No expo but they did have a pasta dinner the night before the race. We stayed on the property which rooms were very nice (with access to a community kitchen … MORE
No expo but they did have a pasta dinner the night before the race. We stayed on the property which rooms were very nice (with access to a community kitchen area and to the lake, including kayaks and SUP – no xtra charge). The volunteers and race director was extremely friendly! Communication was great! The race was on mainly dirt roads starting before daybreak due to the extreme temperatures. Medals were okay, but tshirts were nice wicking! Price of race was really good! And, they had a pork chop dinner after the marathon which was awesome! Just the overall feel of this small race makes me want to run it again and again!
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Awesome!
No expo but they did have a pasta dinner the night before the race. We stayed on the property which rooms were very nice (with access to a community kitchen … MORE
No expo but they did have a pasta dinner the night before the race. We stayed on the property which rooms were very nice (with access to a community kitchen area and to the lake, including kayaks and SUP – no xtra charge). The volunteers and race director was extremely friendly! Communication was great! The race was on mainly dirt roads starting before daybreak due to the extreme temperatures. Medals were okay, but tshirts were nice wicking! Price of race was really good! And, they had a pork chop dinner after the marathon which was awesome! Just the overall feel of this small race makes me want to run it again and again!
Rural America at its finest
Upon arrival at the Swan Lake Christian Camp, the site of the start of the Swan Lake Marathon, I was met with a cacophony of sounds of song birds. This … MORE
Upon arrival at the Swan Lake Christian Camp, the site of the start of the Swan Lake Marathon, I was met with a cacophony of sounds of song birds. This is one marathon where you don’t want to wear earbuds. First of all, you want to hear the sounds of the farms and nature, and also for safety as the course is open to vehicle travel, although traffic is very light on a Sunday in this rural area. About half of the course was paved roads and the other half dirt and gravel. Due to the gravel roads, I would recommend wearing a pair of gaiters to keep the dirt and gravel out of your shoes. I didn’t bring mine, but I wished that I had as the dirt mixed with the Trail Toes lube I put on my feet to make an abrasive mixture. The course starts out going around three sides of Swan Lake, and then goes south to the small town of Viborg, turns west for a couple of miles, and then heads back north to the camp for a total of 13.1 miles, so the marathon course this year repeated the loop twice. The scenery is typical southeastern South Dakota with fields of corn, soybeans, Swan Lake, and scattered farmsteads. If you like running in front of big crowds, this race is not for you. There were plenty of volunteers at the aid stations which were spaced about every 2 miles, but not many other spectators. After I finished the first loop and the half marathon runners headed across the finish line, I found myself alone despite being able to see almost a mile in all directions. I thought I could see another runner about a half a mile ahead of me during the last 5 miles, but I might have just imagined it. If you like small marathons and a chance to get a podium age group award, this is a good one to do. The camp does have air conditioned cabins that are available for runners to rent, and the camp staff served runners a delicious lunch after the race consisting of pork loin sandwiches, cheese potatoes, mixed fruit and berry salad, and cookie bars for a free will donation to the camp.