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☰
Casper Wyoming Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Casper Wyoming Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.8 
Spectators 3.4
Number of comments: 133 [displaying comments 71 to 81]
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P. V. from Central New York
(7/11/2008)
"Great Personalized Experience" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Casper Wyoming Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was by far the smallest marathon my wife and I have run, and by far the most personalized experience. From the moment we checked in, we were made to feel at home by the wonderful organizers and volunteers. It seemed that everything within their control was flawless - now if they can only get control of the wind! We should have noticed that the local running club was called "The Casper Windy City Striders" - the day certainly delivered on that! Even with the wind blowing away our goals, we still had a great time. The start being housed at the event center was fantastic, as was the finish line at the hotel. One tip - fly in to Denver and drive up to Casper (about 4 hours). The drive gives you a good glimpse of the vast openess of Wyoming. | |
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Fred Falcon from Utah
(6/12/2008)
"Very Well Done!" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Casper Wyoming Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon, so I don't have much experience to draw from, but it easily trumped the bigger Deseret News Marathon in Utah. The organization was excellent. The pasta dinner the night before was well worth the $12.00 I spent. Don't skip it. The course was relatively flat. The aid stations were well stocked by friendly volunteers. The orange slices near the end were Heaven-sent. Excellent tech shirt (Brooks black, long-sleeve) and the post food was satisfying. Not much spectator support, but honestly I don't run to have others cheer me on and consider those who complain about this aspect of marathons not true runners. Ninety percent of my training is done solo without any fan support; therefore, I don't need it. Overall, this is a GREAT marathon and will highly recommend it. | |
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Steve White from Slidell, LA
(6/11/2008)
"Small, windy, but well worth the value" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Casper Wyoming Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 For a small marathon, on its 6th anniversary, they did a great job. The start and finish are at the host hotel, the expo is simple (great shirt and pasta), there's plenty of water, PowerAde and GU on the course, each mile is well marked, every turn had a volunteer at it (plus the route had arrows on the ground), and the finish was filled with food, drinks and beer (I thought New Orleans only did this). The marathoners (full and relays teams) start together and the halfers are delayed 15 minutes. There are two good hills to contend with at mile 2+ and 15+/17. I appreciate all of the volunteers, policemen and organizers for all of their hard work in putting on a great marathon. Only negatives: Windy (not much you could do about it other than lower your head and dig through it) - at the start it was 15 mph, and about halfway through it kicked up to 20-25+ mph. The golf course is were everybody lost time. The finish line has numerous turns to it, so be prepared to do some 360's when crossing the bridge prior to the finish. | |
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D. M. from Mid West
(6/11/2008)
"A personalized runner's event." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Casper Wyoming Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Never had a marathon finish right at the hotel.... Can't beat that. This event is as close to perfect as you can get (assuming you do not require a lot of spectator support). It is very personalized and focused towards the runner. The start is a five-minute shuttle ride from the host hotel, and you can stay inside until 5 minutes before the gun. No-fuss pick-up of bib/shirt at the host hotel (great value) followed by an excellent pasta dinner. Course is varied and generally pretty. More paths than roads, much of it along the river. Many 50-state folks there as well. They even try to personalize your bib number to represent the number of marathons you've run! Wind was a factor (maybe just this year) but it was refreshing nonetheless. Plenty and varied food at the end. But the best thing about this event is the overall organization and runner-focused attitude of the folks involved. Awesome attention to detail. Well done and thank you. | |
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J. M. from Northville, Michigan
(6/10/2008)
"Excellent Event and Organization" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Casper Wyoming Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The Casper Marathon was one of the best organized and executed long-distance running events I have participated in. (I ran the half marathon.) For a small marathon, it was outstanding. Everything from the host hotel and pasta dinner to the finish line and post-race food was excellent. The spacious indoor facilities at the start were much appreciated (especially on a cool and windy morning). The "Run with the Herd" logo for the race had extra meaning as a group of pronghorns ran between runners shortly after the start. Much of the course was along a scenic asphalt bike path next to the Platte River. Fluid stations were frequent and staffed by enthusiastic volunteers. The shirts were high quality and the finisher medals and award winner fleece vests were extra special. The Casper Marathon was obviously an event put on by runners for runners. I highly recommend it. | |
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J. G. from Colorado
(6/10/2008)
"Casper, the Friendly Host!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Casper Wyoming Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Information about this race being a small, boutique marathon was right on the mark. I have yet to run in a mega-marathon, but this one, by far, had the fewest participants. Don't run Casper expecting it to be your number one summer destination, or if you expect applause by hundreds along the sidelines. It's relatively no-thrills in that regard. DO run this race, however, for its small-town hospitality, great-individualized attention, and superb organization. The Casper Marathon doesn't try to be something it isn't, and it doesn't make any false promises. It's kept simple, but it fully delivers. Plus, the pre- and post-race accommodations (as far as food and shelter) are the best I've seen. Transportation and the affordable host hotel were both very convenient. From talking with other participants, I got a sense that we were all a part of something special because of its limited size. People from all across the country, with different stories and different reasons, chose this small race - and I truly got a sense of camaraderie among the fellow-runners, more than ever before, because we were all in it together. Despite this race's size, it offers nice medals, face towels, great t-shirts, prizes, and again, good food. Other boutique runs I do yearly should take note of Casper - you don't have to offer big thrills to have a great event. The relief stations were well stocked with water, sport drink, energy gel, and friendly volunteers. The course itself stayed interesting, mostly following the Platte River, with a few neighborhoods and parks here and there. If I had to nitpick, or make any type of suggestions, here they are: 1. Perhaps one or two more water stops (maybe it just seemed like they were spaced out farther toward the end because I was getting tired!). 2. There's a college in town, and Casper is home to the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra - how about getting a little more of the community involved by having a band or choir or something at some point along the course just to offer a little more spirit? (I know I said above not to expect huge crowds, but I think a little more local flavor could easily be spun into this run.) 3. Don't order the fierce, tremendous wind! It had us all beat! Deny it entry! | |
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K. J. from Denver, CO
(6/10/2008)
"The folks in Casper know how to host a marathon" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A group of friends and I ran the 2008 Casper Marathon and were blown away with the experience. The organizers and volunteers thought of everything and could not have made this race more enjoyable. The weather conditions were far from ideal - it was a terribly windy day even by Casper standards, but at each aid station, the volunteers welcomed you, asked what they could do to help, and cheered you on with words of encouragement. Every aid station was stocked with anything a runner could ever need - Advil, food, Vaseline, etc. A few volunteers even took my trash so I didn't have to walk to the trash can! I have been to several races where you get to the aid station only to interrupt the volunteers' private party - but not in Casper! The finish line volunteers cheered for every runner - from the first one in to the last. Each volunteer came up to the runners/walkers and congratulated us. My compliments could go on forever. Casper lived up to every expectation from the great reviews it received. Another big plus was waiting at the start inside with food - these organizers are amazing! I will recommend this race to everyone. Thank you to all of the volunteers and organizers for a job well done! | |
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C. L. from Laramie, Wyoming
(6/10/2008)
"Perfect half-marathon experience!" (about: 2008)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the 2008 Casper Half-Marathon just this past Sunday. This was my second half-marathon. I have not yet run a full marathon. Two other people in the group that drove up from Laramie ran the marathon. After we had all showered and were back down by the finish line watching the last few people come in, drinking our last Cokes and eating some more pizza before heading out-of-town, we were discussing what we thought of the race. The group consensus was that we would not change a thing. We loved that there was a shuttle that brought racers to the start. It's only 1/2 a mile away, but it would have been one long, cold walk! And since the finish is at the host hotel, you would have had to walk back up to get your car. The course itself was very pretty, clean, well-organized, and well-marked. Aid stations had oranges, water, GU packs, PowerAde. There were quite a few people around to cheer you on. I'm sure there aren't as many people as if it was in a big city, but hey, this is Wyoming and I was impressed! The volunteers cheered as you ran by... that adds a big lift when the miles start feeling longer and longer. The energy was great. Upon finishing, you were immediately greeted with a medal and damp towel (to wipe off those nose crusties and sweat lines before family takes pictures!), and food was immediately available. Fresh raspberries! Kiwi fruit! Strawberries! Watermelon! The list goes on and on. They also had lots of pizza and subs, snacks... pretty much anything one could want. The combination of all of these little quality things put into one race adds up to an experience that I have been telling all of my runner friends about! Thank you, Casper Marathon volunteers! | |
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Bob Kroeger from Cincinnati
(6/10/2008)
"Windy but wonderful!!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Casper Wyoming Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Marathons organized by running clubs are usually excellent and Casper does not deviate from this rule. Of the 26 marathons I have run since 2005, Casper is in my top 5 - along with the Flying Pig, Akron, Pocatello, and Newport. For a relatively low entry fee, here's what you get: 1. Great pre-race pasta dinner ($12) 2. Brooks long-sleeved Axiom technical shirt with no sponsors on the back 3. GU on the course 4. Shuttle to the nearby start 5. Finish line at the host hotel (Ramada gave late checkouts!) 6. Nice spinner medal 7. Wash cloth at the finish line with marathon logo 8. A+ post-race food 9. Enthusiastic fans (you don't expect many in a small marathon) 10. Wonderfully helpful and friendly volunteers and plenty of them 11. Scenic course crossing the historic North Platte River nine times with views of antelopes and the 8,000 foot Casper Mountain. 12. Embroidered winter vests for age bracket prizes. I enjoyed the Fort Caspar museum and the Historic Trails National Park and thought about the wagon trains crossing the river as I ran the race. The wind we battled (15-30 mph) was nothing compared to the hardships our forefathers endured in their migration through these western lands. And, even though it was windy, the temperature (38 at the start, 53 at the finish) was perfect. To all those who made this race a fantastic experience, thank you and I hope to return someday. | |
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Dotty Maddock from Phoenix, AZ
(6/9/2008)
"OK, but once is enough..." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Casper Wyoming Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This is a good race to check off Wyoming in your 50 states quest, but I don't know why anyone would want to run it more than once. Bottom line, it's a long run on a "rolling" paved bike path (and some roads/sidewalks), with water/aid stations about every 2 miles. There were some little problems, like the sign for the porta-potty at about mile 14 pointed the wrong direction! There was a daunting wind that you had repeatedly to head into - especially the circle around the golf course at miles 22-23 reduced most of us to run-walking in places due to the headwind. I also understand that strong winds here are not unusual, so be prepared. There were some positives too, like letting us into the "events center" before the race start, where there were plenty of REAL bathrooms! However, on the course the porta-potties were few and far between. One thing to be aware of: you don't get your timing chip at the packet pickup. It's given out in the events center the morning of the race instead, and is a Velcro strap-on device that you wear on your ankle. Not a big deal, but I felt a little uneasy taking off for the starting line without a chip on. One last comment: be aware that there are only a few flights into and out of Casper. United decided to cancel my flight out (scheduled for 4:17 p.m.) and there were NO other flights out that day (Sunday). One man on the fight rented a car and drove to Denver! Others were able to work with Delta to get out to some locations, but I had no luck getting out to get back home to Phoenix. United did help with a voucher for hotel/meals for an extra night here, but be prepared you might want to plan on the possibility of getting stranded, since the Casper airport is so small and has so little traffic. |
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