The Richmond Marathon is an extremely well done race. The expo is easy to navigate and has plenty of vendors, the race organizers do a great job of communicating with runners and the course is pretty. This was my first marathon so I had no idea what to expect but it was fantastic. You get personalized bibs, the course elevation isn't too tough and there is excellent crowd support. There are two junk food stops (mile 16 and 23) and a wet washcloth station to clean yourself up before those finish line photos. And the swag...last year we received a huge medal, a long sleeve tech tee, and an awesome blanket. There is hot pizza at the finish line and everything on race day is pretty easy. This was a great first marathon and I'd recommend. In fact, I'm running it again in 2014!