Yes Philly, driving a marathon route is a mistake.  It only ever makes the task of running the distance even more daunting.  There are hills on this course, but my recollection of running it last year is that they are all manageable.  My time was 4.24, only 6 minutes slower than I achieved in Belfast two weeks before, and that marathon really does not have any hills.  So fear not.                                                                                                  Terry