Nothing special. Very average in every way. Out and back along a greenway.

The first mile and a half is on the city streets then you’re forced onto a running/bicycle path that they don’t close down so you have people on their bikes/roller skates/ trying to bust through all the runners. On the way back there’s pretty much no police presence on the streets, so now you’re having to dodge cars because the drivers figure they can just bypass the barricades. If you’re a back of the pack runner the finish line is pretty much devoid of any goodies. Not a bad marathon, just needs someone to come along and love it a bit.

Pretty and flat course but the race lacked organization.

I really loved this race. The race is smaller, about 500 for the marathon. The course is beautiful. It is mostly flat with the exception of miles 12-14. It is almost entirely run on a bike path, so it is closed to traffic, but that also means limited spectators. Between the altitude and dry air, be sure to hydrate even more than you think you need to!

They could do a better job of manning the water stations. The water station volunteers are military personnel (thank you for your service!), but there were several stations where I was wanting water and all they had ready was Gatorade. They had to scramble to get me the water.

The SWAG isn’t anything to write home about. In fact, I registered several months in advance, and when I went to pick up my packet, they didn’t have my shirt size or color. That was pretty disappointing.

Overall great race. If I could come in early to acclimate to the altitude, I’d run this race again.

Plenty of water stops. Course was clean and well marked. Shirt was nice. Expo was small but filled with upbeat volunteers. Elevation was a bit tough for a Floridian but the course wasn’t bad. Temperature was perfect. I would recommend.

The support for this race is great. Water/Gatorade every mile. The course is easy but pretty boring.

The weather was great. The logistics were easy and the race course did not have any traffic, so it was safe for runners. The race started on time which is always a plus. The negatives were the course was boring with not much to see on the long bike trail; there were not enough water stops at the end of the race; the post race event was disappointing; and the awards took too long to tabulate ( I left before I received mine because I had a flight to catch).

It was my 50th state finish. There is much room for improvement. Two porta potties for 26.2 miles. There will be a few earth mounds to duck behind for a pit stop but mostly it is an open bike trail. Do not forget to take a small pack of tissues with you. My two female friends that run the Full were not happy. The weather is not controllable. We had rain, 25 mph winds, and 79F. I am not a runner who needs scenery There is not much to see so you may want to not carry your phone.

Aside from the Startline which was conveniently located next to a free parking lot where my crew parked our rental van this marathon was underwhelming. All in all there were approx 8 porta potties along this course. 2 porta potties at Mile 2. 2 porta potties at Mile 11 - Positioned off the course in a parking lot. One had to walk/run off the bike path to get to them. Because of the extreme spacing of porta potties along the course there was a long line of runners waiting to use the 2 porta potties at Mile 11. I’ve run several marathons. I’ve never run a marathon that was so grossly lacking porta potties. The aid stations only had water and Gatorade. One station that I came across around Mile 16 was out of water and Gatorade. The course was not properly marked which made for confusion. There was a point where we reached a fork in the path and I nor two runners right behind me knew which path to take. We stopped and waited for another runner to catch up and tell us the correct path.

Aside from the Startline which was conveniently located next to a free parking lot where my crew parked our rental van this marathon was underwhelming. All in all there were approx 8 porta potties along this course. 2 porta potties at Mile 2. 2 porta potties at Mile 11 - Positioned off the course in a parking lot. One had to walk/run off the bike path to get to them. Because of the extreme spacing of porta potties along the course there was a long line of runners waiting to use the 2 porta potties at Mile 11. I’ve run several marathons. I’ve never run a marathon that was so grossly lacking porta potties. The aid stations only had water and Gatorade. One station that I came across around Mile 16 was out of water and Gatorade. The course was not properly marked which made for confusion. There was a point where we reached a fork in the path and I nor two runners right behind me knew which path to take. We stopped and waited for another runner to catch up and tell us the correct path.

A very nice little marathon & a perfect one to bag New Mexico. In & out of Albuquerque is easy to do & everything for the marathon is in walking distance once you are downtown. The course is average but well marked with adequate aid stations. You run mostly along the Rio Grande on a bike path so there aren't any traffic issues. The only drawback to this marathon is the lack of food at the finish. If you finish in under 4 hours there is minimal food. If you are over 5 hours there was water & some fruit. That was it.

If youre looking for a low hassle New Mexico race this is a good choice. I stayed at the Doubletree next door to the convention center and across the street from the finishline. I received free parking and a 2 pm check-out because they were a race sponsor. For those who dont like to rent cars, they offer a free airport shuttle. The expo was small but serviceable. I was in and out in 30 minutes. Race itself is smaller <500 marathoners. Startline was confusing because they didnt mark it. The course runs for about 2 miles on city streets downtown before veering to the south near Old Town in order to hit the Rio Grand trail. From there its an out and back on multi-use trail. No shade at all, so come prepared with sun screen. Also, the aid stations only had fluids. The finish line was underwhelming. I received a medal, but nothing else. Someone pointed to a place where there should have been water, but I never found it. Aside from some of the minor issues, not a bad race. I'd run it again.

They need a better marker for start, a lot of runners didn't know where start was even when told as no banner was up for start, only had a finish banner. Also no gu or gels are aid stations made it hard for a lot of us marathoners. Of course being as slow as I am too but heard faster runners got the same experience they didn't have really any good finish line food, all I got offered to me when I finished in the 7 hours 15 minutes it took me was water, no chocolate milk or anything else. I do like that race let's everyone finish no matter how slow or fast they are.

Easy, entry, expo, hotel and shuttle. All but 3 miles are run on a bike path. Flat and entertaining with hot air balloons. Out and back course, that is not closed to bikes. This makes it more challenging in the late morning when bicycles are zipping by. The post race refreshments have room for improvement - Cut bagels, orange, apples, and green bananas, water and gaitoraid. There is plenty to do in Albuquerque.