Diana Lunsford's Staging Area

Ran this as part of the Grand Quad (5k and half at Grand Tetons followed a week later by the 5k and half in Yellowstone). Highly recommend. So much beauty to behold in that part of the world and loved the excuse to linger between races and enjoy the parks. VR puts on a great race. Very organized. Communicates well. Good bling. Good support. Responsible with the environment. Course clearly marked.
Between mile 7 and 8 we begin to hear runners yelling “bear”. Fortunately the grizzly was off the path! There are some challenging climbs in this race and lots of rocks. Most of the course was not very scenic but with all the rocks it wasn’t safe to look around much anyway. The start/finish has a gorgeous backdrop. You run just a bit in town before hitting the trail. We had cool temps to start which was nice. Altitude didn’t seem as bad as at Grand Teton race but you could still tell a difference once you started to climb.
Overall highly recommend.

This first Revel race and my first downhill marathon. Race production is top shelf. The course was well marked and well stocked. Finish line had plenty of options-food, hydration, clothing for sale, photo ops, results both, etc. Expo was small but friendly and well organized. Quality swag for participants and excellent communication prior to the race. Buses to the start were organized and easy to access. Plenty of potties at the start. Views are majestic and motivating/distracting. I signed up for coaching with Revel coach Paul. This is critical if you haven’t run a downhill marathon. His training plan is specific to the stresses of downhill running and his course insights are invaluable. He helped prepare me physically and mentally so that my race day was enjoyable with no surprises. Highly recommend the course and the coaching.

Well organized race; good communications; friendly community; 2018 was a cold race! Bus ride to start was easy to access; need more porta-potties at the full start line; well organized bag drop allows runners to stay warm before the race starts; scenic course didn’t feel like a downhill run so don’t stress that will might be hard on your knees. Shirts were good quality and only available to finishers; medals were nice; expo was small; blues and brews festival was a fun evening event

Bring your own hydration. Practice running solo. It’s a small marathon and you’ll cover several miles alone. Roads are open to traffic. Bring money. Food is for sale at finish line but not much is offered to runners for free. Enjoy a swim in the ocean after you cross the finish line. Best cool down ever!