This is truly a race to experience. It combines superb local running club management; Southern small town hospitality, charm and friendliness; with a beautiful but demanding course. Of particular note was how well each aid station was stocked with not only water and sports drink but also saltines, pretzels and necessary first aid items. Though on-course spectators are few, those that do come out are very friendly and enthusiastic and often leap-frog the course so you get to see them several times over the course of the race.

Staying at the Inn is a must as other local accommodations are sparse and you must travel from either Pinehurst/Southern Pines or Rockingham. Jim and Donna (owners of the Inn) are fabulous hosts and the Pasta Dinner and Runner's Breakfast were fabulous and much improved from three years ago. The only drawback to this year's experience was the heat (low 80's).

Overall, this is a fabulous and challenging race experience and I highly recommend it.

Wow, great job to Doug (RD) and to the rest of the Mangum TC. I just love these races that are put on by running clubs. Nobody understands better than other runners who have "walked the walk" - all the details were spot on. Mile markers, aid stations, course marking, etc.

Someone said below that it was a record high temp. OK, that part was rough. (It actually hit 86 that day, but later in the afternoon.) I know I suffered like a dog, but squeaked out a PR by a few seconds somehow.

One thing I did for this race was to drive the course, after I arrived Friday from out of town. It helped prepare me for the very long hill at the halfway mark. I'd say this course is tough but fair. For anyone comparing to Grandfather Mtn., another NC toughie, my personal opinion is that Ellerbe is quite a bit "easier" - not to say that it's actually "easy" because it surely is not!

Here are a couple of strategy tips: (1) Let all the young guys go by on the very steep dirt road in the first 1/4 mile; you will reel them in soon enough. (2) The second half is much easier, so don't despair after the huge hill at mile 13.

Although given the opportunity to sleep in later than usual with an 8am start, the drawback at least this year was that the course heated up significantly for those on it longer. Informed that all the runs previously were started with the pop from a blown paper sack, I thought I would miss out but enjoyed the air pop gun probably just as much.

As advertised, you encounter one long hill after another, but at least what goes up does come down. The country roads were mostly quiet and pleasant with beautiful scenery. The well spaced aid stations and volunteers were absolutely great. I cannot think of anything lacking from the stations, other than energy gel, and I knew that beforehand. The paper towels, aspirin and pretzels not often provided elsewhere were appreciated.

A very reasonable entry fee for all that is included with very tasty chicken and dumplings, sweet tea, and peach cobbler available after the finish.

I appreciated the bath house being made available for a shower, although icy cold I am not going to complain. It felt good afterwards.
I, unfortunately, missed out on not being able to linger to enjoy the great atmosphere.
I would highly recommend this laid back run that is very well organized.

I knew the course was hilly but that is an understatement. It was beautiful though! Even though I was alone for a lot of the race, I knew that the organizers were always driving by checking on us! I will recommend this marathon to all of my friends! My only regret was that I did not get to stay at the inn, which would have made the race even better!

This was my first marathon, and I chose Ellerbe Springs because of its reputation. I wasn't disappointed. The course is very hard. If you're looking for an easy Southern qualifier, this isn't the one. The training necessary to qualify at Ellerbe will put you in the elite field.

One of the most well organized marathons I've ever run. This is a small race and has only a few spectators when compared to the large ones, but the ones that were there were outstanding! They also had the most helpful volunteers and there were plenty of them! All aid stations had plenty of everything. Maybe there could have been a few more, but it was about 80 degrees that day, which set a record high. The stations they had would have been adequate on a normal March day in NC. The course was exceptionally well marked - and even while in oxygen debt I had no problems finding my way. (And there were times when I could not see a runner in front of me.) I often met paramedics riding the course looking for distressed runners. If this race had a downside, it had to be the hills, but the beautiful rural scenery more than compensated for this. The chicken and dumplings offered at the end were also a nice touch. I'd recommend this for anyone who's tired of the unorganized chaos associated with some of the mega marathons. Marine Corps 2006 was all I could take! Hats off to Doug Dawkins, Richmond City Rescue Squad, the Mangum Track Club, and all of the volunteers that made this a fantastic marathon!!

I entered with four marathons under my belt, but not much recent training. In fact, I decided to run on Thursday, drove in on Saturday morning, paid the late registration fee, had a cheap runner's buffet at the Inn, and took off. Honestly, I had not run over 13 miles since November 2006, but had my eyes on Grandfather in July of 2007. I thought this would give me a good idea of what a hilly, challenging marathon course would entail. Wow! Awesome scenery on the first half and rolling hills throughout. I have done D.C, Richmond, and Raleigh (and a couple of half-marathons) and never met friendlier people on the course or more hospitable folks at aid stations. (A big thanks to S. Cooper who ran with me most of the race and helped me finish the final two miles when I was wondering why this seemed like a good idea :) .) Also, around 21, had a veteran Ellerbe Marathoner (this was his eleventh) offer to help me PR. The hills and heat didn't seem to be getting to either of them. To top it off, I went home with some pottery. Hey... and the race volunteers were super nice to my hubby and 5 year-old, who trailed me all morning.

I'll be back to Ellerbe - for the course, the hospitality, the runners, cold Cokes at the finish, yummy peach cobbler, cool pottery, and incredibly perky aid station workers. Well done!

This was a delightful small-town marathon. We stayed at the Ellerbe Springs Inn which was the host facility for the event. Being at the inn made the whole exerience all the more worthwhile. These folks define the term "SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY." The course was quite challenging with lots of hills. However, having run a couple of marathons in the Rockies, I found these hills very "runable." Being a rural area, there wasn't huge crowd support. However, the local people who came out to support the race were charming, helpful and encouraging. The after-party was fun. The packet pick-up and the award ceremony were both very easy going and informal. If you're looking for a serving of small-town informality with a big dollop of Southern Hospitality, then Ellerbe Springs is the marathon to run - just don't expect to PR.

Since I wished there were more comments from previous years, I'm putting some in for 2006 and hope more people will also give feedback.

Time and weather (40s-50s) were ideal. Early start is always a nice touch it seems. Same-day registration was very smooth. Scenery was awesome. Aid stations and volunteers were very nice!! When they say, "NO port-o-lets," they mean none, but then there's toilet paper at the aid stations, so I can't complain! I lost time debating whether to make a pit stop after Mile 17....

Sweet finish. Chicken and dumplings - yummy - but they ran short for about a dozen or more marathoners, and a young waiter told me the cobbler ran out "a long while ago" (I ate about 5-1/2 hours after the start). Oh well! Cozy post area.

I didn't find it as hilly as expected (imagine what I expected!). Some hills looked tough from a distance, but once I put them under my feet, I didn't feel the effort much (until the next couple days!). Numbers on ground and the Mangum Track Club were top-notch. Always love the people factor, so I don't go as fast as I could've, perhaps. Terry (S.F.), Pam (Carey), Rick (Ultra), et. al. really made it a terrific time.

I had heard about this race for years (no, the chicken and dumplings aren't really worth running the race) and decided to do it a month after I had done Tampa, with a very sore hamstring. Even so, I had a great time, the volunteers were wonderful, and the course was very tough, though scenic. Everyone involved was super; the local track club does a great job. Only improvement would be coffee (good coffee) after the race, and somewhere you could get warm and stretch.