I chose to run this race for my Washington state half marathon. (Trying to run a half in every state as a personal goal.) The course was very pretty, but … MORE
I chose to run this race for my Washington state half marathon. (Trying to run a half in every state as a personal goal.) The course was very pretty, but be aware you will run on varied terrain. Course directors were accessible at the bib (not really a packet…) pick-up. They give you your shirt after you finish. Deejay in the morning was a very pleasant fellow to listen to as you waited for the start. (It was 39 degrees, so bring layers.) Many participants drove to the race start, something I thought they didn’t really want people to do. We rode the shuttles from the middle school. Walked from our hotel to the shuttle pick-up; good to walk out our legs after the race. There was just the right amount of well-stocked aid stations staffed with various members of the community volunteering. Everyone was super-nice and encouraging along the way. The participants seemed to be a mostly young-ish group (20’s, 30’s), but exuded very good energy and positive vibes. This 60-something woman had a blast running with them. Plentiful snacks and hydration at the finish. As the two races (full & half) fall in the first weekend of Leavenworth’s signature Oktoberfest celebrations, it would have been nice for the town to have included these events in their extensive Oktoberfest brochure and to perhaps acknowledge the runners (say a banner when you arrive in town – “Welcome Marathon & Half Marathon Runners,” or something like that). Also, the Oktoberfest logo/graphic that the town uses would look great on the race T-shirts. Tie the two events together a little more. Overall, we had a fantastic weekend in Leavenworth and will definitely be back!
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Scenic & Well-Organized
I chose to run this race for my Washington state half marathon. (Trying to run a half in every state as a personal goal.) The course was very pretty, but … MORE
I chose to run this race for my Washington state half marathon. (Trying to run a half in every state as a personal goal.) The course was very pretty, but be aware you will run on varied terrain. Course directors were accessible at the bib (not really a packet…) pick-up. They give you your shirt after you finish. Deejay in the morning was a very pleasant fellow to listen to as you waited for the start. (It was 39 degrees, so bring layers.) Many participants drove to the race start, something I thought they didn’t really want people to do. We rode the shuttles from the middle school. Walked from our hotel to the shuttle pick-up; good to walk out our legs after the race. There was just the right amount of well-stocked aid stations staffed with various members of the community volunteering. Everyone was super-nice and encouraging along the way. The participants seemed to be a mostly young-ish group (20’s, 30’s), but exuded very good energy and positive vibes. This 60-something woman had a blast running with them. Plentiful snacks and hydration at the finish. As the two races (full & half) fall in the first weekend of Leavenworth’s signature Oktoberfest celebrations, it would have been nice for the town to have included these events in their extensive Oktoberfest brochure and to perhaps acknowledge the runners (say a banner when you arrive in town – “Welcome Marathon & Half Marathon Runners,” or something like that). Also, the Oktoberfest logo/graphic that the town uses would look great on the race T-shirts. Tie the two events together a little more. Overall, we had a fantastic weekend in Leavenworth and will definitely be back!
Leavenworth Half
The route was well marked with plenty of aid station. But it was a screwing route the last 3 miles was on rutted sandy road. With that said I have … MORE
The route was well marked with plenty of aid station. But it was a screwing route the last 3 miles was on rutted sandy road. With that said I have run worse
Good for PR/ PB
On the bus ride from the finish to the start line, I over heard others saying people used this race to BQ since the first 10 miles is downhill. The … MORE
On the bus ride from the finish to the start line, I over heard others saying people used this race to BQ since the first 10 miles is downhill. The one complaint I had was running back into town you are joining the half marathon from the back and have to run around all the walkers, who sometimes were 4-5 people wide ( friends/ groups walking together). I felt like the game frogger 🐸
Beautiful views and fun location
This race is held the first weekend of Leavenworth's Oktoberfest festival, which is a fun time. This was my first marathon after completing the half marathon in 2014. You park … MORE
This race is held the first weekend of Leavenworth’s Oktoberfest festival, which is a fun time.
This was my first marathon after completing the half marathon in 2014. You park (or get dropped off) at the finish line and then take a shuttle up to the start. The start had enough port-a-pots for people, and you had enough time to use them but not so much time you froze to death before the start. There were under 400 marathoners in 2015, so the start isn’t too crowded.
The first 10 miles are downhill, which, coming from a super flat area in Eastern Washington, I wasn’t trained for. So my quads and glutes got tired sooner than normal. There is a difficult segment where you run in soft dirt (twice, because you go over that area right before halfway and then again right before the finish), and a couple inclines that are annoying but not horrible. The halfway point goes right through the finish line, and then you run the half marathon loop, so be prepared for that mental torture of running right past your car and having 13.1 miles left to run. Fortunately, the second half isn’t too hilly.
The volunteers are great and the marathoners even got two “babysitters” (as I like to call them) on bikes who were carrying Gatorade, gummy bears, and overall making sure the marathoners had what they needed. There is quite a bit of race support from locals as well as Oktoberfest visitors. I did get a little miffed by one volunteer. Around mile 17 I asked my significant other to bring me a water bottle because I was out of water and the next aid station wasn’t for a while and I was getting pretty dehydrated. I was in the back of the pack, the winner had already won I am sure, so a little extra water was not going to give me some advantage over other runners. However, a volunteer spotted my boyfriend about to give me a water bottle and yelled, “Hey, that’s cheating!” so I declined the water and went on my way. Probably just a one-off incident but still bothered me.
The medals are awesome, although I’m not sure they change year to year. It is a big chunk of metal that acts as a bottle opener. The shirts are nothing to write home about and in fact I don’t even have mine anymore.
My *only* complaint (and it’s a small one) is that they don’t have a post-race beer. How can you have an Oktoberfest marathon and not give away beer to the finishers?! Oh well, there is tons of beer in town at the festival to partake in. Overall, it’s a nice race and I recommend it for the views and to experience Leavenworth.
Gorgeous mountain town, nice little race
The first 10 miles of this marathon are all downhill, which can make the latter 16.2 a little harder than you expect. It will also hit your quads a little … MORE
The first 10 miles of this marathon are all downhill, which can make the latter 16.2 a little harder than you expect. It will also hit your quads a little more than you want, so be prepared for it to feel more challenging. That said, the Icicle Creek Canyon is a beautiful place to start and Leavenworth is a charming, secluded mountain town. At times you feel like you’re getting all of the mountain-running action without having to deal with the thin air. The surrounding area is equally beautiful, which makes this race a nice perk for a fun getaway. I also wear the t-shirt around quite often, and the hunky medal doubles as a bottle opener.