I think the other reviewers have said it all but I'll just add that it was a very nicely done race. Memphis is a cool town and you can stay close to the start and finish (not having to rent a car is great). The start is downtown and there are places to stay warm and dry until the start. The course itself isn't bad, but the real highlight is running through the St. Jude Children's Hospital campus. It was cold, windy, and drizzly this year so there weren't many kids out in that kind of weather, but still, the spirit and enthusiasm from the crowds there brought tears to my eyes. It's definitely the best part of the race and comes around mile 11 or so. That spirit carries you through the rest of the route.

If there is any negative to the race, it's just that it's so crowded, especially at the start. There are more half runners than full, and people don't always seed themselves correctly so there's a lot of weaving and dodging for a while, but once you split off the crowd thins considerably! One of the best parts, is the amount of aid stations! I think there were 25, which is just incredible. My only complaint is they served Nuun as the electrolyte drink which I thought was pretty gross...but some people like it.

The finish was in the stadium downtown. It was a neat venue to end the race and on a less cold day, a fun place to hang out afterwards. The medal was very nice, and the shirt for the marathon was awesome (long sleeve tech with thumbholes).

Overall, a very nicely done marathon that really takes care of all of its runners to the max! It's for such a great cause which makes it special by itself, but they don't stop at that. The organizers truly go out of their way to make it a great race for the entire 26.2 miles and I think they succeeded. I'd highly recommend it for other fifty staters looking for a Tennessee marathon.