This one’s got GRIT! Just like the colorful characters that got Fort Smith going: soldiers and settlers…cowboys and Indians…lawmen and outlaws…madams and nuns. That same no-nonsense, adventurous, pioneering spirit is still alive in Fort Smith today. Darn right the course is challenging…but they didn’t hand out US Marshal’s badges to …
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This one’s got GRIT! Just like the colorful characters that got Fort Smith going: soldiers and settlers…cowboys and Indians…lawmen and outlaws…madams and nuns. That same no-nonsense, adventurous, pioneering spirit is still alive in Fort Smith today. Darn right the course is challenging…but they didn’t hand out US Marshal’s badges to just anybody. It took folks with “grit”. You’re gonna want one too. Come claim yours!
Fort Smith Marathon: This USATF-certified course is both scenic and challenging and includes historic downtown, beautiful neighborhoods, paved trails, and rolling terrain with a few significant climbs and descents as well. This is certainly a finisher’s medal you’ll be proud to earn! Marathon includes short sleeve tech t-shirt, timing chip/bib and race packet. Race starts at 8:00 am.
Half-Marathon: Includes a gentle climb throughout much of the first half in addition to one steep hill around mile 4. The back half is a fantastic descent over much of the trip back down to the finish.
Marathon Relay: The Marathon course is broken into 4 relay legs varying from around 5.5 miles to 7.5 miles. Each leg includes both challenging and easy terrain, as well as plenty of points of interest:
Leg #1: includes beautiful historic downtown, the grand homes of Free Ferry, St. Scholastica Monastery, and views of Hardscrabble Country Club.
Leg #2: picks up at Hardscrabble and continues down Cliff Drive with beautiful homes and the valley and mountains to the south, makes an impressive climb to the St. Francis/Miletree neighborhood with incredible estates and views of the river and mountains to the north, drops down a significant hill onto Massard before picking up the Massard Trail.
Leg #3: highlights several miles of secluded wooded trails at Chaffee Crossing and Ben Geren Regional Park, a WWII-era ridgetop ampitheater, and the Ben Geren Golf Course.
Leg #4: takes you right past the end of the FS Regional Airport runway before making the final climb and ultimately a 5-mile gentle downhill cruise to the finish.
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Risky weather but awesome race
This is a very nice small race; fairly new. Cool medals and cool race shirts. For a newer race, Ft Smith offers the nicest volunteers you'll find anywhere. There was … MORE
This is a very nice small race; fairly new. Cool medals and cool race shirts. For a newer race, Ft Smith offers the nicest volunteers you’ll find anywhere. There was plenty of support on the course from volunteers to police directing traffic. The course was pretty interesting. It ran through town and the half marathon took is through their golf course. That reminded me of my days in high school cross country which I totally appreciated. The only thing I can mention to beware of is the uncertainty of weather this time of year. Last year they said it was 17 degrees with ice on the course. It was twice as warm this year (lol) but it rained the whole time. I appreciate the good challenge that comes through this tough course during a tough time of year. I’ll be racing this more in years to come.
Weather can be a killer
Expo was a packet pickup. The race is a small time race. We gathered together shivering in the cold for the start. No corals everyone picked their place to start … MORE
Expo was a packet pickup. The race is a small time race. We gathered together shivering in the cold for the start. No corals everyone picked their place to start both Half and Full. We saw nice neighborhoods and city streets and for a change up lots of hills. So very cold (wind chill 26) and hills… did I say it was a hard race for me. Well we got it done and there was food left to eat… and surprise I was second in my age group. I shouldn’t complain so much. This year I understand it was just as cold. Good luck on this one.
Friendly and Fun Challenge
I ran this as a hill-heavy prep for Boston, and feel much more confident about tackling Heartbreak Hill now! The course features a handful of tough climbs (including a looong … MORE
I ran this as a hill-heavy prep for Boston, and feel much more confident about tackling Heartbreak Hill now! The course features a handful of tough climbs (including a looong beast at mile 22…but after that it’s pretty much flat/downhill to the finish!). The aid stations were fantastic, the community was welcoming, and there was FREE PRE-RACE COFFEE. I had a great time.
Specifics:
The course was well-marked except the first mile or two, but there’s enough people running together that you can follow the leaders. Once you really start risking running alone, your path is marked by tons of cones. You are running in the road, and roads are not closed! There was the occasional car trying to drive in the runners’ lane, but I didn’t experience any real issues. Major intersections were staffed by police and volunteers.
The course is a big lollipop so you only retrace your steps for the last mile or two. The scenery varies from downtown to neighborhoods to parkland to a golf course – overall very nice.
There were no pacers for the marathon. Between that and the hills, runners need to keep pace/effort management in mind!
I carry my own race fuel, but the aid stations seemed well-stocked, well-staffed, and offered water/gatorade as well as food at at least a few.
The race is USATF certified, though my watch ended up reading over 0.2 mi long. GPS watches aren’t perfect, but this is a bit more than I’d usually call watch error. I suspect that the certification measurement was made without accounting for the fact that runners only run on one side of the road, so when making turns one direction, runners are forced into a wide turn. I’m betting when they measured the course, they measured as if runners used the whole road. I’m not positive on this, but it would account for the discrepancy.
Race communication was not the best I’ve seen; I’d recommend following the facebook page as that’s where most information was shared. There was ice the night before the race, and all the updates I’m aware of were only posted there.
Overall, the race was well-managed and enjoyable. It’s a five-hour drive from where I live, but I will seriously consider returning next year, so long as it’s not 70 outside!
Best rest stops i have seen
Lots of fun people along the way and very well organized. Pacers were accommodating and the shots at mile 20 sealed the deal. THe town had a lot of discounts … MORE
Lots of fun people along the way and very well organized. Pacers were accommodating and the shots at mile 20 sealed the deal. THe town had a lot of discounts going on for the running community and the law enforcement had a strong presents including horse mounted deputies in the park areas. I felt very safe the entire time.