Haven't sent in my registration yet, but I'll be running the marathon.

Any projection as to how many people will be running the marathon?

Based on the elevation profile chart, Looks like most of the hills - and they look to be relatively mild inclines -are in the first 15 miles. Once you survive those, it looks like its downhill most of the way to the finish.

Dawn, the hills aren't bad at all. I ran the half last year and it was a fun race. The course has some definitely interesting landscapes to run through: a mix of downtown streets (love running down Beale Street!), a riverfront boulevard, historic neighborhoods with neat older homes, pretty parks, etc. Do I sound like the chamber of commerce? The only two hills I really remember are coming up from the riverfront on to Beale Street (in the first 2 or 3 miles of the race) and a hill that you climb up as you leave the downtown area and head on to North Parkway (maybe around mile 5 or so?), a beautiful boulevard with lovely homes that takes you by Rhodes College.

I do live in the greater Memphis area and the hills on the course are certainly doable, sort of the gentle, rolling type for the most part. Now, the hills in Nashville...that's a whole other story!

Any recommendations as to where to get a good pasta feed downtown?