Back in 2009 it was the "RoadRunner Akron Marathon" and it was my first ever marathon. They had a reputation for great swag and did not disappoint. In previous years I heard they gave out Brooks shoes, but in 2009 it was a really nice Brooks track jacket. There was also a finisher's hat and medal. The organization of this race was top notch. The expo was great, the course was cool and well-supported. The finish line was in Canal Park where the Akron Aeros (now the Akron RubberDucks) play their home games. Being on the big screen at the stadium was AWESOME. It also makes it super easy for friends and family to find you. The post-race support was also great. Beer, chocolate milk, fruit, lots of other snacks. It was a great race. It's hard for me to assess the course difficulty because so much of the course coincided with my regular training run routes. There were two decent sized hills on the portion of the towpath trail that runs through Sand Run (this no longer on the course) and a monster hill that's only about a block long that was about mile 19 then on Garman approaching Portage Path (if my memory serves me well). I think this is at mile 22 now. Based on my experience back then, I can't recommend this race more. I hope it's as awesome now as it was then.