Jim Gullo's Staging Area

The Crazy Horse Marathon was a bit more challenging than I originally thought dealing with altitude and long gradual climbs.
The expo was just a bib pick up, easy and fast! I was able to score free socks from a sports store promotion that was a short distance from the expo in Hill City.
The race offered a pasta buffet dinner the night before the race at the Crazy Horse Lodge. It was a bit disappointing as the pasta was bland, but they did include a salad bar that was very good. I should note not many folks attended the dinner.
Race day started with a bus ride from Hill City to the start line. I stayed at the Comfort Inn in Hill City and was just about a 1/2 mile walk to get to the bus. You got to enter the bus as soon as you arrived, so no waiting outside in the cold. Also, when you arrived at the start line, you could go inside the Crazy Horse visitor center and wait for the race to begin. The center was warm, had some seats as well as indoor bathrooms.
The race started with a drum beat and a Native American chant, much better than a gun shot! No real corrals, just line up near a pace marker.
The first few miles are on gravel roads with 3 hill climbs. You get great views of the Crazy Horse monument! Then the race takes you on the Mickleson Trail for most of the course. The trail is a fine crushed stone surface, excellent for running. It should be noted there is not much to see, but very peaceful. Water stops were about every 3 miles, so it is best to bring a bottle with you when you run. No Gu shots at the water stops, just some pretzels and M/M’s. The course has gradual long inclines which wore me out! It is not a steep climb, just long.
The finish was on Main Street in Hill City which was very nice. There was no real food at the end, just a Granola bar, water and chocolate milk.
The medal was awesome, handmade ceramic and the awards were handmade dream catchers , very nice indeed! They also provided free pictures.
Overall I liked this event and would recommend it. It was nice to have a more relaxed atmosphere versus a larger race. I would have liked more water stops and food on the course. Hill City was nice with several motels and numerous restaurants . I also took a ride on the 1880 steam train that was fun.

A wonderful race to do to get Vermont in if you are trying for 50 states as I am. Logistics are easy as the airport is only a few miles to downtown Burlington. Plenty of motels, Airbnbs and restaurants to choose from. The town is clean and safe, although there are some homeless folks in the area like most cities.
The expo was the best I have attended of the 3 marathons I have done this year. A nice selection of vendors and free samples of items from several venders. I really liked they had a CPR training you could take, just in case you need to use it on another racer.
The two loop course was very nice. It was hillier than I thought, not a lot of elevation gain, but long gradual up hill climbs. Also a bit warm, especially during the 2nd loop. The fan support was much greater than I anticipated and the “cherry on top” was running down Church Street. The neighborhood areas had residents out with water cooling hoses and freeze pops!
Race organization was excellent and a special thank you the bicycle EMT that helped me when I took a fall around mile 19!
The swag was very good with a nice shirt, medal and a runners hat at the end. The finish area had pizza, beer, soda, chocolate milk and snacks. I thought for
sure they would offer Ben and Jerry’s or a maple creamee as they are a local favorites, but they did not.
I really liked this race and highly recommend it.

This was the first time I have been to Des Moines and I was here to get Iowa off my 50 marathon state list. I liked to course very much. It is two loops which around 90% of the race is on a flat smooth asphalt trail. The section that is on the street does have pot holes and cracks. Aid stations were about every two miles. It should be noted that each aid station in addition to water/Gaterade also had Gu Shots.
The race bib pick up was at Fleet Feet. There is no expo. The hoodie was a nice and a big improvement over a t-shirt.
The race started on time and had plenty of volunteers. There was not much crowd support and no music on the course. This race is geared toward runners, so swag and crowds are minimal. That also means minimal fanfare at the end. You get a cookie, 1 beer, a glass and water. They do give you a finisher’s medal, although they are all the same size. ( marathon, half marathon/5k)
Overall I liked this race, with the exception of the wind which really picked up during the second loop. Des Moines is a lovely walkable town!
Logistics were easy with several motels within short walking distance to the start/finish line. There are numerous restaurants in Des Moines and it was a very safe place to just walk around. The airport is about a 15 minute Uber drive to downtown.
I would recommend this race if you are looking for a small town experience and a peaceful paved flat course through parks to run on!

At the announcement before the start, it was stated ” we know what we are doing”. Well, they certainly do! Everything from the expo, course, support and swag were top shelf . They even had volunteers controlling port-a-pot lines. A feature I like was the bicyclists on the course would ride by offering Gu shots if you needed one. Another nice touch was along the last 100 yards of the race, the course was outlined in mums, pumpkins and corn stalks . Very festive!
There were plenty of water stops and several Gu pick up areas. They even had a candy table at mile 21!
The finish area had plenty to do with numerous tents for charities .
The course was good, although some of the roads had pot holes. There are several hills, but nothing long or steep. The weather was perfect.
The only area that could be improved was the expo, not very many providers.
Finally , logistics were easy. The Capital Hotel is an easy walk to the start/finish line and they were very race day supportive moving up the breakfast time so folks could eat before the race.
I would do this race again!

This is a festivive 8K race through Busch Gardens in Williamsburg Va. The course is hilly with some steep but short climbs. The race gets close to 2,000 runners, many running/walking for fun in costumes. The race swag is awesome with a medal, long sleeve tech shirt, a free admissin ticket to Busch Gardens to be used before May 2023 and a discount ticket to Christmas Town.
The major issue they had this year was no port a pots at the start/finish. Not sure what happened, but is was a major problem. They also cut back on refreshments at the finish, no more hot chocolate! Just bananas, water and packaged cookies. I have done this race 5 times and this was the first time it had problems like that.
Otherwise, this is a fun event to run or walk.