this was my 5th boston marathon and it did not disappoint! everything from registration to the post-race area is well organized.

registration was super easy and the turnaround time for when they confirmed your entry was pretty quick. i think i heard back within 48 hours. i received an email and also a postcard in the mail to confirm my entry.

the race expo is massive! every sort of running related vendor you can think of is there. it's open for 2.5 days so there's plenty of time to check everything out. the only down side is it's so crowded! the aisles are very narrow and it is wall-to-wall people.

the race shirt is awesome per usual! it's a simple design but easily recognizable as a boston participant shirt. they're also very flexible with exchanging shirt sizes.

in the days leading up to the race there are several other running events going on. there's a 5k, a relay race among local elementary/middle schools, invitational mile races by both professionals and local high schoolers, and others. there's also always a red sox game to attend over the weekend.

i was fortunte enough to be on a chartered bus because of the training group i was with thus i didn't venture into the athlete's village this year prior to the race start. i did have to walk through to get to the start line and it appeared to be more spacious than prior years and had plenty of porta potties. they also had bagels and (i think) coffee available.

the actual race start area is well organized. they have even more porta-potties closer to the start line. they're also very diligent about checking for bibs and that people are not starting in the wrong wave or corral.

there are thousands of spectators at the start, along the course and at the finish. the spectators are awesome and will stand outside for hours in all weather conditions. i especially love the spectators along the last 1000m of the course. they cheer so loudly and are packed in line sardines, often several people deep, until the finish line.

the course is a point to point route. the miles are clearly marked as well as each 5k. the aid stations were well stocked with water, Gatorade and volunteers! :) they had aid stations on both sides of the street but they were slightly staggered. this was nice to avoid congestion and also gave you a second opportunity if you some how missed the first or needed more fluids. the course also appeared to have ample medical aid stations and police/fire people monitoring.

the post race area is well organized. they give you your 'heat sheet', your medal and your snacks. you can also grab your gear check bag (i didn't have gear check since i could leave my bag on the chartered bus.) and then meet your spectators in the designated area which is organized by letters of the alphabet.

the boston marathon puts a lot of thought into every aspect of the race and the city of boston loves the marathon! all of the stores, hotels and restaurants cater to the runners race weekend. if you ever have the opportunity to run the boston marathon, i highly recommend it!