I'll begin by acknowledging this review is heavily biased due to the great race day I experienced. My goal leading up to this race was to get to the start line injury-free, which I happily accomplished. My goals for the race itself were to simply run the whole thing, take in all the spectacle, and enjoy every minute of it; I also accomplished these goals. Regarding my time/pace goal for the day, I did not have lofty ambitions: I would've been thrilled to run a time 10 minutes slower than my qualifying time. I planned to run conservatively through Heartbreak Hill (mile 21), see what I had left in my tank with 5 miles to go, then maintain or kick it in. I ended up having a full tank and ran a 5-minute negative split due to my last 5 miles.

Thanks to having done prior runs in Barrington, Galena, San Francisco, Napa, and Madison, the hills on the Boston Marathon course seemed easy! The course is very unique because of all the long downhills, but it's not a course to be frightened by if you are able to get in some hilly training runs. Almost everything about the event is awesome. Even cold, windy, and rainy conditions couldn't ruin the race experience.

My only criticisms include the following:
* The Expo was way too crowded. It had a lot of stuff but was packed into such a small space that you couldn't comfortably walk around or see all the merchandise.
* This is absolutely not an event for spectators expecting to see a friend or family member running the race at multiple locations. Having spoken to many people who have run and watched this race before, people are oftentimes lucky to find their runner one time! A man I spoke to said it took him 8 years to figure out a way to see his wife twice during the race.
* The energy from spectators was amazing, no doubt, but I don't think it's necessarily any more awesome than the crowd at the Chicago Marathon. The awful weather conditions possibly contributed to the crowd size and energy, of course.

Ultimately, this is a "bucket list" race for anyone who can qualify. The atmosphere - history, sense of accomplishment for just being there, palpable excitement and energy throughout the race - is second-to-none!