City of Oaks Marathon - Race Reviews

I traveled to Raleigh in order to cross North Carolina off of my list of states. For anyone else going for 50 states, this is an easy one for travelers. Between airfare (from Chicago), rental car, and hotel, I only spent about $300. Raleigh is a small city with a lot to offer and it is easy to get around. Pros about the race: * The Greenway portion of the race is pretty and shady. * Nice weather in NC this time of year. Really great for running. * Expo was quick and easy. * Nice t-shirt and medal * Good aid stations and course support Opportunities: * OK parking (not great, but OK.) I found a spot, but I was worried for a while as there were closed streets and lots of people converging on the same spots at the same time * This course has hills. I come from the flat Midwest, so this was pretty challenging to me. Probably would have finished at least 4-5 minutes sooner on a flat course * There were a few times when it wasn't abundantly clear which direction I needed to head at forks in the road. More volunteers or cones would have been helpful.

Traveled here to cross off NC on my list. Easy to get to expo and start line. Slightly chilly am, but it turned out to be a great day. I understand why a fellow runner said 'it takes time to get your rhythm'- he was correct. The first 8-9-10 miles, were up/down/city streets. The Greenway was 98% nice ( -2% were d/t parts that we were running on --side walks and the paved trails that was very uneven d/t tree roots). The volunteers on the course were OUTSTANDING. Aid stations fully stocked. It was my first out and back course. I would recommend having a day of pick up option - as I needed to coordinate a lot of travel to make it there by 5 PM. If I lived there / near by- would run again.

I have run this marathon the last 4 years. It is a good organized race with a well marked course. There are plenty of porta potties at the start. I liked the slip of paper at the finish area with instant time and age group placing. the food at the finish is adequate, and the aid stations had plenty of gels at several points. However there are several ways this race can improve: 1. Get rid of the 2 added 180 degree narrow turns added to this year's course on the greenway. 2. Cone off the section of road near 7 miles where the marathon intersects with the 5K finishers. Even with volunteers instructing 5K walkers to keep left many did not, and it was annoying to thread through them. 3. Why give medals as age group awards that are almost identical to the finishers medal?? Since everyone gets a medal at marathons and halfs these age group medals, trophies, and plaques are meaningless. Please give gift cards or sponser merchandise instead!!!!

The course was boring. It no longer goes through Umstead Park, and now is on city streets and narrow greenways. The race used to be managed by local running stores who took a more personal interest in runners. It is now a for-profit marathon. I won my age group and was told my award would be mailed. When I did not receive it, I emailed and was told 'too bad. We don't mail awards.' Since they are operated by the same company that manages the spring Rock and Roll marathon  which DOES mail awards  I found this very rude.

I had run this race in 2006 inaugural edition of this race, when the course, especially, the second half was different. It was a hilly second half but the hills were long and not as steep. Over the last few years they had changed the course to include several rolling hills in the first half and a difficult climb in the second half between mile 16 and 20. Completing this race will give one a satisfaction of having run a hard marathon! Will definitely recommend it for support and organization but not for a goal time, unless you train for it!

I ran this race in 2013 as my very first marathon. It is a smaller marathon (many more run the half-marathon) and you spend much of your time running on greenways with relatively few people to cheer you on simply because access is pretty limited. But there were good crowds at the start and finish areas and other places along the course where there was good accessibility and parking. As in the previous year, this course followed exactly the same path. Part of the attraction, for me, was to compare performance with the 2013 time to see what kind of progress I had made. Since the weather conditions were similar, the improvement of nearly 35 minutes was meaningful. The organization and volunteers were excellent. The volunteers were both the cheering support in those areas that were less accessible AND the did their jobs well in providing fluids and food and fuel along the course. Super medal for 2014 and a finisher's t-shirt in addition to the race t-shirt. The medal was great in 2013; this thing was huge with a spinner center. Plenty of food at the finish area with the standard pizza, bagels, and bananas. Oh yes, we get Krispy Kreme doughnuts! As I had written before, this is not a flat course. There are portions that run along the creek bed that are very flat, but there is also about 1200 feet of vertical climbing over the course with a few significant hills. I live here, so the hills are just a fact of life. If you want a flat course, you need to look elsewhere. But it is still a nice run if you've trained with hills. Although I won't be running the full marathon in 2015 because it will be off cycle with my training schedule (and I've already run three marathons in 2015), I may run the half-marathon because that distance will be in my training plan as a scheduled training race. But the marathon will likely be back on my schedule in 2016.

I ran this race in 2010 when it went through Umstead. The course is much less hilly, however, the one incline coming back on the greenway to Meredith College was not cool. But there is a downhill to follow. I felt the first about 10 miles were crowded. And thought it was crazy that the 10k runners joined up with the half and full racers. I would think that would make it difficult to PR in a 10k. Greenway was narrow...and had to watch out when runners were going both ways on it. Need more porta potties at start line! And parking at Cameron Village...a little difficult. Especially when the businesses start opening and employees complain they cannot find any parking. There are pace groups and the pacers for the 4:30 marathon were top notch. They fulfilled their duties very well. Because of that, I took off last three miles and broke 4:30. This is my favorite local marathon by far. I'd run it again but want to get more marathons in out of state :) .

The race was well organized and the parking simple. The only negative was that the age group awards were cheap prints of downtown Raleigh with a lime green sky and pink trees. I expected at least a gift certificate for some socks in exchange for placing first! If you want to win, this is not your marathon.

I ran the marathon and enjoyed the city as well as the greenway along the course. The hills on the way back to the finish were challenging however the multiple offers of Gu from race volunteers kept most runners going. In addition to the great water/Gu stations along the course, the race long sleeve tech shirt, large finishing medal and finishing short sleeve tech shirt made up for the hills. Perfect temps for this year's race though a bit windy at times. Will definitely plan to run again next year.

This was the 2nd time running so I knew the steep inclines waiting between mile 20 and 23. They sure keep you honest. I really like the course. Downtown, neighborhoods and a green way help stave off boredom. My wife as a spectator loved the atmosphere and decided she wants to run one of the races herself. Volunteers were great and spectator enthusiasm helped me at times. Organisation was top notch from packet pick up to post race.

The course was difficult however. I thought the organization was very well through out. The expo was quick, there was plenty of parking near the start/finish line. Lots of water/sport drink stands that were well ran by the vols. The pace people during the race and the multiple chip sensors for review after the race were nice touches I have only seen in the big city races. I would do this one again.

Expo was simple but nice, volunteers extremely friendly for the check-in, the race itself was well organized, parking easy, start process was good and aid stations were stacked with Accelerade which from my perspective made a big difference reducing cramps. You get a nice long-sleeve shirt and custom hat, and the medal is gorgeous. It was a well organized, hilly course in a beautiful city.

I knew that this marathon was going to be small, but I was shocked when I found myself completely alone on the course. I found this concerning from a safety perspective as well as morale. Medical support on the course is close to non existent. Other big gripe- food at the finish lacked healthiness or variety. I did enjoy the chicken soup, but so many bread products! Pizza, Krispy Kreme, more bread... No fruit (maybe bananas), juice, chocolate milk or yogurt. Everyone has different preferences for recovery food, but the organizers should have at least attempted to provide real, no processed food. This is an event for athletes or at least people trying to lead a healthy lifestyle! Pros- ideal weather, friendly volunteers at aid stations. Cons- hills throughout the course, the double whammy at mile 22 is soul crushing. Food at the finish lacked healthy options.

First, great volunteers (enthusiastic) and good organization. Plenty of water, accelerade and gels on the marathon course. Good spacing of various stations. Second, plenty of food. I, too, saw previous comments. I finished in 5:10 and there was still plenty of food when I made it down to the food area. There were bananas, bagels and breads when I entered the area after finishing in addition to the doughnuts and pizza. Third, great medal. If you want bling with some heft to it, this is definitely one of those medals. Fourth, because of the greenway use the course was not overly crowded. Pretty well-controlled with the combination of the half and full marathoner start and the eventual merging of the 10K run. And the volunteers did a really good job of making sure people got to the correct place particularly when the full-marathoners left the road course. Fifth, somewhat limited spectator viewing and support. More people at the 10K finish at Cameron Village. And a pretty good crowd out at Crabtree viewing area. Maybe the half-marathoners had more spectator support because they finished earlier. It was pretty empty as I came down the last 2 miles. Nothing you can do about the hills. It would have been better to publish the total vertical rise in addition to the course profile. My Fitbit said more than 1150 feet, with 140 feet of vertical at mile 22. For a flatter course, it is still pretty intense. I heard a lot of comments by the HM runners about how hilly it was. Yes, the first 11 miles ARE quite hilly. But my long runs of 20, 23, and 26 miles had more than 1500 feet of vertical over those courses so I felt well-prepared. The health and fitness expo is small but suitable to the number of entrants. Packet pickup went smoothly. Glad it was a disposable timing chip for the shoe. Finally, I was impressed with how long the organizers left the timing system up so that last runners could get their official times and medals. The street may have been open but the timing system was left running for 1:15 beyond the 'official' cutoff time. I'm sure those finishers appreciated it. The use of the greenway system limits the number of people who can compete (rather than running a pure road course). If you want to run a marathon without the crush of people that has some real challenges for you, this is a nice one to run. As my first marathon, it was a great experience!

On my quest to complete the 50 states, I decided to go with the Raleigh marathon since I have several friends in the area. I really wanted to do the Outer Banks race but chose my friends and that turned out to be a good decision. Yes, the course is very hilly. There is not much that can be done in North Carolina to avoid the hills. Lots of people think that North Carolina is pancake flat but that is only true on the coast. The organization was very good. I would have like a few e-mails and some facebook updates. There are several hotels within walking distance and you get to see most of the high points of the city. Lots of gels are available and there are lots of enthusiastic volunteers. Variety of food at the finish could be improved. I enjoyed the donuts and pizza but some bagels and banannas would be appreciated. Going into the race I was concerned by past comments about lack of food. I finished just under 4 hours and there was food present but I did see people walking off with large boxes of pizza and large quantities of donuts. Hopefully there was something left for the later finishers.

I loved this marathon! The Expo was a nice size and race bag pickup workers were very friendly. Parking for the race was close and easy to get in and out of. The temperature was 40 degrees at the start and clear skies (absolutely perfect). The race started on time and ran through downtown Raleigh and around NC State University. About the 12 mile mark we entered the Greenway on an 11 mile rolling path with colored leaves blowing off the trees as we ran. (I live in southern Florida and never get to see something as wonderful as that). Gu's, water and Accelerade were provided every 2 miles here as were 2 stops with bananas and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (a absolute marathon treat). Lots of hills but not too awful bad, except mile 23, but it provides character to a race. Hot pizza and huge medals at the finish. The volunteers could not have been nicer or more helpful. What's not to like?

This was my first City of Oaks Marathon. Expo: Obtaining my packet and premium was super easy. Wasn't overly impressed with the shirt -but appreciated receiving the hat (something different). There weren't many vendors at the expo - and my group actually went to REI (about 10 minutes away) to obtain more GUs. Parking: As advertised - parking was super easy and plentiful. We stayed at a hotel ten minutes away, parked at the shopping center and made the easy five minute walk to the start/finish. Course: The marathon course was incredibly challenging. I had run Baltimore in October (which is also very hilly and the net elevation gain on this was just slightly less) so I thought I'd prepared well for the hills. I quickly discovered I had not. These hills are no joke - this may be the 'fastest' course City of Oaks has prepared - but I don't agree with the 'flattest' part they advertised, as there was almost no flat terrain - I was always running up or down. The first half of the race is on city streets and is a constant up and down. Not to mention they put an out and back in the first three miles - so the race course is very crowded initially. I was also surprised that the marathon and half share a portion of the course with the 10K, which started a half hour later - but allowed strollers. The second half of the marathon is on a paved trail - which showcased Raleigh's fall foliage (really picturesque). However, the trail is a pretty steep out and back, which make the hills from the first half look like child's play. The hill at mile 23 was brutal. Support: There were plenty of water stops. There was no gatorade, rather something called Accelerate - which was not pleasant. There was plenty of GU offered on the marathon course - however, there was only one food stop (you hit it on the out and back) - I would really have loved to have seen one a bit earlier in the course. The fans were pretty sparse - both on the street portion of the race and the trail - however, those who were there were great. Post Race: Race bling was great (huge). Finish area had Papa John's pizza, Krispy Kreme donuts and bananas. I had no issue grabbing my bag from gear check, but was disappointed there was no change area - only port-a-potties. The sparse fans and challenging course left me a bit disappointed. Overall, this race was just okay - so, I do not plan on running it again.

See the other folks with pro and cons. They are pretty much accurate. The course is advertised as 'Our 2013 marathon course will be our flattest and fastest course ever.' however note this is NOT a 'flat' or 'fast' marathon course. You climb from elev 220 to elev 450 from mile 20 to mile 24 and there's some downhills so you are actually runnign up hill more than the 230 feet. from 22.6 to 23 you climb 80 feet! You must plan for this. My pros are: 1) VERY well organized race. 2) Great information provided beforehand 3) Course well marked 4) Started on time 5) Entusiastic volunteers 6) I really liked the greenway run through the woods feel 7) Enough of an expo for last minute details. I don't expec thet expo to be the bargain hunter paradise. Just want my number, race bag and chance to pick up a few gels. 8) Like the runners hat in addition to shirt that came with packet, It's a nice little add that's something different. The cons: 1)A little upgrade of the food at the finish would be nice. I know Krispy Kremem is a corporate sponsor and I thank them, but that's too much of a sugar shock for me after runnign 26 miles. 2) They don't start handing out on course gels until half marathon folks split off. Fortunately I carried a few from the start, but if you haven't started taking calories before mile 11, you're in a bunch of trouble. 3) The aid stations are huge when you hit them but they are spread out at two mile plus intervals. Maybe smaller stations at one mile intervals would be nice. Overall it's a great race and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a mid-sized Fall marathon. I'd do it again but there's so many great options and so little time.

This was my 10th marathon and my 1st time to run City of Oaks. PROS 1. Nice, BIG race medal. 2. Very easy to find parking within walking distance to the start. 3. Little, if any, traffic concerns out on the course (helps that about 2/3 of the course is run on the greenway) 4. Well-organized spectator viewing locations along the greenway, complete with spectator parking. My husband was able to stop at multiple locations to cheer during the race. 5. Spectators and volunteers were friendly and energetic. 6. Ample hotels and restaurants in the area for out-of-towners like me. 7. Small expo, quick in-and-out to get your race number and technical shirt. Enough vendors that I was able to pick up last minute gels to carry along the course. 8. Chip timing mats provided at good, strategic locations to prevent people from cutting the course along the greenway. CONS 1. The dreaded long lines at the Port-a-potties. I don't know if they didn't order enough, or if they initially did but did not account for the influx of displaced NYC marathoners. 2. We got caught in traffic going to the expo Friday, didn't anticipate rush hour. 3. No signs directing you to the expo entrance, we just followed other runners. FOR CONSIDERATION 1. The greenway portion is a long out-and-back. Not a bother for me, use your judgment if that's too monotonous for you. 2. I underestimated the hills. I have to warn future participants to especially control their pace for the first 2 miles (you will regret not doing so later). 3. Basic finish line food plus a beer garden. 4. Ipods were allowed, so long as you could still follow race directions. Overall I have a good impression of the race. I would recommend it for 50 staters looking for their North Carolina race.

I was worried when the race grew to over 5,000 participants but was pleased with the outcome. I have run the full in the past, but did the half this year. Positives: - Parking was nearby. - Convenient porta-potties. - Great post race beer. - Started on time. - Clear and loud announcements before race. I knew exactly when the race was starting. - Great sponsors. - Long sleeve tech shirts Could Improve: - Get the mile markers up higher. I missed three of them. At least consider tieing large baloons so you can see them coming up.

This was my first City of Oaks and my seventh in North Carolina (have done them all but two). The course was hilly and the placement of the hills was tough (miles 21 to 23). Nevertheless, on course aid was great and spectators were small but really encouraging. I agree-if you need a band playing every thirty yards, this is not the race for you. Medal was awesome-shirt was not cotton 'technical blend' and good-looking. What I would change? The start was very congested and the beginning streets were narrow. Do not start the 10k at the same time. Finally, post-race had pizza, smoothies, great beer, etc. If you need donuts, hot chocolate, expressogo to Golden Corral or Dennys.

It was communicated that the 2012 course had less hills, but it was the hilliest course I've run (8 marathons). The race had a small-town feel. Thus, I wouldn't recommend the race if it is your first marathon, and you need many spectators cheering you throughout the course. The expo is quite small. Parking is relatively simple and approx. 5 minutes from the race start. Volunteers are cheerful which is always a plus. The medal is one of the largest and most attractive. Even the half-marathon medal is larger than most full marathon medals. It is not a marathon that I would return, but it was worthwhile. Finally, similar to previous comments many marathoners get post-race food scraps because there are many non-runners eating food before many marathoners can finish. Fortunately, I only need a slice of pizza and a smoothie after a 26.2 mile run.

Well Lets Start at the Beginning -The Expo is Very SMALL & Ive Been to 5Ks that Have Better Swag for Way Less $$. TShirts are Cotton - for $80.00!! The Start was a JOKE & No One Was Ready for It. GO was IMMEDIATELY After the National Anthem. The Course for the Half Was Changed 2 Weeks Prior to the Race & It Just Made It Worse. The Food at the End was Pathetic! Nothing was Hot Except the Pizza. They Need to Have Soup,Chilli, Coffee, Hot Chocolate! I'm Glad I Didn't Travel to Run this Race - I Know Why I Always Go to Better Races out of Town. Raleigh Can Do Better!

Expo was easy to get to and plenty of parking available. I love the shirt, but didn't realize they ran small, so will never wear it :( Race day had plenty of parking and was a short walk to the start....again, easy to get to. The course was very hilly, but I trained for it, so was actually easier than I anticipated. Not many spectators, but that is ok w/ me as I love the smaller races. I actually wore a water bottle for Umstead Park because I was a little afraid of going over 3 miles w/ no water, but the 'oaks' were so beautiful through that section I never needed it as the time went by so quickly. Open roads with no traffic were so appreciated, you really felt the race director put a lot of time and thought into protecting 'his' runners. The finish w/ the banana's, sticky buns and pizza were nothing special, but the medal made up for it as it was huge. The beer was all gone by the time I went back to the car to get some warm clothes on and came back to wait for friends. I felt that the runners who finished in the shorter races definetly got what they needed and the marathoners were kind of left w/ the scraps. Overall it was a fantastic race, but if you haven't trained for hills, you may struggle.

If you've read anything about this race, you already know what you're facing: hills throughout the course. The hills present a nice added challenge to the already challenging goal of running a marathon. This was probably the hilliest course I've run that didn't have 'Mountain' in the title. While I wouldn't put Raleigh in the 'small town' category, the race definitely has the feel of one. The expo is small with about three dozen tables and the spectators are sparse along the course. On this run, you travel through downtown and various neighborhoods, farm land and Umstead Park. I especially enjoyed running up toward the state capital building, along a winding roads with beautiful fall foliage, and seeing cows and horses in pastures. Packet picket was easy and organized, with plenty of parking at the McKimmon Center. I was able to drive most of the course the day before, so I could get a preview of what I'd be running in the morning. Arrows pointing runners in the correct direction for turns were already up and easily identifiable, which made navigating the day before (and of!) simple. Race morning, there was plenty of parking at the Cameron Village shopping center, a short 5 minute walk to the start on Hillsborough Street at the NC State Bell Tower. The start area wasn't crowded at all, so when I arrived 10 minutes before 7am, I had no problem getting a good position about 40 feet from the start line. Runners could sign up for pace groups at the expo on Friday and Saturday, or jump in with the groups race morning. I started with the 3:45 group, but after running a 8:09 first mile and 7:57 (!!) second mile, I didn't stick with them since they were running further ahead of pace than what I knew I'd be able to maintain for the remaining 24+ miles. In the last mile or two, a pacer with 4:00 passed me, yet I finished in the low 3:50s, so the pace groups weren't running at the designated finishing goals. Mile markers were difficult to spot (I didn't see 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 18, 21) since they were about 12' x 12.' I didn't care for the HEED sports drink along the course, so stuck with water, and saw gels at one station late in the course, so I was glad I'd brought along my own. I did really enjoy the beer station along the course, and while I didn't get any when I passed it the first time around mile 11, I did pick one up when I passed it on my way back around 22probably the best thing I drank along the course because it was ice cold! The technical shirt was alright, but the finishers medal is pretty awesome, it was HUGE. The post race food was lame, bananas and pizza (much of which was being consumed by volunteers), but the very generous sized beers in beer garden were appreciated. Bottled water and foil blankets were available to runners are the finish line, but I didn't see any sport drinks (however, if it was more HEED, I would have passed on it anyway).

My wife and I ran the 1/2 (her) and full (me) race as a backup when our plans for Savannah fell through. We had trained for the flatness of Savannah, and were challenged by the considerable hilliness of the Raleigh course. The first 8 miles or so were in downtown Raleigh and surrounding neighborhoods, were very scenic, and had a good number of enthusiastic spectators. After mi 10, or so, the course turns rural and spectators dwindled. Doesn't matter much to me - I usually don't see many spectators on my long runs anyway! Around mi 17, the course turns into Unstead Park for a few miles of beautiful, wide horse trail. This section has a couple of pretty long hills. After exiting the park, another 2 or 3 mi of hills on a greenway before the course flattens out for finish back downtown. I thought organization was great. We registered at the expo about an hour before closing. The only issue was that there were only XL and XXL shirts left for the marathon runners; they promised to mail me one in my size later. Good post race celebration area; somewhat limited food choices - pizza and bananas, but this was enough for me. Good locally brewed beer, however! Medals look fantastic!

I ran the 2010 full marathon and absolutely loved it, but I could see that it is not for everyone. The course is very difficult; there are several very long uphills throughout the race, so make sure you can handle those before signing up. That said, the course is beautiful, especially miles 12-18 through Umstead Park. Within the park, miles 15-18 are on a dirt trail, but the trail is well maintained and packed down, so footing is not an issue (except for one icy bridge that nearly took me out). The crowd support is okay but pretty small. I would say the same for the expo/packet pickup, small and okay, which also made it very easy. Both the crowd and expo are about what I would expect for a smaller race like this. If you are looking for a fast course or strong crowd support, this is not the race for you. If you want a beautiful, peaceful, challenging marathon, then you will probably love it as much as I did.

City of Oaks is a good marathon, in my opinion. I won't be running it again, however. It was advertised as offering "No Packet pickup on race day." Therefore, instead of simply driving down on race day for the start, I made arrangements for my kids, rented a hotel room, and took time off from work, more than doubling the cost of this marathon for me personally. When I get to the start on race morning, what did I see? Packet pick-up! Thanks a lot; that's what I get for paying attention to what the director put up on the website. If you're going to have packet pick-up on race day, then say so. I've already given my registration fee for this coming November's marathon to another event. I won't be back in Raleigh; there are other choices for good marathons in NC.

I finally ran this race. I am from the area. Nice race, though the course was tough. However, it is the south; therefore, expect hills. Cannot compare this race to flat Chicago at all. Nor can you compare this race to the larger marathons regarding spectators. This is a small marathon, so spectator support is limited. But I never felt alone. The spectators who were out were GREAT. And the volunteers - police, race course monitors, aid stations, and water stop people were GREAT. This was a NICE marathon and I am glad I ran it. I recommend making the water stops at the beginning - when the half and full participants are together - to be larger. Those were tough to get through and I missed getting water at the first one. The rest of the stops after the half turned around were fine. And why does this race have HEED as the sports drink? I suggest getting Gatorade or PowerAde. Where can one find HEED? So that makes it hard to train with the stuff. And it is not the greatest-tasting drink either. And the post-race food was awful. Unless all of the half folks ate it before I got there. There were cut-up cinnamon type bun things and some pizza, and I think boxes of Wheaties cereal. That was it. So PLEASE IMPROVE on the post-race food or leave some so the full racers can get some. Post-race massage was great - no wait. Start/finish area were well put together. Start wasn't that thrilling: no gun, no horn, and no music. We need something to get us going and pumped. But for a locally-run race, it was well put together. I'd say the course was the best part.

All of the reviews that I have read about this race have talked about hills and more hills and how hard the race was. All of the extra hill work that I did must have prepared me for all the "hills" because I didn't think it was too bad. The hardest point on the race for me was coming out of Umstead Park and heading up the long, gradual hill at mile 19. There never seemed to be an end in sight, but once you got there it was all familiar territory since the last 6 miles were basically part of the beginning of the race. The weather was a bit brisk but not horrible. I was expecting to head south for a warm marathon and ended up with a race in the lower 30's. Other than the chill it was a beautiful day with the sun poking through the clouds for most of the race. The course had a little bit of everything, running through rural countryside as well as downtown Raleigh. The first half had very little crowd support and the second half (from 10-23) had no crowd support. You will definitely face some mental battles through this race in which you will have to get through on your own. The finish was nice; from mile 23-26.2, you caught up with some of the half marathon walkers, who gladly stepped aside and cheered as you went by. All in all, I would recommend running this race to anyone interested. This is one for me to cross off my list. If the opportunity rises, I would consider doing this race again.

Going into the race, I expected a lot of hills. Now that I have finished the race, I got what I expected. This course is very hilly. I have run Boston several times, and I truly believe this course is MUCH tougher but very similar to Boston. The first half of the course goes through downtown Raleigh and surprisingly was quite a bit hillier than I wanted or expected. The second half mainly goes through Umstead State Park (very scenic and nice to run in). I did not think the park or the second half were very hilly compared to the first half. Even though the temperatures where barely in the 40's throughout the race and the course was challenging, I still ended up setting a PR. Other than poor fan support throughout much of the race, I felt that this marathon was put on very nicely. I would recommend it for people who are looking for a challenging "small-town" race.

It was a chilly start. A good number of people out there. The spectators and volunteers were great. Water stations were placed just as described, except inside Umstead Park, which is about 3.5 miles of the course. The Hammer Nutrition sports drink was mixed weak, but the Hammer gels (raspberry) were great. I trained for hills, but my legs were still crying - first marathon blues. After it warmed up a bit, I was able to enjoy the beautiful day, the scenes, and the inspirational people. And yes, finish the race quickly so you can get some free pizza.

The little backpack-type bags at the packet pickup were cool. The music at Hillsborough was awesome. "Let's get it started in here..." got me going again. Coming from out of state, the sponsor hotel was great and even extended the race discount an extra day for me. I stuck with the water, since I trained with G2. The police did a good job with traffic control. I saw some incidents when they were pressured.

This was my first marathon. Nothing to compare it too, but I had a great time! The volunteers were wonderful. They had water every 2 miles, the bag check at the beginning was effortless and everyone was very nice and helpful. The spectators were great. Thanks to the girl at Mile 22 with the sign saying, "Just Keep Running." I think that mantra got me through to the finish line. The course is not easy. Vertically challenging. I ran the first half at 7:30 minute/mile pace and the 2nd half at 8:30 minute/mile pace, which I think was largely due to the hills. I thought the organization was great. My only complaint was the queue to park pre-race. There are several ways into the campus. Perhaps give directions to several different parking lots to cut down on the traffic. Good food/drinks at the end. Perhaps some music at the end would be fun?!

Was not expecting to be as impressed as I was! First, I loved the course! Gentle, rolling hills... nothing bad at all. Not a spectacular course, but really there were no ugly sections. Very pretty! Well-marked, good mile markers, etc. Second, everything seemed to just happen easily. No traffic congestion at either the expo or race morning. Nice, convenient parking. Adequate number of porta-johns (you can never have too many!). Aid stations - well supplied with fluids and gels. Excited volunteers everywhere! Prompt results available. Only suggestions would be 1) to drop the HEED sports drink and switch to Gatorade or something that tastes okay; and 2) improve the shirt design (and shrink up logos!). I will do this one again!

Great job by Raleigh Running Outfitters and all of those involved with the City of Oaks Marathon. ORGANIZATION: As a runner, I always knew exactly what was going on. Timely announcements were made before the start. Every turn was clearly marked and staffed with great volunteers. Every aid station was well manned and treated the exact same way (water first, Heed second). It was nice not having to ask volunteers what was in the cups. COURSE: Absolutely fantastic. A great mix of urban and scenic. Some challenging climbs, but I would much rather have a pretty course than something flat and boring. The three miles in Umstead were some of my favorites. The half runners missed some of the best parts POST-RACE AND AWARDS: I love the 2010 medal. The acorn design is fantastic (actually a better design than their race logo). The post-race food was so-so. They had hot pizza and some bagels. Coffee and sodas would be nice. Some other salty options at the finish would be good too. GENERAL: Overall a very well organized and challenging race. The volunteers were excellent throughout. The start/finish location sets up perfectly for a marathon. If flat and easy is your only goal, this is not your marathon. If you want a well run race with a gem of a race course, come run the Oaks!

I knew this race would be very challenging because of the hills. However, this was much harder than the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon. The weather was in the 50's with pouring rain, gale force winds, and muddy conditions - especially in Umstead. This is, as someone said, a "humbling" marathon. Although I ran a personal best, it was not my favorite. The first half of the race comprises rolling hills (still challenging, but not like the second half), but after mile 13 it is all uphill until the last 2 miles or so. It is fairly scenic in the first third and last third of the race, but there's not much to see in the middle. The best thing about the race were the FANS!!! To come out in that weather (when you weren't running!) to cheer us on was truly inspiring! If you are looking for a challenge or a training ground before a PB on a flat course, this is great.