I chose this race because I am familiar with this part of Northern Michigan and could stay close by with family. I was anticipating a very scenic run. The course runs along Lake Michigan, and I was expecting lots of unimpeded vistas. there were some, but there was a lot of vegetation between the trail and the lakeside. The other side of the course runs alongside the highway. Very pretty woods, it stays shaded, which I liked. A very flat course. Despite one brief potty break I managed to shave off 30 minutes finishing time, which I attribute to the flat course. This is a small town marathon, so don't expect large crowds like in Chicago or Minneapolis-St. Paul marathons. Lots of time I was running entirely alone, which is fine. But if you need lots of crowd support, this will be absent. The registration and expo were fine. I liked the bacon they handed out during the run. The finisher's medal is gloriously big and they even managed to work in the local Petoskey stone into the design, which was very clever and artfully done. I was slightly disappointed there weren't as many vistas of Lake Michigan along the route to help break up the forest monotony. One other quirk: along the route is a wooden footbridge over a marsh that runs almost a full mile. For some reason it took me out of my groove. I chalk that up to me and not the race.