The MDI marathon course is fairly challenging with a lot of ups and downs so, being from FL, I was a little apprehensive of running the hills. I shouldn't have been as the challenging course only contributed to my feeling of accomplishment (GPS showed 1736 feet of gain). What made the course easier is the natural beauty you're surrounded with for the ENTIRE RACE! Seriously, the ocean views are gorgeous, as is running on through the forest with a strong smell of pine. The race is held in the middle of October so the leaves are changing from green to beautiful yellow, oranges, and reds! The time of year also (almost) ensures perfect running conditions! The vollys and organizers are top notch and really take care of you! The medal is a nice lobster claw and you can get it engraved (free) in Bar Harbor! The race is point-to-point and there is a free shuttle back to Bar Harbor all afternoon after the race! If this race is not on your list, it should be! I highly recommend it!

We were looking forward to doing this marathon for a long time, and are very happy to have done this race. First off, the race is well organized and has great support stations. We totally enjoyed the first half of the race with the ocean views and adorable villages we passed along the way. The last half of the race moved over to a nondescript highway. As a back of the packer, this highway became rather busy as the faster racers and half marathoners headed home. We had the shoulder of the highway, so it was safe, but not enjoyable as we were in the final stage of the race. Still, the race is totally worth doing, just temper any expectations about running along the ocean the whole race.

Amazing views throughout most of the course. Great organization from the expo through the race itself.
Aid stations were well placed with plenty of crowd support for a small race. My wife spectated and found it easy to follow by car.
Finish area was well stocked with the essentials and a bit more.
We stayed at the Villager Motel and it couldn't have been easier at the start. The race started at 8 directly in front of our building.
The course is on the hilly side but if you prepare you'll be fine. What did give me trouble was the camber of the road. We're required to run on the left so the constant roll of my ankle cause alot of achilles soreness.
Overall this is a can't miss and will be on my list to do again soon.

Nice course. One of the nicest medals I have. 2017 was foggy with a bit of rain so couldn't really enjoy the course. We stayed at the Villager Motel and it was very welcoming plus directly at the start. If I had one complaint that would the chaotic layout at the finish. It wasn't clear where the shuttles were or beer (was there beer?). Two clocks at the finish were confusing too. I don't like running by the side of the road into oncoming traffic and there was plenty of traffic. The slant in the road towards the second half wasn't ideal either and could feel the impact in my right hip.

Beautiful scenic course on Mount Desert Island. Vacation in Acadia National Park. It is a hilly course, about 1700 ft of both climb and descent. Fresh air, Mountain View’s and views of the bay. Not a concrete jungle, small intimate start and finish and not at all crowded. This is a marathon that I absolutely loved!

This marathon is definitely challenging with its hills, but the scenery is unbelievable. I have run marathons all over the US and other countries and this is still my number 1 recommendation to people looking for a scenic course. Great weather, great support/volunteers, one of my favorites for sure.

By far the most picturesque marathon we have run to date. This is our 34th state and we have run a lot of great marathons but MDI had the best scenery at the perfect time of the year when the fall foliage was at peak. With all of that said, there wasn't much great to say after that. No entertainment, no beer at the end and limited food. We also had to wait 3 hours for a shuttle back to the start. All in all, strongly recommend for the spectacular views but don't expect much beyond the run.