Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon)

I PB'ed at this race after 23 marathons, so it would be next to impossible for me to say anything particularly negative about it. It's two loops of an out-and-back course, which may not be for everyone. The start/finish is at a large high school, which was incredibly convenient for everything - parking, bathrooms, spectators, etc. The race field is small - only about 50 people - but I suspect that will increase in the coming years. My family and I had a great time, and I'd highly recommend this race to anyone looking to do Michigan. A few areas for improvement: #1 - Some of the volunteers at aid stations physically handed the water to you - others stood next to tables full of cups. Not sure if this was a Covid thing or not, but it would be nice to have some consistency. #2 - Given the small field in the marathon, it got real lonely after the half marathoners finished as there were only about 50 of us out there. It might make sense to stagger the half marathon start back an hour. #3 - Related to #2 - the course is well-marked, but in the second loop of the marathon, I went a few minutes without seeing anyone coming in either direction, and at one point was certain I had missed a turn. I doubled back and actually lost about 100m (and still PB'ed!) before I turned around. It might be helpful to mark every intersection, even with just a 'Keep Going Straight' arrow for those of us who are directionally challenged. Overall though, great race, and look forward to its continued success.