I was looking for a GA race for my 50 states quest and Soldier Marathon fit the bill. Leading up to race day, the weather was looming: storms and rain combined with warm temps...gross! But, it held out. It was still warm and very muggy, but no rain, no storms, so no delay or cancellation.

I stayed at the hotel right next to the start/finish, which was awesome (Hampton Inn). Literally park for the night, walk to start/finish/expo. Everything takes place at the Infantry Museum, which is cool. I didn't linger but got my bib and swag before returning to the hotel.

Race morning was smooth since I was so close to the start. They have the museum open, which was a very nice touch. There are portajohns outside plus bathrooms inside (tip: there are bathrooms upstairs too!). If you have the time, I highly recommend you walk upstairs to view the display on fallen soldiers. There are family and friends' notes and memorials along with photos of the fallen heroes. Very emotional start to remember the men and women who lost their lives. One of the other unique things about this race is that you can run in honor of a fallen soldier. I picked up a bib with the soldier's name and photo on it and pinned it on my back. You're never alone when you run for someone else.

The course itself is okay. The beginning and end is cool, as you run down the avenue lined with flags. They also start you off with a cannon. The first six or so miles is on Ft Benning, which honestly is not that nice (I'm former military, I know how bases can be). But, there are some spectators and once you leave the base, it's a good route. You run on a path, some of it goes by the river, there are some nice vistas, neat bridges, some cool parts of Columbus, and a few residential and commercial areas. On the bigger hills you have Army DI's motivating you to get to the top, which is also fun and unique. It's a varied enough course to not be boring or too hard on your legs (not too flat, not too hilly). You finish back where you started.

The medal in previous years, I believe, was a dog tag or set of dog tags. If you've ever been in the military, that's not particularly exciting. But 2015's medal was awesome - it still incorporated dog tags but was a solid, round medal with the flag on it and the soldier logo.

Overall I'd recommend Solider Marathon to anyone looking for a good GA race or just a good marathon in general. It was well organized and I enjoyed it, especially since the weather held out for us. That same weekend they were holding R&R Savannah which got shut down due to heat/humidity, so I felt pretty fortunate!