Number 14 - Erie Marathon at Presque Isle in Erie, PA.
This peninsula that extends out into Lake Erie is extremely flat and requires two loops to cover the 26.2. It has little commercialization and the beauty of the lagoons, sand dunes, trails, wildlife makes it worth the trip. The flat course allowed me to run a negative split, which only occurred one other time for me. On this course I ran the second half about 2:00 minutes faster the first, finishing in 3:50:45. The lack of hills facilitated a good time and little pain afterward. The food after the race was good, provided by Panera Bread Company and the pasta meal the day before was cooked up and served by the families of the Erie Runners Club. A good stop on the marathon journey.