You might hear the this race is hilly. It is, but don't let that put you off. The hills are pretty modest, but yes, they are frequent, especially during the first half as I recall. Thinking back I can remember only one long hill, near the University.
The course is varied and very scenic. You get plenty of downtown Madison, the Arboretum , the University, and some really lovely neighborhoods and of course the two lakes that predominate the City proper.
The course management was fantastic. The course is convoluted, but it is so well laid out, and there are race guides managing the course to make sure no one takes a wrong turn, which I liked especially being from out of town.
The Expo is well organized, several vendors, pretty much what you've experienced elsewhere I'm sure. The race Tee was really nicely designed, but the shirts they sell were even better. The cost of the tees were cushioned because they came with an additional, plain, tee, which I thought made it a bargain. Too bad there were no racing caps with "Madison Marathon" on them; I really like a good marathon hat to run around in from out of state races.
You start and end at the Capitol. We found parking half a block from the square, so that was great. One or two coffee shops are open for runner to warm in and use their better potties too I'm sure.
The weather. It is mid-November in Wisconsin, so it will usually be on the cooler side. In 2017, the morning started with light rain, and temps hovering at freezing. The temps warmed to maybe 39. It was grey the whole day, but the rain stopped just as the race got underway. Thankfully, the stiff breeze the day before died and there was no wind.
Despite my awful performance, I really like the marathon itself and would recommend it.