Gretchen Montgomery's Staging Area

I must admit that I’m a bit surprised at how high this race is rated, because it definitely wasn’t one of my favorites!! The shuttle to the start was not difficult. But the starting line can only be described as a cluster. I had to wait 30 minutes in line for bag check . . . and the bag check line was in the middle of the starting corral. Had I known the process would have been so unorganized, I wouldn’t have planned to check anything.

The course was flat and relatively easy, but I worried in several places that surely I must have taken a wrong turn because it wasn’t entirely clear where the course was. Sometimes the course was on a walking path that meandered (making it impossible to run the tangent–I ran about half a mile longer than a marathon according to my GPS), and sometimes the course was on a street that was not closed to traffic. It wasn’t clear if runners should stay on the right side of the road or the left, so there were runners on either side with cars driving down the middle! There weren’t an excessive number of cars driving on the course, but enough that it seemed so bizarre that there were no cones marking a safe path for the runners.

The course itself was pretty . . . for the first mile or two until it became extremely monotonous and I started going crazy wondering if this was the second, third or maybe fourth time we had run on this same stretch. Everything was sage green–the grass, the trees, the houses. It was pretty at first, but boring after a while. Despite the fact that the course was on an island, we only caught a glimpse of the ocean for a brief 100 meters.

Aid stations were completely overwhelmed. I am not a complete back of the packer–finish time was 4:50–but volunteers at many aid stations were filling up cups while I waited, instead of having them ready to grab and go.

I will say that the finish line food was the best I have ever experienced, even better than VIP tent food.

I ran this race during COVID, so my experience was likely different than in other years. The weather made things particularly difficult–it rained the entire time, and it was chilly and windy. I was soaked through within the first mile. My flight there the night before was delayed 2.5 hours so I missed packet pickup, but the race director was extremely kind and told me it would be okay to pick it up on race morning (even though they had repeatedly said this would not be an option).

We were told this would be a cupless race and we would need to provide our own hydration–volunteers would only fill up our bottles. I brought a backpack for my water, but they ended up having cups/bottles on the course anyway. At the finish line, there was delicious pork BBQ. I received the best medal I have ever earned–an enormous sea turtle that opens up locket-style. They are known for awesome medals, and they certainly did not disappoint. They also gave us a thin finisher’s jacket (only to marathoners). I had to purchase a t-shirt separately when I registered (it is not a tech shirt, just a regular cotton t-shirt). They were also supposed to give us fleece blankets, but they didn’t arrive in time due to COVID. Overall, I would say the swag was excellent! They also provided free photos as you cross the finish line (look for them on Facebook).

The course was relatively flat except for a bridge at the end (out and back, so you get the hill on both sides). The view of the beach was blocked by dunes and buildings. I might have enjoyed my stay more had it been a sunnier day!

I am extremely glad I chose the Jackson Hole Marathon as my race for Wyoming. The course was absolutely gorgeous and unforgettable. That said, we had the bad weather trifecta of cold, wind and rain. Throw in the altitude, and this was a challenging race. Because of COVID-19 (I assume??), there were no shuttles to return us to our cars at the starting line. The race director had indicated in an email that we could take Uber, Lyft or the local bus. I assumed Uber/Lyft would work well. Unfortunately, this was not a viable option–there were no drivers in the area. But because of the infrequent bus schedule, that left me waiting for an HOUR for a bus back to the start. I was completely chilled to the bone by the time I returned to my car nearly two hours after the finish. If I were running this again, I would secure post-race transportation in advance. Medal was great and distinctive to Jackson Hole.