 3:15 pace group was cancelled because the pacer had a travel snafu.  T-shirt: Nice tech shirt, although a weird sky blue / teal color that I'll probably never wear. RACE MORNING:  Race started at 7a. I left the hotel lobby at 6:40 and got to the start area at 6:45. There seemed to be some lines at the port-o-johns, but not too bad. Full and Half all started at the same time.  Race started promptly at 7 which I always appreciate. My one comment to the race directors: thank you for the warnings about the loud cannon start sound, but even still...it's WAY TOO LOUD. Even covering our ears, the cannon going off just a few feet from the runners was really excessive. It was so, so, so loud. A nice 'Go' would suffice next year! RACE:  We had perfect weather. 39-degrees and clear at the start, warming up to about 48 at the finish. Perfect conditions.  The course was everything as promised. It's not dead-flat per say...but you do have multiple miles with almost zero elevation rise or loss. There are a few miles that have slight rolling ups and downs, but overall, this is certainly a 'flat and fast' course. After running 4 marathons in Atlanta, it felt like heaven.  For a small city marathon, I thought the crowd support and police traffic control was excellent. At least 15 of the miles are run in residential neighborhoods and it was always great to see neighbors manning the drink stations from their driveways.  The Full and Half part ways at the beginning, but fast marathoners will lap some slow half-ers around mile 4. There's a 2-mile stretch where you are weaving through the half marathon walkers. This happens again at the last mile.  You run through two college campuses, Albany State and Darton State which are pretty & scenic.  Water and Gatorade were roughly every 2 miles, and they had gel stations and some fruit stations later in the race. I grabbed a quarter banana from someone at mile 23 which was a real bonus.  The course has multiple spots where you bang out 1-2 miles with almost no turns. But then the last 5-6 miles of the race are quite 'turny' so be sure pick a good line.  The last 1/4 mile is slightly different...you twist & turn onto a paved trail, into a park to the finish line. Lots of turns.  Finish area itself was great. Great energy and race announcer. Lots of post-event food, drinks (and beer) and the race medal was very cool. And if you stayed at the race hotel, you are only 100 yards from the hotel. OVERALL: If you are looking for a well-organized, fast race in the state of Georgia...this is your race. I give it a 10 out of 10. I ultimately shaved 7 minutes off my PR to get the BQ that I so badly wanted!

This was my fourth year doing the full, and I can honestly say this race just gets better each year. Nice course with just enough rise and fall to make it interesting (not flat as some may say). The support is great - Gatorade, HammerGel, bananas every few miles. Course winds through some nice residential areas with friendly fans. Albany is on my calendar every year!

I ran this race in 2012 did not enjoy it because of the tornado warnings and stormy rain. I came back 2015 and I have done about 70 marathons but this one was definitely in my best list. The course is clean and pristine, good organization.

The marathon was very well run from the hotel,expo, speakers, dinner to the course and water/food/gatorade and bathrooms!The weather was perfect, crowd support great and finish by the water was a beautiful spot to relax and visit with family/friends. I was impressed with Albany and will recommend this race to friends for sure!

I ran the half marathon. This was a nice well organized race. Parking is ample and close to the start and a short walk from the finish. The course is mainly flat with a couple of small rises. This was my 8th half marathon and the crowd support was amazing. Many times I was by myself running and the crowds cheered for me regardless. Great community spirit and a couple of people thanked me for coming to Albany. The course wasn't very interesting but there were some pretty spots and the finish along the river was nice. The only thing I would change about it was the medal. I don't run for bling but it's nice to get something special after finishing a half or full. The medal design has been the same for the last couple of years. I love the turtle design but would have to see colors, sparkles or something bigger. There are so many races to chose from and I am often swayed by the bling. I have been to other races with less expensive entry fees that have great bling. All in all a good race. Not sure I will run this race again. I'm local so if I don't want to travel I may come back in the future. New bling (hint..hint) may sway me to come back.

This was my first experience running the Albany marathon and it was a great one. Every single detail of this race is well thought out, from the generous goody bag they give you in the expo, to the beautiful shirts, medals, and the significant number of volunteers helping out at the course. The course itself was mostly flat with a couple of small rolling hills to keep the legs feeling good. The weather on this occasion was perfect which made the riverfront finish area a great place to soak up the sun after the race. After you finish the race, you can relax at the little Mardi Gras festival in the small downtown area. As part of your packet, they give you a complementary ticket. It was fun and I enjoyed listening to the band and having a beer. My only suggestion would be for them to offer XS shirts for women as the small is a bit large on me and there are plenty of other petite ladies who run. Overall, a fantastic experience!!!

I ran the 1/2mar. Had a great stay In Albany. The Packet pick up was easy an fast, Plenty of help an parking a breeze. Race morning parking was not even a issue. The convention center parking lot was not even half full. Loved the cannon start. Felt safe running the entire course, they don't use cones but rather barrels on the major roads. The police were out in force an even smiled as I ran past. Can't ever remember seeing that in any other race I ever ran. congrats to the race vol. An director, job well done.

Great community support, great weather, fast course. Super friendly, enthusiastic cheering groups...even cowboys (and gals) handing out treats.

I ran Albany Marathon in 2010 & 2013, very enjoyable and well organized. After race many events within walking distance of race festivities. A great course to PR as well as nice family weekend getaway.

organization: Pros: Plenty of parking at the start, well stocked fluid stations, several food & gel spots on the course, easy packet pickup, beer, fruit & Gatorade at the finish, tech shirt, Snickers bars & other Mars food samples, expo is efficient size with anything you may have left at home Cons: the finish area could be closer to the car (I think some recent flooding may have altered the original finish area, but I don't know), only one portable heater at the finish area (the 39 degree temps were too chilly for me to stick around in the cold), I didn't notice any portalets at the start Course: essentially a flat course run entirely on asphalt roads with a few small rises, but nothing bad in my opinion, well marked with plenty of police or volunteers at intersections, clocks at miles 10, 13.1 & 20 (I think 25 also, but I'm not certain), the last few miles run through some nice tree-lined streets Spectatos: the crowd support was very friendly, lively and energetic when you ran by them. It's also nice to run with a friend that gets the crowd involved as he runs. Volunteers: each stop was well manned with Gatorade and water and there was gel and/or bananas and oranges at several points along the course, the temps didn't get over 40 so I am very thankful for the efforts and time these people gave for us

This race was my second year running the Albany Marathon. The weather was ideal this year (compared to last year). The course is not pancake flat, but it's definitely a fast course, with enough roll to avoid a flat fatigue. For a small town race, the community supports this event with enthusiastic aid stations. The course is easily accessed by any supporters/family someone may have. The pacer I followed for this race was fantastic, finishing within seconds (under) the pace group time. I would definitely recommend this race for someone looking for a fast time, without the glut and excess of large marathons.

Gently rolling hills, just enough to shake up your legs. LOVE the turtle bling... Too many finisher medals today look like every other finisher medal or just in creative and big (gag me). Nice to have something unique!! Spectators enthusiastic from front of pack to the back if packed Organized like a well oiled machine. Pace leaders did a great job Great race

I wish the race were not advertised as flat because that is really my only minor quibble with what is an otherwise outstanding event, a hidden gem that will probably only get better with age. As to the course, I would describe it as gently rolling with some mild hills but very definitely not flat. There are also a LOT of twists and turns on the back half, make sure you hit the tangents or you are going to run a lot farther than 26.2 miles. Your GPS is going to give you very misleading splits (mine said 26.5 miles and it's usually quite accurate) so it would be nice to have the official clock at more than 10, 13.1 & 20 miles. Spectator support was minimal but it was cold in 2013 and I wouldn't have stood outside in 30ish degree windy weather either. My hat is off to the volunteers who did an outstanding job. The race was very well organized, from the expo/check in to race start to the finish line and I never worried about getting off course, was well marked with tape on the roads for the myriad of turns. Very nice technical shirt and the medal was fine. I really wish the weather had been better as there was beer in the finisher area but I was shivering too much to stick around, probably dehydrated which hopefully explains my last 4-6 miles :-)

I ran the HALF MARATHON. The weather was 34 and cloudy at race start time. This was my first Half Marathon. I finished in about 2:10. I finished really strong after starting with some serious adversity. I had crippling shin splints the first 3 miles. I'm not sure if it was because the weather was cold (34) or what the reason. Regardless it caused for some 13 minute splits. My last split was low 8's so all the training and preparation paid off once the shin pain passed. It was a great course. Flat and beautiful through some of Albany's oldest neighborhoods. The crowd turn-out was weak but I think the brutally cold weather was a big reason. It was a fun race and my adversity at the beginning only made my strong finish more special. I will definitely do it again!

An awesome race in spite of the weather.Relatively flat with nice crowd support. Tried to get in a popular Italian restaraunt the night before but the crowd was a mob and the wait was going to be over twice as long as reservation stated. We went to the Albany Mall by chance and tried the Sunset Grill.The food was fabulous, fast, and reasonably priced. Overall an excellent race.

Excellent organization - and the rain kept some volunteers away but wow the ones out there meant it! 6 million thumbs up for no 'flags' of the race. The race must go on! Yeah! This race is at the top of my list in the future- you can trust they will give you your money's worth! Pace team FUN and excellent. Great race, done it several years now, will do it again.

I was looking for a flat run within a day's drive of Charlotte, NC. Would have been great except 70 degrees, rain yes, but I found the humidity much more of a problem. Not to mention getting my shoes soaked with the extra weight. I rang my shirt out every 30 min and it was mostly sweat. A day later, it was sunny, 44 deg with 70% humidity. Oh well. Lots of good aid stations. I finished the race with more snacks in my pockets than I started with!

My comments are biased by a 6min PR. The weather did not cooperate: 70deg+rain. The course was flat and scenic with a few rolling hills (unexpected) and more turns than ideal (traffic, shmaffic. I took the tangent anyway!) This was the first race I ran with a pace group. Worked great until mile 17 when our pacer had to drop off. He did an excellent job up to then. With the conditions, I think only two finished at the goal pace (I missed it by 100 sec). The volunteers and spectators of Albany were real troopers. I'm going to do this one again!

This was marathon #27 for me. I'd love to say I enjoyed it but it's tough when you run through a monsoon for virtually the entire time. That's not indicative of the organizer's efforts. Just plain bad luck! The good: I'm a fan of small expos these days and this one took about 5 minutes to get through. I definitely liked it! The race started on time! Definitely a bonus as there have been too many times we've started 10-15 minutes later than advertised. I'm not an elite by any stretch but starting on time should be easy! The last half of the course was great! I know I would have enjoyed it more had the weather been even average but despite the monsoon, I liked the backdrop of the last part! Aid stations were well stocked and frequent places to grab bananas and oranges. Much appreciated! Volunteers were fantastic. I know I wouldn't have been out there had I not been running and for their support it was awesome! thank you! Thank you!! thanks you!! Participants- the race is capped at 2,000 and with the half branching off after 1 block, it's VERY easy to get into your rhythm. prerace parking- EASY!! You can literally park in the lot by the start 5-10 minutes before the gun goes off if you want! It was perfect! The bad: Too many vehicles allowed on the course. I was a little unnerved a few times by 'official' vehicles who were behind me. I didn't know what they were going to do so I had to alter my patha few times just to be sure. A little communication would have helped. Aid stations- the course offered one every 2 miles until 19 then one every mile. I think there was 1-2 stations missed at the end. Not a big deal but don't advertise it if it's not the case. Weather-definitely NOT the organizer's fault but man was it bad! Tornado warning while the race was going on didn't help much, either! Then the continual rain. yikes! Not bashing the organizers at all on this one! All in all, it's a good race but not a great one! If you're a 50 stater, it's a good race and one which could be a PR course on the right weather day. I'd probably never use it as an 'A' or 'focus' race but for a long training run, it was great!

This is a nice small city marathon with some nice pros and a few drawbacks. The pros: 1). Good organization. The basics are well covered for the race. 2). Nice volunteers. Plenty of supportive help, even in the all-day rain and tornado sirens during the 2012 race. The drawbacks: 1). The course. It's not perfectly flat, but instead has lots of gentle ups and downs. That's actually helpful to break up the run. What is less helpful is the number of twists and turns. There are a lot of them and with the course open to traffic taking the tangent is not always possible. 2). The post race. My impressions may be mared by the rain and mud around the food tent, but I did not see much in the way of post-race food.

This is one of those little races you won't hear about, but it's excellent. And caps off to the RD and all the volunteers who were so wonderful, even after tornado warnings were posted at 9 PM the night before, and it was not clear we would even be running the next morning, then continued as the sirens again sounded early into the race, and it rained/drizzled/was 100% humid during. THANK YOU TO EVERY ONE. Pros: 1. Nice enough town which race finds the prettiest parts of. Lots of trees. And only a couple of minor hills. On a good day, a PR course. 2. Race hotel within 1/5 mile of start and finish. Good hotel (Hilton Garden Inn with reasonable rate - but they wanted 2 night stay/if you pay race rate of $129 you can just stay 1 night). 3. Half immediately splits off and you'll never see them again (except for a few walkers at the end) - bravo. 4. Plenty of well stocked and friendly aid stations, including Gus at least 3 times, and fruit. More bravos, especially for such a small race. 5. Ambulance circling course. 6. Good pace groups. 7. Small but good expo - well organized. Generous handouts of Marathon bars - I'd never eaten one, but very good (after the race). 8. Tech shirt. Chip attached to bib. 9. Pasta dinner at hotel with local speakers. We heard a guy giving some basic but good tips, especially for first timers. 10. Part of big cycling/community festival weekend, but that unfortunately got rained out. 11. Plenty of room to run. 12. Mostly shaded course, if heat becomes an issue. 13. Police did great job stopping traffic. 14. Nice finishing area along a river with plenty of room for every one. Announcer called out names as we finished. Free massages. 2 minute walk back to hotel - past a lovely statue of Ray Charles playing the piano. Cons: Just some minor ones: 1. A little hard to get to for out of state folks, but the drive from Atlanta airport was 3 hours or less, and very easy (this was my choice for my GA marathon). 2. Not much to do in the town. Restaurant and other hotel selections weak. 3. Not a particularly memorable course, or race, but excellent nonetheless. Probably more for South Georgians.

The good: 1. After dodging innumerable potholes at the Miss. Blues and Birmingham's Mercedes (saw one guy take a terrible fall there), it was a pleasure to run on Albany's well-paved roads. Not once did I see a pothole. They even placed an Astroturf mat over a railroad crossing. Kind gesture since the monsoon had everything and everyone soaked. 2. The route improved dramatically in the second half, taking us under canopies of oaks next to gardens blooming with purple azaleas. Made me think of the Masters (golf, that is). 3. Volunteers compensated with loud cheering for the lack of fans. Anybody with common sense should have stayed inside; I'm surprised at all the runners who showed up. No one ever accused me of having common sense. 4. Thanks to all those brave volunteers, the Marines, and the many policemen and women who guarded the intersections. We runners were well protected. 5. Gels available at mile stops as advertised. Nice. Gatorade mixed properly. 6. Route was PR flat with a few rolling hills. 7. Nice tech shirt and well-organized small expo. 8. Stayed at the Comfort Suites which allowed a late checkout. Thank God for that since my time was much worse than normal. Even served b-fast early. The bad: Weather is always a crapshoot. But, the tornadoes missed us! The ugly: My time. Piriformis syndrome stinks.

Really enjoyed this event. And, the city was a major surprise to me...lovely city! The tribute to Ray Charles in front of the hotel was a stunning thing to see...wonderful! The Ray Charles tribute is something that other cities can learn from. Fun run, solid management. And, the people of the city were nice, helpful and excited to see we out-of-towners there! And, Great pace team.

This is a very nice, well organized, and friendly race. I've never been offered so many gels, bars and fruit at any other marathon that I have done. There were water stations almost every mile. I would recommend this race to others. I booked a room 5 miles away and they had early breakfast starting at 5 a.m. and had late checkout so that I could get a shower before heading home. I have no complaints on this race. Good job!

This was my first full after running 13 half marathons. Overall, I had a very positive experience and would recommend this race. One surprise was that the hotel I stayed in five miles north of the start was not providing early breakfast! So I was glad I brought my own banana and bagel. The thing that jumped out at me was the lack of post-race food. As I waited in the massage tent (which was great!), I told my wife I wanted a Coke. She came back and said she couldn't find one. Maybe I missed it. If so, I am sorry, but post-race refreshments should not be hard to locate. I've been to a lot of smaller and larger events that had great post-race food, so if this race had it, I didn't find it.

Organization is top-notch. Seasoned marathoners must be working behind the scenes to make things seem so seamless: Free and easy parking at expo and start/finish (staying at the host hotel - Hilton Garden Inn would be ideal); best start ever with a concurrent half "split" (half runners to the left, and full to the right) and about a block later each turn off to their respective races; promised aid stations stocked and hosted by enthusiastic volunteers; and (especially for a smaller field such as this), an amazing number of supportive spectators - even in the rain.

I have been in this race five times. This year, on top of jackets and shirts, they gave out hats for those who have raced here in five different years. I find it hard to believe that people don't like the event/course. I have been at races that don't even give you gels/bars. This event showers you with it every 2 miles so you don't even need a fanny pack. The heat is tough but the course is mostly straight and that saves your ankles. Yes, it has a few elevation changes, but for the most part you can't get a better event. So don't buy in to the folks who keep talking about scenery. I will gladly trade in scenery for course amenities any day.