Nov 17, 2024
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☰
Missoula Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Missoula Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 167 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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j. e. from Pennsylvania
(7/15/2017)
"HOT, well aided, organized" (about: 2017)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Pros: Jeff Galloway and his advice were priceless. Anyone who didn't attend his lecture the night prior definitely lost out on key advice. This is coming from someone who has done 70 marathons, proving there is always something to learn. The female cut shirts were nice. I thought the expo was adequate for the size of the race. The course was pretty and fairly flat. I was so pleased with all the hoses that were on the course. I felt like the locals really got behind this race. It was very organized. People complained about the swag, but I dont need all that. I loved the medals. Postrace food was terrific including the beer and wine. You could tell this was put on by runners. I thought the aid stations were plentiful. People commented on how they should provide pretzels etc. Seriously, bring your own then. It's a race, not an ultra or a cafe. The volunteers were terrific in the heat. Buses were organized. There were plenty of bathrooms prior to and on the course. Fireworks were a nice addition. I really cannot complain about anything that the RD could control. Ample emails were sent out. RD has no control over the heat and I think the decisions were smart on their part. They are responsible and maybe you wouldn't but some would actually sue if the outcome is death/hospitalization etc, so the RD has to consider the liability in the heat. I think it was handled well. Again, they warned you that the temps have been high in the past. If you don't want this as an issue then run in December somewhere. To me, the point to point made it go quickly, as there was no repeat of scenery etc. I am still glad that I carried a water bottle, gels and gummies, but thank you for having 3 gel stations on the course. That was perfect. I ran this for my 40th state and would recommend it to anyone whether they are a 50 stater or not. Another plus is that you are just a few hours from Glacier National Park. We took advantage of that and spent a day and a half in the park post race (I suggest starting in St Mary's East side and drive Going to the Sun Road, ending on the West side, then your drive back to Missoula is 2:20 instead of 4 hours). The park was amazing and a perfect finale to the weekend. Cons: The host hotel was super expensive. it was in a terrific location and walkable to everywhere but crazy expensive in my mind. A July marathon lends itself to unpredictable weather and that's what we encountered. Yes, it go warm, but I finished in plenty of time to really avoid the heat and took in the wealth of advice from Jeff Galloway and implemented each and every thing he suggested for this course in this heat and far than exceeded my expectations with my time and how I felt. I was so grateful for the 6 am start...earlier the better for me, especially in the heat. I am not a huge fan of the drawstring bag and would rather have the option of not getting it and receiving a few dollars off the entry fee (and giving out a clear bag for a drop bag if requested). | |
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K. K. from Clute, Texas
(7/15/2017)
"Beautiful, well organized race" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Race staff really catered to runners by starting race early for heat. Beautiful mountains during first 16-17 miles. Spectators had sprinklers pointing toward roads for us to cool off during last 8-9 miles. Relatively flat course. Point to point race-they bus you to start. Plenty of bathrooms and water stations all along course. Overall fabulous experience. I would definitely recommend this race!!! | |
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T. S. from Orland Park IL
(7/14/2017)
"This race is always a treat!" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Missoula Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Every time I step off the plane in Missoula the stress of big city life goes away....This race is my favorite..The people of Missoula are 1st class...The course is beautiful..The event organizers and volunteers are top notch!!! I enjoy the mountain backdrop, Crossing the rivers, The very supportive spectators with hoses and sprinklers cheers and kind words of encouragement...The finish line on the bridge is an awesome reward with spectators cheering you on...This race reminds me of what is all that is good about running!!!! | |
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w. c. from Kennesaw, GA
(7/14/2017)
"Beautiful Montana" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Ok, so there was a massive heat wave this year and toward the end of the race we could definitely feel it. The race directors did EVERYTHING they could to help us melting runners. The best part was the people who lived by the race course. There must have been 50 sprinklers set up by the people who live on the course....clearly set up to cool down the runners. That's something you just don't see very often. Nice job Missoula !!! | |
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I. A. from California
(7/14/2017)
"Go experience Missoula" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'll second the comments below about top-notch race management. I'd give the spectators 10 stars if I could for the support they offered on an exceedingly hot day. I would not have finished if not for the sprinklers, misters, super soakers, ice and other goodies provided by kind Missoulians and enthusiastic aid station volunteers. Spectators were sparse on the first half of the course, which was fairly unremarkable aside from seeing the sun rise over the mountains. The second half was outstanding, after getting closer to town. This is not a big race, but even as a back-of-the packer, I never felt lonely or neglected. | |
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D. G. from Cranston, RI
(7/13/2017)
"Great Montana Race" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race director and his staff certainly have everything dialed in for this race. What a great experience! Very good pre race communication keeping runners up to date and advised on any changes and/or questions. The expo takes place under an outdoor tent in Caras Park along the river, a wonderful setting. Right next door to the expo is a great farmer's market. Smooth and easy parking and bus transport to the start. The course is beautiful with really only one noticeable small hill. Fireworks count down the minutes to the start, a cannon shot signals the start, and more fireworks send the runners off. Put all of this together with the moon setting behind the mountains in the West and the sun rising behind the mountains in the East , and you have a marathon start that is hard to beat. Enthusiastic volunteers manned the water stops and enthusiastic spectators cheered everyone along. Excellent finisher's medal and race shirt top it all off. I was extremely impressed by the race officials concern for the well being of the runners. With hot temperatures forecasted for race day on top of a string of several 90-100 degree days, race officials took the situation very seriously. While the adjustments that were made did not really impact me, it was nice knowing that runner safety was of utmost importance. I'm sure that it is not always easy to make tough race decisions that could potentially have a negative response from some runners, but again, it was nice knowing that runner safety came first. Thanks to all of the race staff, volunteers, and apoplectic of Missoula for a great race and experience in Montana! | |
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T. H. from Golden, Colorado
(7/13/2017)
"Top-Notch" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I am pursuing my 50 states goal and I have wanted to run Missoula for a few years. This race was put together very well. The information shared on the website and after registering was perfect. The preparation for race day and the concerns about hot weather was very welcome. The race itself was a little warm but the preparation and the sprinklers along the course were awesome. I know the alterations made as a result of the weather concerns may upset other runners, I appreciate the concern and the adjustments last minute that were made for the safety of us runners. Thank you! The course was good, but considering the beauty of Missoula, it would appear there is room to improve the course and get some sections along the Clark's Fork river. | |
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S. P. from Whitefish, MT
(7/13/2017)
"good but light" (about: 2017)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course is flat, fast, beautiful with fun spectators. The schwag bag is a let down. Only a shirt and race program. Cool schwag bags always get remembered. Aid stations get very repetitive. Why not add some pretzels? Chips? Anything else? Spectators did this for runners, which is nice, but not their job. Just a suggestion. | |
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P. C. from TX
(7/13/2017)
"Run for the views not for the course" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Pros: Highly organized and truly the best aid stations I have ever had available on a race course. Who puts aid stations every mile for the last 10 or so? Montanans do. Be on the lookout for boisterous cowboys and cowgirls on horseback in random spots to cheer you on. And many, many spots, especially along the last 5K, Missoulanas had set up sprinklers to spray us and tied hoses to ladders to give us relief from the heat. Yes, the 'hill' definition for Missoula would qualify as a 'near mountain' in Texas but go in prepared, don't forget to stop halfway up that hill and get a picture of one of the absolute best scenes you will ever encounter on a course, then be careful going down to recapture that lost time. Post-race grub & libations - it's Montana, they love both and their hospitality showed. Cons: It's a small town and relatively small race, so don't look for major crowds or obnoxiously large expo. It is 100% street/highway and not insignificant amount of traffic using the opposite lane. Half-marathon joins at mile 16, so be aware you will do lots of passing of walkers. Last 10K is full of turns in neighborhoods. Suggestions: Consider doing a complete loop around that park where there were so many kids and families cheering us on but not if it means more hills! My strongest suggestion for improvement (and I may have missed it): COFFEE at the finish line, please!! If I missed it, better signage. :-) Overall: Put it on your list. Go early and prepare to have your breath taken away by the views so many times, you should probably have died. | |
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Wayne Wright from Palmdale, California USA
(8/20/2016)
"Magnificent Montana Marathon" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:17:28. The Missoula Marathon was my fortieth 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a great day for a marathon: weather conditions when the cannon went off at start time were 51 degrees, 92 percent relative humidity, overcast, and wind from the NE at 2 mph with gusts up to 6 mph. Supported by a large volley of fireworks, we departed our Frenchtown start line on Beckwith Street, heading east, which soon turned into Mullen Road, changing direction slightly to southeast on this generally flat road in this mostly rural area. At mile 9.5, we made a right turn on Kona Ranch Road, heading southwest, where we soon crossed over the Clark Fork River. At mile 10.9, we embarked on the ironically-named Big Flat Road, resuming our southeast direction, which gradually turned SSE. Ranchland slowly turned to pine forest at mile 12, and at mile 13.3, we commenced our 150-foot ascent up the three-quarter mile hill that comprised of the most difficult part of the course. At mile 14.3, we began our descent that led us to the merger with the half marathon course at mile 15.6 at River Pines Road. After crossing the Bitterroot River on the Maclay Bridge at mile 16.4, River Pines Road turned into North Avenue West, which began our rat-in-the-relatively-flat-maze trek to the finish line, covering no less than 26 streets and one bike path heading in six different directions over the final 10.6 miles. When we entered Missoula city limits for the final time at mile 20.5, marathoners were directed to the left side of the street, half marathoners to the right. Our finish was marked by crossing on the Higgins Avenue Bridge over the Clark Fork River into downtown Missoula. Weather conditions at finish time were 63 degrees, 72 percent relative humidity, clear, and wind from the SW at 5 mpha great time for a complementary beer furnished by sponsor Big Sky Brewing Company. ORGANIZATION: Impeccably organized: these people paid attention to the smallest detail. For example, for the mile walk from the downtown parking garage to the bus pick-up at the University of Montana, the organizers placed light sticks along the entire route to guide us. The fourteen e-mails sent to us throughout the year kept us well informed. Despite being course open to traffic, there was excellent course and traffic support provided by both volunteers and the local police department. We were constantly provided direction as to which side of the road to run on in order to avoid any collisions. What made this marathon extraordinary was the friendliness of the organizers and volunteers. Case in point: I was at one of the local breweries reviewing the course map while sampling one of their award-winning beers when, out of the blue, one of the volunteers, upon noticing my gaze at the map, offered to provide any advice or answer any question I might have had. It turned out he was the race director for the five kilometer event over the past number of years. This interaction is something one does not see often and was a welcome surprise. SPECTATORS: Given the first two-thirds of the course was in a rural area, most of the spectators were either equine or bovine, and neither seemed too impressed with our effort; when we arrived in town, there was sparse attendance on the course, but the enthusiasm of the attendees made up for the small numbers. Most notable was the tuxedo-clad grand pianist playing Chariots of Fire - Titles in his front yard near mile 16. (Was he a relation to the tuxedo-clad grand pianist at the Big Sur marathon halfway point?) Also of note: the mounted rancher who annually greeted the marathoners at the beginning of our ascent up the Big Flat Road hill. CONCLUSION: The most striking part of this marathon was the friendliness of the people living in Missoula, which made this scenic marathon an even more enjoyable experience. Well done, Missoula. |
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