So the Niagara International Marathon is on the Canada Side of the Falls. If you run the Full, you run with your passport since you start in the US and cross the Peace Bridge into Canada.

Expo: at some random mall in Canada- what stinks is that you pick up your bib in one part of the mall, your shirt in a second location and your swag bag in a third location. You feel like you're going to forget something! I get trying to get people through the expo, but there has to be 1. a better spot to have an expo and 2. to streamline packet pick up.

Start: you're bussed there from one of the host hotels. They did a good job of bussing a few thousand runners to the start, that's for sure! A long line, but it moved quickly. Enough port a potties at the half start, heaters would have been nice, but what can you do.

The course: Scenic. More of a quieter race without the bands, which is nice. Water every 2-3 miles, would have at least liked every 1.5 miles for water/fluids, etc (not a gel fan). Had both miles and kilometer markers, but no clocks on course, so you weren't sure of what your time was.

Finish: behind the falls. I appreciated the jackets over the heat sheets. Glad for water and bananas, chocolate milk would have been nice. Baggage shuttles were there if you checked a bag. Not sure where the shuttle was to the crowne plaza, but it didn't matter because my hotel was closer walking wise than taking the shuttle