It was a nice race. I liked that it was a point to point course. Course was mostly flat and slight downhill grades, but there are a few small hills … MORE
It was a nice race. I liked that it was a point to point course. Course was mostly flat and slight downhill grades, but there are a few small hills sprinkled in every few miles. Course support was very good. The majority of the course is through the country side so very little fan support there, but once you got into the town there were tons of fans cheering you on. Race directors kept us well informed and everything ran very smoothly. Even though there were over 600 runners the race still had the small time race charm to it. The only things that I didn’t care for was the packet pick up was basically grab your bib, shirt and go. No expo or anything. But that’s ok since it probably prevented me from buying another pair of running shoes😂. The bus shuttle could have left later. Everyone was standing around in the middle of nowhere after being bused to the start for well over an hour. Bozeman was a fun city, the people were very nice, polite and courteous. If the winters weren’t so brutal, I would consider moving there. Other than feeling the effects of the higher elevation the race was great and I’d highly recommend it.
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Just an overall nice race
It was a nice race. I liked that it was a point to point course. Course was mostly flat and slight downhill grades, but there are a few small hills … MORE
It was a nice race. I liked that it was a point to point course. Course was mostly flat and slight downhill grades, but there are a few small hills sprinkled in every few miles. Course support was very good. The majority of the course is through the country side so very little fan support there, but once you got into the town there were tons of fans cheering you on. Race directors kept us well informed and everything ran very smoothly. Even though there were over 600 runners the race still had the small time race charm to it. The only things that I didn’t care for was the packet pick up was basically grab your bib, shirt and go. No expo or anything. But that’s ok since it probably prevented me from buying another pair of running shoes😂. The bus shuttle could have left later. Everyone was standing around in the middle of nowhere after being bused to the start for well over an hour. Bozeman was a fun city, the people were very nice, polite and courteous. If the winters weren’t so brutal, I would consider moving there. Other than feeling the effects of the higher elevation the race was great and I’d highly recommend it.
Mountain view race
This race started in the mountains/countryside, so we were bused to the race start. The race rolled through the country with roads that were not closed to traffic. At one-point … MORE
This race started in the mountains/countryside, so we were bused to the race start. The race rolled through the country with roads that were not closed to traffic. At one-point cars was coming on both sides. After mile 9.5 we went through neighborhoods and then ended in downtown Bozeman. The medal was made of wood, race food was water, milk and bagels. A few aid stations on the course with water, Gatorade and gu. No crowd support, but the course was well marked. It was an okay race.
Beautiful race
Beautiful scenery throughout the course. This race was run on the road. Caitlyn flat with little hills. Plenty of water and bathroom stations. Great support from the community! MORE
Beautiful scenery throughout the course. This race was run on the road. Caitlyn flat with little hills. Plenty of water and bathroom stations. Great support from the community!
Excellent course but maybe long
Awesome course, very friendly volunteers (kudos!), aid stations good (as a front runner), after race support great, beautiful weather. However, I and another runner both measured the half at about … MORE
Awesome course, very friendly volunteers (kudos!), aid stations good (as a front runner), after race support great, beautiful weather. However, I and another runner both measured the half at about 13.35 miles on our GPS. The 13 mile cone was about right but the last stretch from there to the finish was .35 miles as measured by my watch. Otherwise, great!
Incredible views - all downhill!
The best part of this run is starting in the middle of nowhere, running into downtown Bozeman, and finishing on Main Street. The race shirts USED to be Nike but … MORE
The best part of this run is starting in the middle of nowhere, running into downtown Bozeman, and finishing on Main Street.
The race shirts USED to be Nike but are now generic, so the step backwards was a bit disappointing in the SWAG department; however, the colors and design are great and eye-popping! The medals and bibs are nice overall.
The race production was great. Buses ran on-time, there is music at the starting line, plenty of porta potties, and a pretty energetic finish line.
Overall, no complaints and well worth the price of admission!
Great small race for my 50th State!
I ran this race for my 50th state (63rd marathon)! My family & a few friends came and we made a weeklong vacation out of the trip. We rented a … MORE
I ran this race for my 50th state (63rd marathon)! My family & a few friends came and we made a weeklong vacation out of the trip. We rented a ski lodge outside of town for the week and spent 3 days in Yellowstone. This year’s weather was perfect.
THE RACE: Packet pickup was simple. It was held at a downtown hotel. No frills. Just shirt, bag, bib. I requested #50 previously, but was told that they gave numbers out at packet pickup and that there was no way to guarantee that I get #50. (ended up with 539 – oh well)
The start was out on a farm road outside of town. All runners are required to take the busses there. No spectators allowed. The start consisted of the inflatable start arch, a few toilets, a gear check truck and a tent (which most of us huddled in because the wind was fierce!) Once we started running, we warmed up as the sun began to rise around the start time.
THE COURSE: The course was very scenic, as is all of Montana. Mountains in the background and farmland and barns everywhere you looked. The course was marked with cones. They were doubled at each turn. Some sections of roads were closed, but mostly the course was open to traffic. This never caused a problem for us as there wasn’t much traffic in Montana country on a Sunday morning. As a race director I would have been worried the cones would be manipulated with so I would have put people at every turn and used chalk paint. But it worked out ok. The aid stations were spread out somewhat evenly. There was one spot where they were 4 miles apart. I would suggest having them every 2 – 2.5 miles at most, especially on warm days. But otherwise the race was well organized.
THE FINISH: The finish line is on main street in Bozeman. The street was closed to traffic. It was cool to run down the main street with tourists and other pedestrians lining the final stretch. They had fruit and bagels at the finish. My family was able to catch us on the course several times and then again at the finish line with balloons. The race officials gave me a Bison shaped belt buckle to commemorate my 50th state. (I believe these were the age group awards).
Bottom Line – This is a great race to choose for Montana if you prefer low key, medium sized races. It was the perfect race for my 50th state.
Perfect weather on a perfect day
The race went smoothly. Luckily Bozeman air quiality has not suffered due to smoke like a lot of the state. Would have appreciated a course map in the race packets. MORE
The race went smoothly. Luckily Bozeman air quiality has not suffered due to smoke like a lot of the state. Would have appreciated a course map in the race packets.
Beautiful scenery, downhill course!
The good: Nike technical T-shirts (!!!) and great medals. Gorgeous scenery as the race starts in the countryside and meanders throughout rural neighborhoods before careening down through and ending downtown. … MORE
The good: Nike technical T-shirts (!!!) and great medals. Gorgeous scenery as the race starts in the countryside and meanders throughout rural neighborhoods before careening down through and ending downtown.
The bad: For me, this race was very late in the year so I was running on VERY tired legs from a long season of running.
Wonderful event
It is a very nice route and I love that it finishes downtown Bozeman. Organizers should try to do more at the packet pickup with local vendors. Website for race … MORE
It is a very nice route and I love that it finishes downtown Bozeman. Organizers should try to do more at the packet pickup with local vendors. Website for race could also use more.
Not my favorite but was pretty good
Only one bathroom at each aid station so there was always a line no gels or water only Gatorade but the scenery was nice thought it was weird that the … MORE
Only one bathroom at each aid station so there was always a line no gels or water only Gatorade but the scenery was nice thought it was weird that the roads weren’t closed especially at the start line when there’s that many people gathered in the road and vehicles are trying to drive through