This was a gorgeous run through Bar Harbor and the carriage trails of Acadia National Park! Found this race about a year ago and have been eagerly anticipating it for a long time, it did not disappoint. The management of the race was great. Friendly people and a fun atmosphere.

The race starts out running through downtown Bar Harbor before it gets hopping, then takes you back into Acadia. The park itself is gorgeous. You run around Eagle Lake on the carriage roads, meaning that there's very little impact on your knees! There are three bigger hills, with one long sloping one between miles 7 and 8. The finish is downhill and makes for a fast 13th mile, looping back to where you started.

It's a small race, capping out at 400 people, but this makes for a fun and intimate atmosphere. You really got to talk to plenty of people if you wanted and see them multiple times. The post race environment was fun, but nothing too extravagant.

Overall, an great experience in an exceptional environment. I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Fantastic race experience! Arkansans were super friendly. The entire town knew about the race and was excited about it. The people at the expo and along the course were friendly and the participants from the area were all exceptionally willing to talk and encourage. The course was gorgeous. It takes you on a tour of downtown Little Rock and then through the beautiful hills and along the river. I will say that I was in far better shape than my first marathon, knocking nearly 25 minutes from my time, but my gosh, the hills on this course are no joke! You get some pretty good ones throughout the course, but the hardest hills are from miles 16-19. You climb steep and fast and then drop just as fast which is every bit as hard on your legs as the climb. HOWEVER, the area that this takes place in is by far and away the prettiest of the course so it makes the elevation change worth it.

As I said before, this was my second Full Marathon. Honestly I chose it because of the medal. My body had a rough time with my first marathon (though I liked the race) and I figured if I was going to do it again I wanted to have something to show for it. This race rejuvenated me towards this distance. Before I could only see doing a couple full's in my life and sticking to mainly half's. Now however I could see myself doing many many more. I'd highly recommend this race to anyone considering a marathon.

I absolutely love this race. This was my first full marathon, but I've participated in the relay several times before too. From the start of the race, by the bombing memorial, to the finish of the race on the other side of the memorial this race is a great tour of some of OKC's prettiest locations. When you connect this with the fact that it was birthed out of the drive to honor those who lost their lives in the bombing this race has a special feeling to it. People come out in droves to participate and cheer on the runners. It has a great pre and post race experience and it seems to get better with each passing year!