This was my first time doing this race and my first time in Portland Maine. First off Portland is a great place to visit with tons of restaurants, bars, shops, etc. We even found a great donut shop downtown called Holy Donut which I highly recommend (what runner doesn’t like donuts). I stayed at a hotel downtown in the “old port”. This area is just an exit away from where the race started near University of Southern Maine and made getting to the start very easy in the morning.

There was packet pick up the day before with a small expo. I wasn’t expecting a huge expo given the race is only 3500 runners, but there was actually a good number of companies represented. You also got a nice long sleeve tech shirt (which actually fit me/true to size), as well as a great goodie bag of snacks, first aid stuff, and a can of baked beans.

As far as parking goes there is plenty available across the street from the start at USM in one of their garages. The morning of I was running late and was worried about bag check, bathroom breaks, etc. The bag check was easy to find, had no line, and there were more than enough port-o-potties and I only had to wait a few mins for one.

The course starts out pretty flat for the first 4 miles running along a cove and across a little bridge. There are then rolling hills as you continue on through some pretty neighborhoods, which is where most of the race took place. They had good traffic control and most cars seemed to avoid the roads we were on so I always felt safe. There were water stops about every 2 miles with water/sports drink and sometimes bathroom facilities. The race includes a half marathon and relay so there were designated areas for exchanges. The course is an out and back loop so you get to take in the nice views around the cove on the way back, and you also get to enjoy a few flat miles near the end. After the race there was some pizza, water, and granola bar type snacks available. I was a little let down that there was no beer. They had showers available at USM, but I personally didn’t use them.

Overall I would recommend it as a great race for first time marathoners. It’s not a huge race, but still has nice views, good support, and seemed well organized. The only thing lacking for me was post race swag, but with downtown Portland being so close we just went out for beers after. I really had no complaints.