Course marshals and aid stations were top notch. The course was well marked; there was not a single place on this course where I was confused about where to go. Course was a true rolling course; no big hills, but plenty of medium and small ones!

Some of the improvement opportunities appear to have been addressed from last year. This year, there was PowerAde on the course and there were medics at the finish. Keep in mind that you're running a local race and the directors don't have big-money sponsors to give you fancy things like custom medals, technical shirts, etc. This is what a $35 registration fee gets you!

This is a very small field; approx. 120 runners, and very few spectators, so you have to find your motivation in the fact that you enjoy running (what a concept). Field was composed mostly of Iowa locals and 50-staters.

Okoboji is a beautiful place and I wish I made a longer weekend of it. Who would have thought you could have a summer getaway in NW Iowa?? (Not this guy from New Jersey.)

Run this race if:
- You like small fields and rural courses.
- You are comfortable running in high 70's to low 80's weather.
- You need to check Iowa off of your 50-states list.

Do NOT run this race if:
- You need spectators or bands to motivate you.
- You want a fancy finisher's medal. (This was the equivalent of a smooshed penny on a ribbon, and it was a generic medal that had nothing to do with the course)
- You don't like running in heat or on rolling courses.
- You expect a technical running shirt for signing up.

I enjoyed Okoboji as it is a very beautiful town, with very friendly people. Not a lot of spectators. Some lady was chasing her dog without a leash, and asked me to hold the dog so she could get it.... Maybe some people don't know I was running it? Great view of the lake and beautiful weather make it a nice course to run!

This was my first marathon, and i had planned ahead for the heat and the lack of water and gatorade stations. I had my mom, dad, and girlfriend sation about every 2 miles. Being 275 pounds, i had to plan for about 13 hydration points. It went great for me. I finished, which was my goal, and i thought the course was great. It allowed me to station my family whereever i wanted. The fact that there were only 70 marathoners was great because in training i had gotten used to running alone. It was extremly hot by the end of the race, but the course was awesome, it had minimal hills, and nice scenery. It was great for a first timer, who was well prepared for the heat and lack of support. Big thanks to my parents and girlfriend!

I ran this expecting it to be very minimal for support and such.

Actually it is a very pleasant run. Lake Okiboji is beautiful; the homes around are way nicer than my neighborhood.

The rural setting with running on the highway didn't bother me, being from Montana. Our Governor's Cup runs that way, and is the biggest race in the state.

I am not a competitive runner; I'm just a jogger, so this was an excellent choice for me.

You get what you pay for! Price was great, NO extras. Finisher's medals not at the finsh line, but a great price. Great price, but no Gatorade or PowerAde. Nice shirt, but not a wicking one. Parts of the course were nice, but the highway parts sucked.... Lots of cornfields. Would I do it again?... Only in Iowa.

I enjoyed the experience. I am a 59 year-old clydesdale runner. In cool weather, I usually run just under 4 hours. Okoboji was my 12th marathon in the last 11 months. I needed a July marathon to keep my string going.

The marathon course travels around Lake Okoboji, in northwest Iowa. The distance around the lake is approximately 21 miles. The last 5 miles of the marathon is the same as the first 5 miles. The marathon started at 0600 about 5 miles north of the finish line. At 0700, a triathlon started, with a half-mile swim, near the start point of the marathon. At 0800, a half marathon started 13 miles from the marathon start line. At 0900, a 10K started 20 miles from the marathon start line. Being a 4-hour marathon runner, I came to the 13-mile point just as the half marathon was starting. I ran with the "middle-to-back-of-the-pack" half marathon folks to the 20-mile point and just missed the start of the 10K race. The triathlon folks had been passing me on bicycles for a while. I ran the last 6.2 miles of the marathon with the "back-of-the-pack" half marathoners, triathletes, and 10K runners. My point is this: the farther I got into the marathon, the more runners I had to run with. I was never alone on the course.

I carried three gels and a 12-ounce water bottle, filled with Gatorade. Due to the July 15th temperature, I intentionally started slower and maintained a slower pace than I normally would run. I finished with a 4:17.

I thought the organization was excellent. The water stations were more than adequate. The support staff and volunteers were great. The shirt and medal were also an excellent value for the $35.00 entry fee.

I thought Okoboji, IA was a very cool place. The University of Okoboji may be the best-kept secret in America. I am very proud to now be an alumnus of the U of O.

I would do it again. For those who may be skeptical from reading the complaints from previous years, just keep the following in mind: it is a marathon, it is in Iowa, it occurs in the middle of July and there is no sports drink furnished on the course.

I made it OK and I got Iowa checked off the list. I appreciate the Three Sons clothing store for orchestrating the four events and for making July 15, 2006, a day for me to remember. Thanks to everyone.

This is a well run marathon but it is very difficult for all the reasons stated in the previous posts. This was by far my hardest marathon. If you plan on running the last half of the race with people around you then you better be able to run sub 4 hours in 90-degree heat with rolling hills and lots of humidity. I have run the 1/2 marathon here 7 times and I suggest one runs that first before trying the marathon here.

This was my first marathon. Lots of people thought I was crazy to make this my first one. First of all it was cheap. I'm also pretty familar with this area. I read all of the previous reports of this race and I knew exactly what I was getting into. I would recommend reading the previous reports. I read that there was only water at the stops so my loving wife met me at pre-planned stops with electrolyte drinks. My wife and I did a lot of preplanning for this race. Overall I really enjoyed myself. It is small and cheap and there really aren't many fans. I had a blast because I knew what I needed to provide and planned for it. This race is not for everyone. Organization is about as good as it well get. I vacation in this area frequently and it was fun to run my first marathon infront of my family and friends. The finish at the pier is the best part.

I agree with the previous comment. I was surprised there were no medical personel at the end of the race. It was very hot and humid. I ran the 10K.

On a 90-degree day at 10am, where were the medics at the end of the course? My step-father collapsed at the end and we waited for over 20 minutes for medics to arrive. The spectators were wonderful and I would like to thank everyone who helped. There is absolutely no reason, however, that there were no medics at the end of a marathon!