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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 51 to 61]
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M. G. from Arizona
(7/14/2015)
"This race delivers on all levels..." (about: 2015)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Definitely a must-do. Was my 88th and was there to celebrate Jeff G's 200th - glad I came! Extraordinary scenery and easy course! Packet pick-up a breeze. Many pre-race activities including a beer run and 5K. EVERYONE is friendly and helpful - small town feel throughout. Well-organized buses to start with tons of portalets, last-minute items to help you, on-time start, well-marked course and mile markers. Update mats worked perfect. Great energy at the end. DJ knew what he was doing, loads of post-race food and places to sit. Easy drop bag pick-up. Metal is huge! Race priced very well, numerous and up-to-date posts on Facebook, emails, etc. Water stops manned with very friendly folks. Never alone on the course but never crowded. Pacers were spot-on. This race promised and OVER-delivered. They are excellent stewards of the sport. Airport close by, incredible scenery and things to do abound. Hotels had good rates and late checkout. Looking forward to returning soon. FANTASTIC job, Team Missoula! | |
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L. G. from Arizona
(7/13/2015)
"beautiful run around Missoula" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The race organizers did everything right for this marathon: excellent communications, the expo was fun and easy, shuttles to the start were plentiful and on time, so many porta-potties at the start I never waited in line longer than 10 minutes, a beautiful course, awesome pacers, water stops were perfect with really helpful volunteers, and a finish line that went smoothly. Plus the weather was perfect! There aren't a lot of specrtators, but the ones out there are friendly and helpful. We stayed at a hotel in town which meant we could walk everywhere and enjoy downtown Missoula. | |
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M. M. from Montana, USA
(11/7/2014)
"Fantastic organization" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the Missoula Marathon in 2014. I highly recommend this race. The volunteers were amazing, from the simple packet pickup, to the post race affairs. I actually forgot my timing chip, and didn't realize it until we were about to depart the bus for the starting line. I approached a volunteer, who immediately reissued me a new number and chip for my shoe. I would suggest arriving at the bus loading lot early, or walking to it- traffic was backed up on Missoula's streets, even at 4:30 am. Also this course is hot. The last 5-6 miles provide no shade, although residents are liberal with their hoses and lawn sprinklers. | |
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B. W. from Michigan
(11/5/2014)
"Pleasant experience" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Ran this marathon as part of my 50 state marathon trek. Did not have a good run, but it was due to my having an off day. The race was well organized, though I do not feel it lived up to the glowing reviews I have seen. Pros: 1. Very nice orange technical shirt and large finisher's medal. 2. Nice nylon sack provided for gear check 3. Very efficient busing to start of point to point course 4. Fireworks at start 5. Pacers for multiple paces 6. Frequent water stops - about every two miles 7. Flat course with only one significant hill Cons: 1. Expo was under tent in park and extremely crowded 2. First 15 miles of course through farmland. Remaining course was numerous turns on streets in poor condition. 3. Temperature was 59 at start and got close to 80 by finish. Limited shade on course. 4. Limited spectators on course. Ones that were there were vocal. 5. No signage indicating how to use bike path to get back to parking areas. Asked a few people but they were not able to provide clear directions. This was a well organized marathon, but the course did not live up to the hype. If this marathon gets any bigger, they will need to move the expo and packet pickup somewhere with more space. | |
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R. G. from Los Angeles, CA
(8/9/2014)
"A flawless Marathon experience!" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This has to be one of the most perfectly organized races I've ever participated in, from top to bottom. I literally can't think of one 'con' or complaint. The expo was modest, but carried all of essentials one could ever need prior to a race. Chip pick-up was a breeze, and the party atmosphere was in full swing. Transportation to the starting line was a breeze, and as others below have mentioned, we runners had everything we needed waiting for us: bag check -in, porta potties, food, and fireworks. The route is not to be underestimated as the hill at mile 13.5 is a doozy. For this fact alone, I would not characterize this marathon as a 'flat' course. Once in town, some of the streets are pretty torn up and you have to pay attention to your foot placement. What was so remarkable about this event were the people! The folks of Missoula sure know how to roll out the red carpet. While there might not be huge amounts of spectators, there were folks cheering us on, providing us with water, sprinklers, and kind words all along the route. The water stops were well manned, efficient, and well stocked. And again- the volunteers handing out the drinks were the best. There were race officials on bikes all during the race making sure we were all ok, and as many have already commented upon the finish line was thrilling. The after party was, like everything else, absolutely flawless. I had prepaid for my mini massage, so I grabbed my bag (a breeze!), grabbed some snacks, and visited with my fellow runners until it was my turn to lie on the table. I simply can't thank the race organizers and the people of Missoula enough for making this event one of the most wonderful race days I've ever had. You all are amazing, and I'm so grateful. | |
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Jackie Beyer from Eureka, MT
(7/29/2014)
"ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!" (about: 2014)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Missoula Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I just want to verify, I just ran the half marathon in both 2013 and 2014. This is the greatest race. The community is so supportive, it's organized well, the course is amazing! It's flat, shady, and beautiful. Starting out with music and fireworks all the way through it couldn't possibly be any better. Ending on the Higgins Avenue Bridge is a great finish! | |
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K. C. from Nashville, Tennessee
(7/27/2014)
"Great organization, runner-friendly race" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had read great things about this race, and it did not disappoint. We stayed at the Doubletree, so everything was within walking distancethe expo, the buses to the start and the restaurants downtown. I ran the full, and my wife and kids ran the half. The course was scenic, and the 6:00 a.m. start allowed for seeing the sunrise and the moon set over the mountains. It gets very bright, so I recommend sunglasses, even though I hate to wear them when I race. Even in the valley in the first few miles, I cannot remember running any section where you could not see at least one spectator out encouraging us on. Between that and tolerating the 5:45 fireworks, this is a community that supports runners. I ran with the 3:10 pace group, and I was the only one to start with them to survive to the finish, albeit a bit behind them at 3:10:08, which was good enough to win my age group. These guys were steady, to the point that they somehow did not even slow down to drink at water stops; they must have been part camel. I had to surge to catch up after every water stop. Also, despite being 6'1', I had to reach up for water or Gatorade; for some strange reason, the volunteers were holding the cups above their heads. These are the most negative things that I can say about the race organization. As for conditions and the course, don't minimize the capacity for dehydration. It was 59 degrees at the start, but it was in the 70's when I finished, and, although I was sweating, I wasn't drenched, which meant that a lot had evaporated as I ran. The elevation probably should not be underestimated either. I was pretty much on pace for my goal, but most others blew up going out too fast. The hill from mile 13 to 14 is not to be underestimated; it makes Heartbreak Hill look like a speed bump. Some of the roads back in town were in disrepair, but I imagine that will be fixed by next year. It was great finishing on the bridge. When they called out my name, the announcer remarked that my family had all finished the half earlier, which was immediately reassuring. Post-race, I have never had such an easy bag pick-up. A volunteer was literally waiting with my bag when I walked through the chute. Food was pretty good and digestible, and I particularly liked the frozen coconut pops. Medals were huge, and age group awards were wooden plaques with black lettering on a brass plate. The nice thing is they mail age group awards, so you don't have to hang around for an awards ceremony. We spent the next week at Glacier National Park, which is a 2.5 hour drive and is one of the most spectacular places on earth. This was a great vacation. | |
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k. l. from Seattle, WA
(7/23/2014)
"Well worrth your time!" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the Missoula Marathon on the 13th to mark off Montana from my 50 staes list. I have to say it was fantastic! I usually do a write up of pros and cons but since there are virtually no cons, I'll just do a run down: Expo: Easy to find, fast, mechandise to buy, virtual goodies emailed so no clutter to deal with. Bus pick up: I gotta say, catching the buses between 4:15-5:15AM was awfully early! BUT, the buses were easy to find, pentiful, ran like clockwork and everyone had a seat. Start Area: Copious porto-Potties!! Seriously, there was like a pottie for every runner almost! And 2-4 at each marked location during the race (not that I needed one during the race since the line went so fast for the ones at the start!) Course: Miles 1 ~10 were in a valley. The sun rising and moon setting was beautiful. That being said, by mile 3 I really wished I had brought headphones. It was so quiet! But that was just the quiet before the HILL. The HILL is ginormous and steep. I live in Seattle and trained on hills. But I did not train at 3000' on hills (Missoula's elevation). The cool thing is near the top of the hill is the iconic cowboy. Some dude in full cowboy gear cheering us on as has sat on his horse. He was so ccol everyone was taking a pic of him! Then there was the downhill. I've never had to take pain killers during a race, but this time, at mile 18, I did. The high elevation and the HILL destroyed my upper legs and I felt the same muscle fatigue I felt hiking Machu Pichu, so I'm pretty confident in saying it was altitude, even if it's not that high. Mile 20-26..almost every resident in the neighborhoods had water sprinklers out!! The locals were abundant and if they weren't out, they left their sprinklers on. It was in the high 70's by then and dry. I highly recommend wearing dry-fit socks and running through every sprinkler you see! I only gave the spectators 4 stars because it's not like a MEGA race where it starts late and is in a big city. So there are spots with no spectators. But the folks that are out get 5 stars, hands down!! To sum up: I took so many pictures and talked to so many people on this race that my time went up. Not a great race to PR, but a great race to just enjoy The Marathon!! | |
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C. S. from Minneapolis, MN
(7/18/2014)
"Stunning and oh-so-friendly" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Amazingly well executed event. Superb outdoor expo with lots of great merchandise and an extremely welcoming town. I have never been part of a more organized and seamless bus-boarding at race start. The point-to-point, mostly flat course featured wild panoramas through the first 16+ miles. For the last 10K or more through the neighborhoods of Missoula there was not a single block that didn't have at least one sprinkler and cheering spectator. The aid stations were frequent, well-organized, consistently laid out, and fully stocked. I ran with the 4-hr pacer who was right on and also offered a guided tour of the sites as we ran. The medal is really cool, shaped like a horseshoe, and the heaviest medal I have. The 6am start is wise because it did get really hot after 9. Missoula is a great place and this is a stellar race, I highly recommend it! | |
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J. W. from Berkshire County
(7/15/2014)
"Down to a science!" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I gave the course four stars only because the endsay, the last 5 milesare zigs and zags through the neighborhoods of Missoula. This comes as the tiniest drawback after the first 16 miles, which unfold like a long stretch of a dream through a valley at dawn. Overall it was incredibly beautiful and peaceful. This almost completely flat point-to-point race is very well organized, with buses to the race start located on the college campus. I sometimes have a lot of neurotic questions about where and when I'm supposed to be before a race and the website was very helpful;there were a lot of easy-to-read maps. Also, the race director was very helpful when I reached out to him via email with more questions. The night before the race he emailed me right back within the hour, which I really appreciated. Volunteers and spectators were enthusiastic; the day was warm and there was plenty of ice; the finish on the Higgins Ave bridge was a rush, the festival after had great food...someone in the timing tent gave me a printout sticker with all eight 5K splits just minutes after I finished. This race is a keeper; don't miss it. You'll love Missoulait's a funky and friendly town. Actually, you know what? Forget the four stars because of the zigzags at the end. Five stars all around. |
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