Real runner feedback on course feel, crowd support, aid stations, and logistics (parking, hotels, restaurants).
Miles 1-10 were great, and overall the scenery was beautiful. But after the half marathon and full marathon split it’s pretty lonely. There were nearly no spectators and the water stops were spread more spread out than I would’ve liked. They also ran out of fuel early on. I ran without my normal vest and that was a mistake because I definitely needed it
I would recommend running the half for this race. The full is hard and a mental struggle. Also, make sure in training you do intense hills.
They close roads at 5 am so plan accordingly
The first half of the marathon was great. Lots of water stops, bands, and cheering crowds. After the half marathoners split off, it was dead. No more music or crowds. Fewer water stops in long stretches of road with no shade, where you're running in the late morning. It's brutal. I would only recommend the half here.
Every runner in my group agreed that the distances were off. My Garmin Fenix measured 26.6mi.
It’s a fun event in a great city. The course takes you through lots of fun parts and the crowd support is fantastic. In can be quite hot and humid, so prepare for that. I ran the half in 2024 and the full in 2025.
In 2025 they changed the full course but didn't update the elevation profile on the race website. There are 3 good sized hills through Shelby park, 1 per mile in the last few miles of the course. It added over 200ft of gain to the course and is rough. This was a killer and would have been good to be prepared for. So, in short, it's a fun but hard course that just got harder.
Overall this was a very fun race! I no longer care about race packages etc, as those glory days are long gone. That said, it was super quick and efficient to get the race bib. As most people can probably attest to, Nashville is not the most conducive spot to prepare for a marathon. We were out on Broadway until 10:30pm the night before drinking beer ha ha.
I'm a 3:05 marathoner, so got to start in the first corral. I had a buddy running in the half, while our wives ran in the 10k. All in all, it was pretty well run. The 10k looked like it got off to a good start, then we walked to the marathon start a block away.
Race day weather proved impossible for a PB (21 degrees Celsius @ 7am, climbing to 26 by end of race and 29 by Noon), so it was more about enjoying the experience. This race is HILLY! I thought most of the reviewers just hadn't raced a hilly marathon before, but damn....this was an experience. The elevation map on the official site is very misleading. The second half is just as hard as the first. My buddy who ran the half could not imagine that I had to do double those hills.
In terms of atmosphere, Nashvillians were out on their lawns having parties and cheering us on. It was very appreciated. I don't really care about the musicians playing music when I'm feeling like absolute crap, but I'm sure lots of people loved it. Very cool to run around lots of famous spots in Nashville. The second half of the marathon is more desolate and industrial, which isn't the worst thing when you are in the suffer fest. Being from Canada, this race was so hot that I'm pretty sure I had heat stroke. My stomach was completely in knots from having so much water in my belly. I probably consumed 4-5 litres of water, and was still extremely dehydrated when I finished. What a wild experience ha ha. My 3:30 finish felt like a 3:10 accomplishment.
I would say if you are a serious marathoner, there is almost no possibility of a personal best on this course. That being said, sometimes marathons are not about PBs. They are about tackling the elements of that day and persevering (and having fun!), and I would say of the 25 marathons I have done, this one ranks in the top 5 for most proud accomplishment.
The best part of this race is that you get to hit the honky-tonks after! Nashville is one of the funnest cities I've ever been to. Enjoy!
Overall this was a very fun race! I no longer care about race packages etc, as those glory days are long gone. That said, it was super quick and efficient to get the race bib. As most people can probably attest to, Nashville is not the most conducive spot to prepare for a marathon. We were out on Broadway until 10:30pm the night before drinking beer ha ha.
I'm a 3:05 marathoner, so got to start in the first corral. I had a buddy running in the half, while our wives ran in the 10k. All in all, it was pretty well run. The 10k looked like it got off to a good start, then we walked to the marathon start a block away.
Race day weather proved impossible for a PB (21 degrees Celsius @ 7am, climbing to 26 by end of race and 29 by Noon), so it was more about enjoying the experience. This race is HILLY! I thought most of the reviewers just hadn't raced a hilly marathon before, but damn....this was an experience. The elevation map on the official site is very misleading. The second half is just as hard as the first. My buddy who ran the half could not imagine that I had to do double those hills.
In terms of atmosphere, Nashvillians were out on their lawns having parties and cheering us on. It was very appreciated. I don't really care about the musicians playing music when I'm feeling like absolute crap, but I'm sure lots of people loved it. Very cool to run around lots of famous spots in Nashville. The second half of the marathon is more desolate and industrial, which isn't the worst thing when you are in the suffer fest. Being from Canada, this race was so hot that I'm pretty sure I had heat stroke. My stomach was completely in knots from having so much water in my belly. I probably consumed 4-5 litres of water, and was still extremely dehydrated when I finished. What a wild experience ha ha. My 3:30 finish felt like a 3:10 accomplishment.
I would say if you are a serious marathoner, there is almost no possibility of a personal best on this course. That being said, sometimes marathons are not about PBs. They are about tackling the elements of that day and persevering (and having fun!), and I would say of the 25 marathons I have done, this one ranks in the top 5 for most proud accomplishment.
The best part of this race is that you get to hit the honky-tonks after! Nashville is one of the funnest cities I've ever been to. Enjoy!
Likes- Love the City of Nashville! Great crowd support!!
Dislikes- Weak Expo, cluttered race website with actual important race day info scattered and difficult to find, NO CORRAL MANAGEMENT! Many walkers and slow runners in the first corrals!, Extremely inadequate number of portable toilets for huge number of runners, course extremely hilly with large hill at the very end, course extremely crowded for half marathon, course funnels runners into very narrow gaps along course along with many tight, crowded turns. Rock N Roll does terrible job overseeing this event.
Expect crowded, hilly course with many tight turns right up to finish line. Weather is typically warm to hot. Support crowds are great for half marathon but not many for second half of full marathon. Most of second half of full is down and out in unattractive industrial part of town.
80+ degrees! Hilly first half with decent crowds and good scenery. Second half was a brutally long out and back with two loops around a hilly park with zero shade. Ran about 45 mins slower than my training pace. It was a bloodbath
Forget about your PR, this isn’t the course for it
Stay downtown for an easy walk to the start
I ran this race years back and had a phenomenal experience. This time, not so much. To begin, the actual race day information was very hard to find - to access it you had to click on a link to a 10 page PDF which wasn't the most clearly laid out. On race day, as a 10k participant, I was in the lineup for the first race to start, along with 5k runners. I arrived to the start line early, only to find that there was ONE port-a-potty available for hundreds, if not thousands of people. This created chaos for everyone who arrived early and needed a quick restroom break before the race began. Nothing was clearly marked, and there were no visible staff directing runners. I was set to begin in corral 3, which was packed with a ridiculous amount of people. No one knew who had opened the corrals to begin with, and so we all waited outside of it for the race to begin. The race itself began almost a full thirty minutes late, and it was almost impossible to hear the announcer while we waited because of how the speakers were positioned. Once runners finally got moving, participants ended up opening the gates for one another so other runners could enter. The race itself was fine, but every other station had only water available, and there were absolutely no staff along the route aside form these stations. There were also very few restrooms available. Another disappointment was the "cocktail" beverage at the end instead of a cold beer. All in all the race was fine, but for my fiance who was completing his first race it was pretty disappointing. Not sure I'd run this one again.
Good crowds. No shade and really hot and hilly.
Elevation changes are killlers on the circuit
Dont try to chase PR. Its not a circuit for PR. But adversity gives value to achievement !! Totally epic runs.
I did the race fall 2021. This race was extremely unorganized and very poorly planned. After mile 18 we had to do two loops of a park which was not identified except for a small sign that said 2nd lap this way finish this way. If you were running with a bunch of people who had completed the second lap, you could totally miss the sign which would mean you finished 3 miles short. After the race someone said they did miss it! And they had a water station immediately before the half and full split so you could honestly have missed that turn as well. Definitely a one and done race for me.
I would suggest you reviewing the race course but I checked after I ran the race to see about the second loop and it wasn't pointed out. So if you are planning on doing this race, spend a lot of time figuring out the course and all the turns.
We stayed at the Russell which was perfect as we could take the interstate right to the start.
There was No way to contact anyone before the race. Several emails and Facebook messages went ignored. Race day morning was disorganized. Most importantly, the race itself was disorganized. No course marshals at key areas. I missed an additional loop that needed to be done but there was no one there to indicate. And this was certainly not clear in any race materials.
Very hilly. And bef VERY familiar with the course beforehand as there will be minimal help along the way.
My first marathon and I had a great race. The race was during the NFL draft so there were lots of festivities in town over the course of the weekend.
Great course that shows you a lot of the city. Some of the neighborhoods - especially Belmont-Hillsborough and 12 South during the first 6-7 miles of the race - bring a lot of spectators and energy. The uphill at the beginning of the second half of the race (just after you pass over the river) surprised me. Not super steep but goes on for a long time. It shook my confidence some and I probably slowed down too much during that stretch.
I arrived early for the marathon. The start is downtown and was a good place to hang out while waiting. The 5k started earlier than the half / full marathon so I watched that and then made my way over to the marathon start. Plenty of porta-potties, bananas, water, etc. There was a local church that had opened up its facilities for participants as well.
Great, challenging course. Yes, hilly course for sure but going into race day I knew Nashville would be hilly. Loved the course, the music, great spectators, lots of security, and plenty of water stops. Very organized race. We stayed outside of Nashville and able to catch a shuttle to the starting line, which was a great stress reliever! Thanks for an awesome experience! I;ll be back for sure!
Loved having the option to purchase shuttle passes and not having the stress of driving into town and finding parking.
This was the hardest course I have ever run. The hills were relentless and the hot sun and humidity didn't help. For such a large race I was disappointed in the course aid (hydration stations). I felt the first 8 miles were well equipped with water and Gatorade and then hydration was very scattered right to the end. The course layout was odd- hair pin turns, some out and backs that crossed back over with the half marathoners. There wasn't a single timing clock on course not even at 13.1 just found that odd.
Can't control the heat/humidity but you must prepare for the demanding hills. I believe 2019 course was different from years past due to the NFL draft going on.
Hotels were very expensive! The Nashville Hostel Downtown was perfect, very clean and great staff/atmosphere. Less than 10 min walk to start. Most downtown hotels are 30 min from airport. I used the MTA bus system and only $1.70 to get downtown!
Being my first 1/2 I have nothing to compare it to. However, the race was very organized. The expo was great. We spent a few hours in there. It was extremely hot and humid on race day, but there were lots of water and gatorade on the course. They also had a stop with cold sponges to cool off with. And one station with gu. There were people cheering all along the way. And bands ever few miles. The finish line was stocked with drinks, fruit and pretzels. It was in the sun so I made my way to the hotel pretty quickly. Overall a great experience in a great city.
Get to starting line early. There were so many people trying to get to their corals. It was a bit clastaphobic. There are bathrooms every few miles, so don't wait until you have to go. Carry little as possible. Everything you need is on the course. Course is hilly, so prepare properly.
We stayed in hotel that was within walking distance to starting and finish line. That was helpful. Get to race early.
Too early, first hot day means you train in the cold and have to adjust to a very hot day for race day. Limited aid support along the course.
Parking is far from start.
We brought scooters for the kids to get around to see the racer multiple times along the course. If I was alone it still would be a good idea to have a scooter. bikes would be too big/difficult to navigate in that much foot traffic
Organization was great, race starts slowly. Hilly course. Be prepared for hot and humid. Difficult to get ready for if you live north of TN.
First half was hilly so make sure you do some hill work as part of your training
Hotels in Nashville are very expenses. I'd suggest using AirB&B. Try to stay within walking distance of start and finish.
The rolling hills makes this a very difficult course.
Support on the back half of the marathon stinks. The water is usually hot by the time you get there.
Logistics stink. The start and finish 5 miles a part which means you and 25,000 other people have to take shuttles.