Comments

Marathon	Date	Comment
Rock 'n' Roll Marathon - Arizona	11/29/2005	Can be hot, even in January.
Little Rock Marathon	11/29/2005	Supposedly, this marathon awards the largest medal of any marathon.
Las Vegas Marathon	11/29/2005	Have never run this one, but many say it is boring and disheartening because one can see the city skyline from the beginning to the end.
Big Sur International Marathon	11/29/2005	Most scenic marathon I have ever run.
Spirit of St. Louis Marathon	1/23/2006	Ran this in 2003 when weather at start was 33 degrees and sleeting. Most miserable. Just the day before, though, the weather was blue sky and perfect. Course loop from downtown, west, and then back to town. If you do not know St. Louis, it was surprisingly beautiful, and the course went through some nice parts of town.
San Diego Marathon	1/23/2006	Ran this in 2003. Weather was in 70s; not bad. Rolling hills, but nothing significant. There is some stretch along the coast, but this is not a scenic marathon. Not bad, but not scenic. Very well-organized.
New Jersey Shore Marathon	1/23/2006	Ran this in 2005. Point to point along the Atlantic Ocean. Entire run is along the coast, albeit mostly urban and built up. There is hardly a time when you cannot see the ocean. Starts in Sandy Hook State Park in the north, loops through the park (an old fort), and then south along the coast for most of the run, and then a small loop through a posh neighborhood near the end, finishing near a hotel on the beach. Breezy, but I like it that way. Was warm in 2005. Maybe in 70s; cannot recall exactly. Well-organized.
Great Potato Marathon	1/23/2006	This marathon is in my home town, and, if someone is looking for an Idaho marathon, I recommend others, e.g., Mesa Falls. The Great Potato Marathon is largely point to point along the Boise River, but May can be hot. I ran this in 2003, and it was very hot. The course is entirely asphalt running path along the river (except for an occasional diversion through a neighborhood and back to the paty), and to that extent is nice. No cars, no streets, no urban setting; all river. Maybe because I run the running path every Saturday I am in town, it was "old hat." A person new to Idaho may like this one.
Delaware Marathon	1/23/2006	I ran this marathon in 2005. Very boring, but there are only two or so marathons in Delaware, and this one is the only non-trail marathon. It is a double out-and-back. A small portion of it is along the water (nice) but a lot is through some dirty urban industrial area. Small but well-organized. Nice t-shirt (had all participants' names on it). Also, there were signs in the ground along the course, one for every runner, saying what marathon it was for them and where they were from. Nice touch.
North Olympic Discovery	1/23/2006	Highly recommended. I ran the half-marathon here in 2003, but the full marathon is along the same path. The course is asphalt path (mostly) and dirt (some), through woods and along Puget Sound. No streets. Nice setting. Some hills. Beautiful town and idyllic setting.