“All gave some…some gave all.” We are free to run, thanks to the men and women who have defended this great country of ours. Join us for the all-charity Honoring our Heroes Marathon to raise funds for local veteran’s causes and to honor those who have served. Our course isn’t for sissies. It is beautiful, hilly, rural country, but our course is almost entirely paved. We have a free Pasta Party in Salem at packet pick up; our post-race party is legendary; we are small enough to provide personal attention to each runner, walker, sponsor, and volunteer. Plan to join us!
Experience fall in the Ozarks as you run, jog, or walk 26.2 miles of gently rolling hills in south central Missouri, in support of our military. The marathon will begin at the Commons Fairground in Salem and end at the beautiful Lions Club Park in Rolla. Most of the course will be along Highway 72; course is hilly, but almost entirely paved.
The marathon course time limit is seven hours.
TRANSPORTATION: Transportation will be provided to the full and half marathon participants to get to their starting points. Buses with Marathoners, Half Marathoners and Marathon Relay first runners will leave Lions Club Park at 7 AM SHARP!
START TIMES: All events will start at 8 AM. Event will be held rain or shine, and cancelled only in event of extreme weather conditions.
NUTRITION/HYDRATION: Water stations will be a minimum of every two miles along the route, offering water, Gatorade and varied fruit and carbohydrate snack options. Peanut Butter sandwich triangles and banana halves will be available at the marathon start.
WEATHER CONSIDERATIONS: November in Missouri: Average temperature for November 18th is 57 degrees. Perfect for running, but could be cooler! If so, we suggest either of the following:
Purchase warm layers at a thrift store. As you run, peel off the layers and discard along the route, out of the runner’s lane and not on the highway. We will collect them and donate them back to charity, from whence they came!
Drop Bag. At the marathon and half marathon start points, if we have your bag clearly marked with your name and phone number, we will have a volunteer deliver your drop bag to Lions Club Park. Please leave valuables locked in your vehicle or with your support team; although we will try to protect them to the best of our ability, in the end, we cannot be held responsible for loss.
LESS
Small race with a lot of heart
This definitely is a smaller event, but is so well put together. The communication beforehand is great, they offer a pasta dinner the night before, packet pick up morning of … MORE
This definitely is a smaller event, but is so well put together. The communication beforehand is great, they offer a pasta dinner the night before, packet pick up morning of and buses to the start line. There are plenty of aid stations with very enthusiastic volunteers. They really stick to the theme and have American flags throughout and do a great job at honoring our veterans.
Great small-town event!
This is a very well organized, small event (<100 marathoners). If you're looking to just check Missouri off your list or looking for a last minute race to jump into, … MORE
This is a very well organized, small event (<100 marathoners). If you're looking to just check Missouri off your list or looking for a last minute race to jump into, this is your race. It is also a memorial event for current and past veterans, which gives this race a personal feel. They do a fantastic job of communication, pre-race organization and transportation. This is a point to point and we were able to wait indoors after being dropped off. The course was very well marked with mile markers visible from a distance. Each aid station was well manned and stocked. The volunteers were plentiful and enthusiastic!! The course was challenging due to rural countryside and rolling hills but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The medal is first rate, the long sleeve t-shirt is nice. There weren't any overall or age group awards that I'm aware of but that doesn't bother me. I would recommend this event and would also participate again.
Rolling hills on a highway
This was my first half marathon, and perhaps it was good to be ignorant of the fact not all courses are this hilly. The event includes a pasta dinner with … MORE
This was my first half marathon, and perhaps it was good to be ignorant of the fact not all courses are this hilly.
The event includes a pasta dinner with the packet pickup on Friday and features guest speakers in keeping with the event’s name, honoring those who served in the military.
As for race morning, use the port-a-potties at the park because there are only two at the starting line for the half-marathon.
It’s a point-to-point race, so a bus takes runners to the half-marathon start, which is the middle of nowhere. The ride offers a preview of much of the course. They were still setting up gear check after we arrived. It was chilly, but everyone got off the bus for the 20 to 30 minutes before the race. I believe the bus had a bathroom that was available in addition to the two port-a-potties.
There is a pre-race ceremony. It was shorter than expected and I was in line for one last restroom visit when the countdown for the start began.
This is not chip-timed, there are no split times on the course.
It was a great day to run. The course has long rolling hills, but the good news is that the reward for the hills is the downhill runs that follow. Two of the three hills on the highway are in the first four miles; the one up to Fugitve Beach (mile 4) seems to be the biggest at about 150 feet. As a first-time runner of this distance, the first 10 miles running on the shoulder of a highway felt good. The last 5K, however, also is gradually uphill (more than 100 feet; I just saw the elevation map for this run for the first time recently). It is on a paved trail. Given the winter weather, part of the trail had some slippery patches to navigate.
This is definitely a challenging course (halfmarathons.net says 658 foot gain) but that makes other half marathons look manageable by comparison.
I was happy with my run.
The aid stations are abundant, well-spaced and provide good boosts. Runners can vote for the most enthusiastic. The stations are important because this is a point-to-point course that is very rural for the first nine miles, so a lot of running alone.
Nice shirts and finisher medals.
The post-race gathering also is done well, with food and massage services. Nice awards for age group winners (I think I was the only one in my group). The post-race gathering is indoors, which makes it very comfortable.
A lot of veterans run the race and the focus is on the military, which makes for a good atmosphere.
I would run this race again, keeping in mind to be prepared for the situation at the start and the course itself.