My husband and I were on vacation and had found this race online and planned on doing it on the way home. Pros: supports a great cause, fun downhill to … MORE
My husband and I were on vacation and had found this race online and planned on doing it on the way home. Pros: supports a great cause, fun downhill to begin the race. Cons: poorly managed. There was confusion as to where the actual starting line was. The course was changed at the last minute because they realized it was too short. Roads were not closed. It was bizarre and dangerous running with traffic, at times no sidewalks. Plastic medals at the end. A few pretty stretches, but mostly MEH.
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Good cause, but underwhelming
My husband and I were on vacation and had found this race online and planned on doing it on the way home. Pros: supports a great cause, fun downhill to … MORE
My husband and I were on vacation and had found this race online and planned on doing it on the way home. Pros: supports a great cause, fun downhill to begin the race. Cons: poorly managed. There was confusion as to where the actual starting line was. The course was changed at the last minute because they realized it was too short. Roads were not closed. It was bizarre and dangerous running with traffic, at times no sidewalks. Plastic medals at the end. A few pretty stretches, but mostly MEH.
Well run event
I highly recommend this race if you're looking for an event in Idaho. They have a Full, Half, 5k and Kid's Fun Run. I reached out to ask a question … MORE
I highly recommend this race if you’re looking for an event in Idaho. They have a Full, Half, 5k and Kid’s Fun Run.
I reached out to ask a question and received a response quickly. I also felt my plane may be delayed causing me to miss packet pick up. They answered again right away and told me I could pick up race morning if I were delayed. (They did not have a race morning pick up.)
For both the Full and Half they bus you to the start and you run to the finish. There was plenty of parking at the finish and plenty of buses. The mountain start was beautiful at sunrise. The course is challenging if you are not acclimated to the altitude and/or running down mountains. The Half consists of a roughly 5 mile steep decline start. Be prepared! I felt like I trained but apparently not enough. I was being cautious on the steep downhill but I paid for that decline around mile 9. Massage Envy was out there to help relieve some of that pain you may have picked up along the course.
Plenty of aid stations. Race swag was great & definitely runner friendly. Tech shirt was a decent quality (I haven’t run in it yet so I can’t report on wicking ability or if it will be one I wear a lot.) They also gave a sling bag and a Nathan’s handheld water bottle.
Post race pancake breakfast and Rita’s Ice (plus lots of other food; fruit, cakes, cookies) was the BEST! Oh and the registration was extremely reasonable.
Nice small marathon
-It was 93 degrees the day I ran here, so it can get hot -Had a nice long uphill, not steep, but long -Well stacked aid stations at appropriate intervals … MORE
-It was 93 degrees the day I ran here, so it can get hot
-Had a nice long uphill, not steep, but long
-Well stacked aid stations at appropriate intervals
-Overall, an average run, if you need to cross Idaho off of the list and it fits the schedule, this race is as good as any
It's not as easy as it looks...
We bundled the Idaho Falls M.A.D. Half Marathon into a summer vacation that included Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and Salt Lake City. For anyone vacationing in the area, if you … MORE
We bundled the Idaho Falls M.A.D. Half Marathon into a summer vacation that included Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and Salt Lake City. For anyone vacationing in the area, if you fly into Salt Lake City, Idaho Falls is a perfect stopover on the way to the Parks. With that being said, know this. The Idaho Falls M.A.D. Half Marathon course drops 1400 feet in elevation during the first five miles. As a result, the first five miles of the race were both scenic and easy to run. Once runners were out of the foothills, they were running through flat, suburban Idaho Falls. Mentally, this was hard. After five miles of descent, flat road felt like an uphill for the next 8 miles. Additionally, running through the suburbs for the next 8 miles wasn’t quite as picturesque as running the foothills. If you run this race, be aware of the effect it will have on you mentally and physically. Though our brains recovered once we crossed the finish line, we had to revise some of our vacation itinerary simply because our legs were not capable of walking us downhill or down stairs (or even up and down curbs for that matter) for two days following this race.
Something else to consider about the Idaho Falls M.A.D Half Marathon: Because this course is point to point, you will be boarding a shuttle that takes you to the top of one of the Idaho foothills. At the top of that foothill, for the 2015 race, there were only four port-o-lets. Though the race consisted of a modest 300 runners, 300 runners sharing four portable toilets made for some long lines. Our recommendation: if you know you will need to use one of the aforementioned port-o-lets, arrive at the shuttle stop early so you can board the first bus and be first in line to use the restroom.
With all that being said, if we could do this race all over again…we would; we would just come into the event better prepared. We’d make an effort to do more hill training and arrive early at the shuttle, ensuring we could enjoy the excellent post-race party at the Idaho Falls M.A.D Half Marathon.
For even more detailed information about this event, visit http://www.serialrunner.com/half-marathon-race-recaps/idaho-falls-mad-half-marathon. There you will find recommendations for accommodations, places to eat, information about packet pickup and the post-race party, and pictures of it all.
Be prepared for a downhill challenge!
For more details about race shirts, finisher medals, post-race party, accommodations, places to eat, and photos of it all visit http://www.serialrunner.com/half-marathon-race-recaps. MORE
For more details about race shirts, finisher medals, post-race party, accommodations, places to eat, and photos of it all visit http://www.serialrunner.com/half-marathon-race-recaps.
Point-to-point, steep downhill
This race starts by a wind farm up above the sleepy town of Idaho Falls. From there the first five miles are a pretty steep descent. If you're not trained … MORE
This race starts by a wind farm up above the sleepy town of Idaho Falls. From there the first five miles are a pretty steep descent. If you’re not trained for downhills, this is the kind that can really stomp your quads. The views during this portion are fine, but once you get into town, you’re running through strip malls and forgettable terrain before finishing in a nice community park. The medal was forgettable but they did have Jimmy John’s at the finish.