This was the friendliest most helpful group of volunteers ever!! The race director is a gem and this is a great small town race.

This is probably not a race for those seeking the big experience of a mega-marathon. It's a small, well-oiled, and fun race thru rural Iowa. Scenery is 90-odd percent farmland. Spectators are few but energetic. Plenty of aid stations, too. A great race for Maniacs and/or 50-staters. A freshly-cooked meal afterwards was pretty awesome. Medal is OK, nothing spectacular. Overall, a great value and a lot of fun.

This is best described, to me, as the little race that could. It started off with a delay due to severe weather, but the organizer kept everyone informed and handled the grumbling crowd very well (my favorite line: "Look, I'm getting paid just as much to do this as you are...." He was working to keep everyone safe and the mood light, and I feel he did a great job. There were very few spectators, but I was actually looking forward to that, to be honest - and I knew it going in. The volunteers were great, and the people that were out were extremely supportive. The course was fast and flat, and I feel I would have had a PR were it not for 8-9 miles of a SERIOUS headwind. Great experience. If you are looking for a simple, pure running/marathon experience, this is one to consider.

The marathon was a great and well organized event. It had all of the characteristics of what a marathon should be. If you don't need crowds and entertainment, then this is the race for you.

The people, race organizers and volunteers were friendly, helpful and couldn't do enough for the runners.

The marathon and half-marathon were delayed 1.5 hours due to a thunderstorm. However, the race director handled the delay and the associated questions superbly. It was obvious that the race director and the people helping him took the situation very seriously and did everything possible to accommodate the runners. The local high school was a very comfortable place to gather and wait for the start of the race. The end result was that all of the races took place with over seven hours allowed for runners to finish.

All of the aid stations were well stocked and the volunteers at these stations were enthusiastic. The course was well marked. All of the busy intersections had several police officers to direct traffic (even though there wasn't much traffic). Post-race amenities were great.

In summary, I will plan on doing this marathon again in the future.

Great small-town marathon mostly run by 50 staters and Maniacs, as it was the day before the Swan Lake Marathon. The race organizer did a VERY good job of maintaining order despite an hour-long storm delay. It was fun to sit in the lake before and after the run. The race was in Iowa in the summer: Hot, flat and, well, if you are acclimated, PR-worthy. Aid station support was awesome - every mile for the last six. Make sure you catch post-run grub at La Juanita, located in the old district. Almost worth flying in for that!

"Marathon to Marathon" in 2010 was delayed 1.5 hours due to a thunderstorm. The race director handled the delay and the associated questions superbly. The volunteers and spectators were great. Well stocked aid stations manned by enthusiastic volunteers (with some even in "theme" costumes) made this race a great event. Great post-race amenities, and showers were available. Only negative was that the pasta dinner ran out of pasta and the expo was not a big affair. I ran my 50th of the 50 states at this race and I could not have picked a better place to do so!

My wife and I decided to run this as our first marathon due to it being close and fitting into our schedule. It was an awesome, small-town experience. We have both done larger races before, and this one was as well organized as those. Even with the threat of rain, the RD kept everyone updated on status. Only negative is that for most the course it's just you and the cows (and not many of those either). The people you do see are very nice - there just aren't many of them. The race starts early in the morning to beat the heat, and if the wind is right, it can be a fast course. We would recommend this race and we're excited to do our next.

Rough start! Bad weather caused the race to be delayed, but the race director was great and the local high school was a wonderful place to find shelter. I have nothing bad to say about this race; volunteers and other race participants all made this a very enjoyable race. Thanks to Super 8 for giving us a very late check-out! If you like small races, this is a race I would recommend.

Major kudos to RD Al for this year's race. Thunder, lightning, rain, and the possibility of a tornado pushed the race start back an hour and a half, but everything still went beautifully once the show was on the road.

The course is paved roads through the Iowa countryside. Cornfields, farms, and roadkill were the sights to be seen. If you need spectators, try another race. But, the volunteers at the aid stations, who'd been at their posts since at least 6 a.m. waiting to set up, were awesome! The Surfin' Iowa beach party aid station was awesome! Other stations had GU, bananas, watermelon (!), oranges, candy - all well stocked and super friendly. At the finish line the spectators cheered, the medal was nice, food and water/Gatorade were plentiful, and there was a good lunch for those of us arriving around noon (due to the late start).

The course is flat and fast, RD Al proved his organizational skills this year, and since the only spectators were the volunteers, they get 5 stars. Highly recommended race!

No glitz, no glamor - just running through the cornfields. It is simplicity at its best. If you love running for the sake of running and don't need bands to drown out the pain, then this is the race for you.

This is a special part of America; not many see it. The people and views are lovely.

BYOS (bring your own spectators), if you need them.

Tips for food:
The carbs: Honeykissed Pizza all the way; they even give you honey to dip the crust into.
Vegetarians: Unique Cuisine. It offers real-deal Thai and Lao food.
Best breakfast and pie place: Lake Shore Cafe
Best place to belly-up and watch the locals cry into their beer: Puffs.
Best place to catch up on the farm report and the weather: Hy-Vee Deli.