I ran this back in December as my Delaware marathon. I'll be brief because this was a whirlwind trip that involved driving a rental to Rehoboth, running the marathon the next morning, showering quickly and driving to Philly, returning the rental and flying to a wedding in Utah. So I didn't get to enjoy the whole festive marathon atmosphere to the fullest extent. That said, it was a nice event and I'd recommend to anyone looking for a good December marathon.

My understanding is Rehoboth Beach is a madhouse in the summer months, but during December it was blessedly quiet but still very pretty and pleasant. My husband and I stayed in a little B&B walking distance to the start and finish but off the main drag. We arrived the day before, picked up my bib and shirt (which as I recall was bright pink so I immediately threw it into my 'make into a marathon t-shirt quilt' pile and haven't looked at since). That was a pretty painless process as it's not a giant event.

The start is at the bandstand by the beach which is a nice setting. There were a lot of bathrooms but never enough 10 minutes before the gun goes off! It was a cold, crisp, clear morning, perfect for a marathon. The start was a little crowded but as always we thinned out within a couple of miles. I don't remember a ton about the course itself other than it's very flat and there was a nice mix of scenery. Some of it was beautiful marsh and parkland crossing bridges and running on packed trails. There were other parts run in residential areas, and also a little bit that was along a highway or other busy road. There was never any point where I thought "well this sucks," as it's pretty nicely laid out and adequately marked. There were some crowds and some quiet spots due to where we were running (parts were a little remote for spectators) but that never bothers me. There were times I wished I had my camera so I could have taken a few photos of the marshlands. Aid stations were plentiful and everyone was very friendly.

The medal was a nice and quite large circular life preserver, which is fitting for the setting! I heard that the afterparty at the finish was pretty awesome too, but unfortunately for us we had to split right after I crossed the line, so I'll never know what I missed!

Bottom line: very nicely done marathon. Good organization, good communication leading up to the race, and a lovely setting to run. It wasn't a PR for me, but it wasn't far off either so it's a pretty fast course. I'd recommend this race for sure.