Meri - I'm not sure what you look for in a marathon - I know you're usually a trail kinda person judging from your other posts... I think if I remember right you're East Coast near Philly...<br><br>
Shamrock in Virginia Beach wouldn't be too bad of a hike for you. I've never done this race, but friends who have tell me it's flat, fast and boring. (Not bad if you're going for a BQ or a fast time).<br><br>
I hear the Umstead trail marathon in NC (the Marathon not the 100miler) is supposed to be tough, and also fills up fast.<br><br>
The only two spring Marathon's I've ever done are Virginia Creeper - nice, flat, well supported, kinda boring, on a crushed stone path. It's cheap $10, small ~100 runners, and fills up kinda fast (register by December).<br><br>
Hatfield McCoy is hilly, and fun. It's small, most of the people who come out are pretty hardcore (i.e. not rookie marathoners - I saw lots of Maniacs and 50 staters). It's not certified (I clocked it at almost 27 miles with my GPS), if you're planning on doing 50 states, this one can count as either West Virginia or Kentucky. It's in June, so I'm not sure if it counts as spring or early summer.