Holly Lewis's Staging Area

I would definitely recommend this race to those looking for a well run marathon in Montana. Missoula was a fun place to visit. Just about everything regarding the race ran smoothly. I am a back of the pack racer and carry a water bottle and gatorade with me. The aid station around mile 15 ran out of water though they still had electrolytes. When I asked a bike course marshall if the next aid station had water, he took my bottle, rode off and came back a few minutes later with a full bottle. With the off and on rain and cool weather I was by no means desperate for water but I really appreciated the effort on my behalf. One drawback to being so slow is that the finish line area is often being torn down when I finally get to the end. This was the case in Missoula. I knew there were only a handful of people behind me but it is somewhat disappointing to find no food and that the vendors have all left. However I have come to expect that and would still recommend this race. If you stay downtown (hotels fill early!) you don’t need a rental car. There is a significant hill around mile 13-14 though the rest of the course seemed pretty flat. We had cool, wet weather, which was actually great. On a clear warm day this could be difficult since much of the course is not shaded.

This was one of the best organized races I’ve done, with a few serious glitches. The swag was great – sunscreen, spibelt, scrunchie, board buttons instead of safety pins. The expo was well run and organized unless you wanted to shop at the Rabbit tent which had a huge line for their merchandise. Like many races, there were columns with the participants’ names listed. EWM took it a step further by color coding them based on the number of previous marathons and then carried that over to the color-coded bibs which I thought was a fun touch. Shuttle busses ran up until 6:00 for a 7:00 start about 20-25 minutes away. Because of the jam on the roads leading to the start, the last busses were late; the start was delayed to accommodate those racers. The course was tougher than expected and I heard many comments to that effect. Even with the last waives starting over 35 minutes after the race start, most of the race felt crowded. There were many miles on concrete which didn’t sit well with my knees and the hills were tougher than expected. However, the course entertainment stayed to support the back of the pack which doesn’t happen too often. Now, if only they could control the weather! All in all, in spite of my poor performance I would recommend this race.

This is probably the most scenic of the 26 marathons I’ve done. The course is hilly and was challenging; some of the downhills were worse than the uphill sections. The course was well marked with plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. They obviously take pride in running a well organized race. Pre-race instructions were clear. No detailed was overlooked.

Mostly flat, mostly scenic course. Started in a pretty neighborhood, wound our way around to the Centennial Trail along the Spokane River. The bus for the early start walkers didn’t show. Ryan, the race director, kept us informed about what was, and wasn’t, happening. We ended up on the same bus as the marathon runners and started about 20 minutes later than planned. The situation was very well handled. All the other busses taking runners to the start showed up. There were a couple of food trucks (quesadillas and ice cream!) at the end. The weather was cool and breezy at the start. Much of the course is shaded which is nice. Hotels are easy walking distance from the finish and the parking lot to get shuttle busses to the start. Friendly volunteers at packet pick-up and along the course. Not a lot of crowd support but more than most trail races. I would definitely recommend this race.