Race expo was bigger than I expected for a smaller race and packet pickup went smoothly. Indoor start and finish was nice because of rain at the start, but of … MORE
Race expo was bigger than I expected for a smaller race and packet pickup went smoothly. Indoor start and finish was nice because of rain at the start, but of course this brings with it GPS issues. Post race food was good (BBQ sandwiches and fudgesicles) and they didn’t seem to be in any danger of running out. Course was a mix of streets and paved bike path most of which was fairly flat with only a few bigger climbs. Swag was not all that impressive. Race shirt was a fairly plain, lightweight cotton hoodie and the medal was kind of small by today’s standards. There were less than 300 marathon finishers, which made the end of the race kind of lonely while running on the river levees. Overall I think it was a decent race, but not an outstanding race. I would recommend it to others, given that there are not a lot options for South Dakota and it is in fact the largest in the state.
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A good choice for South Dakota
Race expo was bigger than I expected for a smaller race and packet pickup went smoothly. Indoor start and finish was nice because of rain at the start, but of … MORE
Race expo was bigger than I expected for a smaller race and packet pickup went smoothly. Indoor start and finish was nice because of rain at the start, but of course this brings with it GPS issues. Post race food was good (BBQ sandwiches and fudgesicles) and they didn’t seem to be in any danger of running out. Course was a mix of streets and paved bike path most of which was fairly flat with only a few bigger climbs. Swag was not all that impressive. Race shirt was a fairly plain, lightweight cotton hoodie and the medal was kind of small by today’s standards. There were less than 300 marathon finishers, which made the end of the race kind of lonely while running on the river levees. Overall I think it was a decent race, but not an outstanding race. I would recommend it to others, given that there are not a lot options for South Dakota and it is in fact the largest in the state.
Well-organized small marathon
The Sioux Falls Marathon is an outstanding small marathon that feels like a medium-sized marathon. The expo is small, but well-stocked by competing running stores to sell you all the … MORE
The Sioux Falls Marathon is an outstanding small marathon that feels like a medium-sized marathon. The expo is small, but well-stocked by competing running stores to sell you all the last minute running gear that you forgot at home. The race starts and ends inside a modern arena, so you are completely sheltered and comfortable before and after the race. The course is scenic and gently rolling with miles 15-25 on trails along the river. (If I had a complaint about the course, I’d say that it had a few too many turns.) Aid stations were plentiful and well-stocked with water and sports drink, and three stations offered Gu sport gels. Volunteers were plentiful and enthusiastic despite the pouring rain for the first half hour and rainy conditions all day. (If I had a second complaint about the race, it would be that the mile markers could best have been taken as approximations.)
Hillllssss
Disclaimer: ND is wicked flat, and to get hills, I run over the overpasses on the interstate. That being said, I’m not sure how the race director did it, but … MORE
Disclaimer: ND is wicked flat, and to get hills, I run over the overpasses on the interstate.
That being said, I’m not sure how the race director did it, but he managed to have the wind in our face for every hill. That’s some major skill! 😉
The packet pickup was really quick, and the vendors there were really nice. I had a hard time navigating the Sanford center to find the bag drop, there were only signs from the main enterance, but I managed to find it before the gun went off.
The course was really pretty. Google Falls Park. It’s beautiful. The paths were nice and tree lined. The weather was cooler and perfect for me running. I did cramp a little today, but I didn’t get much stretching in so I was a little tight all race.
Scenic course in Sioux Falls
The course starts indoors, so signal may not be accurate right of the bat, but it's a fairly flat course with a few minor hills. Crowd support is nice and … MORE
The course starts indoors, so signal may not be accurate right of the bat, but it’s a fairly flat course with a few minor hills. Crowd support is nice and there’s just enough water and aid stations on the course. Swag comes with a nice long sleeve shirt and medal is pretty good as well.
Excellent, but windy, run
Overall Rating: Very good. Nice run through the falls and historic parts of the city. Course Difficulty: A little challenging with the wind, but overall not bad. This was my … MORE
Overall Rating: Very good. Nice run through the falls and historic parts of the city.
Course Difficulty: A little challenging with the wind, but overall not bad. This was my second run of the week and I was trying for 5 hrs. Missing it by only 58 seconds should give some insight to the course difficulty.
Course Scenery: Nice sunny day running a loop around town. Got a little boring on the levee, but not terrible.
Race Production: Excellent. Nice expo, plenty of parking, easy packet pickup.
Race Swag: Excellent custom medal and 1/4 zip pullover
My Performance: Hit exactly the time I wanted so good.
Second run in a four run week. Happy with the finish.
Third time was not a charm
This was the third time that I've run the Sioux Falls Marathon, but did not have too high of expectations for my performance. I had just come off of my … MORE
This was the third time that I’ve run the Sioux Falls Marathon, but did not have too high of expectations for my performance. I had just come off of my first hundred mile finish the weekend before, so just wanted to take it slow and easy, which I did. Everything went well right up until the last two miles. The weather wasn’t too hot, with a nice tailwind on the home stretch along the Big Sioux River, and I enjoyed chatting with a fellow runner for the first 21 miles or so. There was some lightning and light rain before the start, so the start was delayed 15 minutes. When I turned north to return back to the Sanford Premier center, most of the course markings disappeared. I saw one arrow on the right hand side of a median between the sidewalk I was on and a frontage road, so I continued straight ahead. I thought that the course turned south to return to the start, but I never saw another arrow or sign. After going quite a ways north of the Premier center, I saw one of the pacers who finished earlier and told him I was lost. He said to head back the way I came, and so I did. I eventually found my way into the entrance to the Premier center where we started, and finished with just 10 minutes to spare with the 6.5 hour time limit. After I finished, I discovered that there was plenty of Gatoraid, pallets of it, but no food and no beer. Apparently, the half marathon finishers cleaned up the post-race refreshments. I found out later that the reason that there were no course markings for the last 1.5 miles was that the local police removed the cones that marked the course before the course was suppose to close. I assume that this was because they weren’t informed that there was a late start, so they opened up the streets according to the original schedule. I let the race director know how disappointed in the situation, and she told me that she would share my concerns so that it wouldn’t happened again. I am going to be sure to ask questions before signing up again. Don’t get me wrong; I think it is a nice marathon, but it was ruined for me because of the events that transpired near the end of the race. On the bright side, the medal was a lot nice with more detail than I’ve seen in year’s past, although it was smaller compared to some.
Well organized, beautiful scenery
This was my first run literally after fracturing my foot 6 weeks ago so my performance was lacking as I had to listen to doctors orders about slowing my pace … MORE
This was my first run literally after fracturing my foot 6 weeks ago so my performance was lacking as I had to listen to doctors orders about slowing my pace and taking walk breaks.
Packet pick up and the morning was a bit confusing trying to figure out where to go. The race was much larger than what I thought!
Unbelievable to start in the stadium and loop through downtown and all the parks in Sioux Falls. There are some hills on the course-seemed they were all uphill with no downhill on the backside. The parks make you want to slow down and admire their beauty.
Swag was the average though you do receive a quarter zip long sleeve shirt versus the traditional shirt. You do get a bag filled with coupons but not being from South Dakota-they were not of use to me.
There were tons of people on the race course cheering you on. Finishing at the stadium you are given a beef sandwich, chocolate milk, gatorades etc-tons of food and beverages.
Overall, really great race-highly recommend it!!!
Start and Finish Indoors
Beautiful scenery along the river, basically flat Good support from residents and volunteers on course nice college town with good restaurants and hotels MORE
Beautiful scenery along the river, basically flat
Good support from residents and volunteers on course
nice college town with good restaurants and hotels
Well thought out course
This was the second time that I've run this race, and the organization and course was much better than the first time. This year's version featured a single large loop … MORE
This was the second time that I’ve run this race, and the organization and course was much better than the first time. This year’s version featured a single large loop mainly on the meandering bike trails along the parks of Sioux Falls and the Big Sioux River. I particularly enjoyed the detour through beautiful waterfalls of Falls Park. Towards the end of the course, the bike trails passed the portion of the Great Plains Zoo where the Bison were resting in their pen, and I saw a bald eagle flying overhead near one of the last rest stations. The aid stations were located as expected and the volunteers were friendly and helpful. This marathon has improved a lot since it first began.