I ran this marathon, and it was one of my favorites. There isn't anything flashy about this race, but it was just a nice back road race. This race isn't close to many hotels. If you are from out of town, this is something to take into account. I didn't rent a car and depended on an uber to get around. It was expensive, but not an inconvenience. The expo was larger than I expected for this race, filled with local vendors and some great personalized items for purchase. It didn't take me long to pick up my packet and get through the expo, though.

Technically, most of the race is ran on a tree-lined trail. If you are a 50-stater, this is a popular race for the group. Surprisingly, I ran with some of the same people I ran with the week before in Albany, GA, at the Snickers Marathon. The race is simple as you're running on this trail, and there isn't much crowd support. The interaction you get is the people you are running with or reach the trailhead at the turnaround. The scenery is beautiful, but it can start to wear on you towards the end of the race.

When I finally made it back to the road at mile 23.5, I thought this is probably one of the best races I've ever run. Great people and the course were magical, but then I hit mile 24 on the road, open to traffic…that was moving pretty fast, and there were no volunteers out there. It was pretty scary and unsafe because we had 15 inches of running room. This kind of disappointed me, but it in no way ruined the race for me.

The aid stations were great and resembled what you would find at an ultra marathon. There was an out and back, which is excellent for the back of the packers, so you could still see people while running. Face course if you're in the mood for but also a generous time limit. The staff was friendly, and the finish had lots of pizza and sandwiches along with chocolate milk. Tobacco Road has one of my favorite race medals, also.