As much as I'm a hometown girl, I'm was disappointed with the Cleveland Marathon this year. I ran the half marathon in 2014 and came back for the full in 2015. Weather and injury aside, the course for the Cleveland Marathon needs to be improved. Pothole after pothole, running through less-than-desirable neighborhoods, and then finishing for miles on the empty shoreway is depressing. There's good crowd support for the first 3/4 of the race but once on the shoreway, forget about it. I was lucky to find one runner to run with, but other than that, the road was desolate. I think a course change is much needed for this iconic race. I took longer than planned due to injury, but when I finished well ahead of the cutoff, I was disappointed so many people were gone and there wasn't much left for the rest of us on the course. The volunteers at the finish were awesome and really sweet, which improved my mood a bit.

The expo was great in 2015. It was moved downtown to the new convention center. Much more convenient than prior years. Another thing that could be updated is the race medal. It's the same year after year. I'm not one to care about bling all that much, but some variation (besides size and color) would make it easier to tell the difference between my half marathon and full marathon medals.

I don't know if I'll run this race again. The course really turns me off. I want to love it as much as my friends do, but I think I need a change of scenery. I love supporting local races but I would really love to see more from this fabulous race! Cleveland has a lot to offer! Let's show it off!