This was my 30th state, 35th marathon. I'd heard great things about the event and learned that it sells out quickly each year (I came to find out that meant the half marathon sells out in minutes, the full sold out in about a month).

In some ways it reminded me Grandma's Marathon. It's a small town, on the water, and lodging can get expensive. I found it much more scenic than Grandma's though; for the most part, you are on the water with lovely vistas for about 23 miles of the race.

I stayed within walking distance of the start and finish, TC Central High School, which was awesome (Cambria Suites - expensive rates for that weekend but very convenient). I walked to get my packet, which was quick and efficient. Great tech shirt, a pair of running socks, and bib. Short and sweet. There were vendors too, and a pasta dinner if you bought a ticket.

The start was smooth. The half actually starts elsewhere and takes a shuttle to get there, so that was kind of a nice change; fewer people at the start meant shorter lines for the portajohns, at least initially! The first couple of miles go through the neighborhood near the school before popping you out on the lake drive. Lovely views and some beautiful houses provide the majority of the scenery. There are only a few gentle hills. This is an out and back course so no surprises. The half runners never had an awkward merge with the full; we saw them running back on our way out which meant no congestion or slamming into a crowd. When you get back to the school where you started, you run portion of the track, and then get funneled out to the field for the finisher area.

There were plenty of stocked aid stations, lots of gatorade and water, and also seemed like they were handing out Gu at a lot of them (I carry my own). The medal was nice; not huge, but a good, heavy medal with the logo. The finish area had Moomers Ice Cream (awesome), chocolate milk, water, and a variety of other food choices.

Weather seems like the biggest question mark about this event. Everything about it was organized from my perspective; it ran smoothly, the course was great, and the swag was good. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The only gray area is what the weather will hold. I've heard past years were lovely and cooler. This year was pretty warm and VERY humid. Luckily it stayed mostly overcast until about mile 20 before the sun came out. There was also a pretty nice breeze. Just be aware when you pack.

Be sure to explore Traverse City and sample some of the local fare. Lots of breweries and good eateries. Rare Bird was great, and Bubba's is supposed to be good too. Tons of options for that post-race beer(s)!

I ran the Kentucky Derby Marathon Saturday and the Flying Pig Marathon on Sunday making it a double weekend, but it was worth it. The Flying Pig was one of the best city marathons I have run. The start is by Paul Brown Stadium which was very cool. I stayed downtown and it was easy walking distance. The finish isn't far away, at the Cincinnati Reds baseball park, right down the street, so again, easy walking distance back to downtown hotels. The expo is also downtown at the Duke Energy convention center and it was great. TONS of vendors and great swag! Fun shirt (the logo this year was awesome!), plus a poster, plus a nice gym/duffle bag. Logistically, this is a pretty easy race on all fronts. Stay downtown, or even right across the river in Kentucky and you can walk everywhere.

The race start was well organized with corrals (pig pens). The course is really great. There are numerous hills, but it's kind of known for that. Cincinnati really seems like a cool city - we ran across a few bridges, through the city, by the river, next to parks, and ultimately ended up back downtown. Really scenic for a city marathon. The crowds were fantastic too. It's not Chicago, but I swear it was just as good - they were enthusiastic the whole way. Great volunteers and 25 (!!) stocked aid stations. There was plenty of water and Gatorade, plus chews, and stations giving out bacon, fig newtons (pig newtons), twizzlers, chips, peppermint patties (pig mints), beer, cold wet towels, Swedish fish...and much more. No need to carry your own water as there is plenty of support along the way. It got hotter and sunnier than any of us expected (initially called for rain, then storms, then just overcast...don't know where that sun came from!) so people brought out hoses to spray runners. It never felt too bad because it was a 6:30 start, so you're done fairly early in the day.

The finish line (actually the Finish Swine) was festive and the medal was really cool. I LOVE how this city and race embrace the logo and name - everything is pig-centric and fun. They did an absolutely wonderful job organizing this event and made it so simple for runners to enjoy the actual run and not sweat the logistics. Highly recommend the Pig!!

The Fighting Seabees Marathon first got my attention because of the cool medal. I also needed a Rhode Island race for my fifty states quest, so I registered sort of last minute to make it happen. This was a quick trip and not really a scenic marathon, but it fit the bill.

I'm going to call it bare bones, but I don't mean for that to be negative necessarily. I think the race director honestly cares about his runners and puts a lot of work into making his events happen. If you rely on spectators, this isn't the race for you. If you rely on breathtaking scenery, this isn't the course for you. If you want to cross a state off your list and it fits your schedule, it's a good option.

There is a hotel that's fairly convenient to the start (TownePlace Suites, about 2 miles away) and there's race day packet pick up which I needed. If you do the race day, get there early! I arrived early to park (very close, no big deal) and get my bib and shirt. I walked right up to the table without having to wait, but as we got closer and closer to the start, I noticed the line was huge. So be aware of your timeline.

I had requested a small t-shirt but somehow they didn't have any left, so I got a medium. It's huge, so it went right into my "make into a quilt bag" of shirts. After pinning my bib I sat in my rental car for thirty minutes since it was pretty frigid and windy out. At the start line, Gary the RD made some announcements. One of the things that I appreciated about him was that he said "I don't care who wins, I just want to make sure everyone crosses the finish line" (that's not verbatim but you get it). He also wrote his cell phone number on every mile marker sign in case anyone had a problem. I thought that was cool, and something only a small race can do. A nice touch.

The start was delayed about 10 or 15 minutes because of people trying to get their bibs still. That was annoying but it happens. As for the course, it's kind of a double loop, with a few variations on the second loop. Actually the "loop" has a lot of turns, which at first concerned me, but it was very well marked with volunteers and signs, so no problem there. It's, I would say, mostly flat, but has a few hills here and there, nothing monstrous. It's not particularly scenic. There are a few places where you see the water, which is nice, but brief! It's mostly parking lots full of cars coming or going from the port. The roads aren't busy though so that was something. By the way, it's run on Quonset Point, an old Navy/Seabees base. Not a whole lot to see. It was a beautiful day, but SUPER WINDY, making it all the more challenging.

As with most races that have a half and full option, most people ran the half, so when we finished the first loop and the half runners all went to the finish line, the full kept going. It got very spread out. At some points I was practically alone, with maybe a runner way back in the distance or someone coming at me on an out-and-back stretch.

The volunteers were great, and the aid stations were plentiful, since you pass them twice. I think the sports drink was Heed, which I hadn't tried before and didn't really like the taste, but there was also water.

The finish was low key. I got my medal, a bottle of water, and headed back to get a shower and make my late checkout before heading to the airport.

Like I said, it's bare bones, but has all that you need for a successful race. Be prepared for wind!

I ran this race paired with the Flying Pig Marathon the next day. I had heard mixed reviews about it. Many people said the half course is much better, that the full is boring or ugly. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the entire race. My thoughts:

First, there was a ton of road construction in the Louisville area, so that was a pain but not the race's fault. I stayed across the river, in Indiana. It was walking distance to the start/finish, but the weather didn't really permit that this weekend! If you are able to stay downtown near the race course, that would make things easier.

The expo was good - much larger than I anticipated. I'm not big on expos, but it wasn't too crowded so walking around wasn't bad. The shirt was great - a nice color blue and fit well. I was also delighted to receive an orange marathon hat, which was a nice surprise! There is also a nice poster.

The start was well organized, and went off without a hitch. The cool part is the official bugle player for the Derby plays at the start of the race - unique!! You run through downtown for a bit and share the course with the half runners for maybe ten miles or so before they go in a different direction. I'm not going to say the course is stunning or as beautiful as some other races, but it was good. It's a city race, but you actually go through Iroquois Park for several miles in the middle. That is the hilly part, but it was quite lovely. It was pouring rain for much of the race (after about five miles, it rained steadily, and heavily at times). The park was beautiful and peaceful and one of my favorite parts. I'll agree with other reviewers that it is much quieter and more spread out after the half runners peel off, but I look forward to that space.

One of the best parts of the race is going through the tunnel under Churchill Downs and up into the infield. That was awesome, and something most people will never do or see. If it hadn't been raining I would have taken more than one (wet) photo, but it was pretty incredible. There were horses and riders out on the track which was pretty neat and definitely a highlight.

There weren't many spectators out on the course because of the weather, but them's the breaks. The volunteers were great and there were plenty of stocked aid stations along the course (roughly every two miles).

The finish area would be great on a dry day, but with all the rain it was pretty muddy and full of puddles. Of course when you're already drenched, it doesn't really matter. They had space blankets and of course the awesome medal. Lots of goodies at the finish too.

Overall I really liked the event. I found it to be very well organized with great communication. The weather could be a factor but even with the rain, I enjoyed the course and the event as a whole. Good swag and unique elements that you can only find in Louisville.

First off, my understanding is 2016 was a completely different course from years past, so be aware if you're thinking of registering and looked at old reviews. This is for the 2016 event that just took place.

My opinion is it was a good race. The RD put out A LOT of good information well in advance of the event, which is always helpful, especially for us out of towners. It was my 32nd marathon and 27th state so I appreciate all of the intel in advance!

The expo was a nice size. If you enjoy shopping for gear or talking to vendors, it's big enough for that. If you just want to grab your bib and shirt, you can do that too. I didn't have any waiting around, there was ample parking at the convention center (part of the Embassy Suites in Olathe), and the volunteers were very helpful. I double checked my info at the first table, walked 10 steps and got my bib, then meandered to the back of the hall to get my shirt. There was plenty of information to be gathered here too - parking, race course, shuttles, etc. They also had a cute "yellow brick road" path on the floor leading you to where you needed to be. Appropriate, given it's the Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz. Lots of photo ops too if you're so inclined.

My impression is that the previous course was fairly flat and fast, and surprisingly, they still billed this course as mostly flat and fast too. Not the case. It was pretty continuously rolling, with some bigger hills late in the course. I'm not anti-hill, I actually kind of like the variation, but there was very little in the way of flat stretches and when you're expecting flat, it's not always a nice surprise. That said, just be prepared!

The great thing about the morning is that the race starts early (6:45am for the full). I love an early race because it means you're done early! Also, the start (and finish) is right outside the convention center and hotel. If you stay at the Embassy Suites, you're golden (I did not but I got there early). Even if you don't, you can stay warm (or dry, as the weather dictates) inside the convention center. Pretty nice perk depending on the weather. We lucked out with comfortable, cool temps and overcast skies, though it was windy. Not bad at all! The RD had advertised a Marathon Maniac Corner (like Route 66 offers) which would have been nice, but I don't think it ever materialized, even though they gave out wristbands to us MM/50 Staters. Maybe next year they will figure that part out. Regardless, it wasn't a big deal to not have that.

A quick word on parking. I had about a 15 minute drive from my hotel in Overland Park. I was concerned that parking would fill up fast so I arrived very early (about 5am). I had no problem parking in the many lots across from the starting and finishing area. There were also two shuttle spots that would drop you off at the start. I'm sure this will change before next year's event, but I heard that people got screwed trying to leave the parking lot after the race. As in, they had to sit and wait for 60-90 minutes in a traffic jam trying to cross the course which ran on the only road out of the commercial park. Not great planning for that aspect. Now, that said, as a full marathoner, I think the vast majority of those stuck were 10k and half runners, so when I left I had zero problem exiting. Like I said, I bet they change that for next year.

The start went off smoothly, and then we were off into the hills. The full and half ran the first 12-point-something miles together before we broke off for the second half. The first half was pretty residential, nothing glorious or scenic but not bad either. The second half was on a paved path by the river which offered peaceful solitude (seriously, there were like triple the half runners, so we were pretty spread out on the back half). The path is out and back to the last 1.2 miles when you run back to the convention center. It was hilly too. Aid stations were plentiful, about every 2 miles, and the course seemed to be marked very well. I ran 26.3, which is about right considering I don't always run tangents very well!

I didn't check out the finish line food, just got a granola bar and water, but I think there were hot sandwiches and maybe some other things. They did have massage therapists inside and outside, which was awesome. I usually find the wait to be too long for this little perk, but it wasn't more than a couple of minutes in Oz. I got stretched out first, then a nice massage, all inside the wind-free convention center! I also got my printed finisher's certificate and results quickly.

The bling for this race was first rate. Very cool dark blue tech shirt with NEVER SURRENDER on the front and the outline of the wicked witch in green, probably one of my favorite race shirts. The medal is quite large and also features the wicked witch. If you like the bling, it's a good race to collect a nice heavy finisher's medal.

Bottom line: it was far from a PR for me and it wasn't an easy course. But, it was well supported, the course wasn't bad, the bling was awesome, and we had good weather, so I consider it a good race worth doing and I would recommend it for a Kansas finish for any other 50 staters.