It's rated as a top 10 marathon destination for a reason. Great city and a great race as far as the organization and the course. This bieng my first marathon, I didn't know what to expect but the easyness to get things done (bib pick up, getting to the starting line, post race issues, etc) was all fairly easy to deal with.

They've alter the course since I ran (2010) when the start and finish used to be at the same point, now it is not like this anymore, so keep that in mind. Nevertheless, getting around Vancouver is fairly easy so I don't think this should be an issue. The marathon race is not huge, maybe 5,000 runners +/- so there's that feeling you get from a local race but also you know it's was thought through when organized. This may be something some runners like and others don't. You can expect parts of the course without expectators, aka not gonna see bands playing every mile.

If you're looking for a race abroad, look no further and consider Vancouver.