The course was in good shape in spite of all the heavy rainfall that hammered this area for the past 2 weeks. Footing got a bit 'iffy' on the gravel section between miles 16 & 18, with a lot of standing water and mud to pick your way through, compliments of the Friday evening downpours. We got the race and awards ceremony completed before the next deluge swamped the area again. But hey, it's springtime in the Appalachians, so you'll have that.

Traffic was light, but I don't like running on the right side with traffic at my back. The climb between miles 6 & 7 is for real, and it doesn't take any pity on anybody who isn't prepared. Even more punishing is the downhill after the crest. It is steep and long and will beat the quads into submission if you're not careful or well prepared. A great '1-2' punch early in the run.

The sheer beauty of the landscape makes this run really enjoyable. Hills, hollows, streams, plenty of shade along the way. Not many spectators, but the scenery made up for that as well. The 'Swingin' Bridge' river crossing on the golf course was very unique. Pretty steep approach and departure ramps. Gotta be cautious of the footing here. The last major obstacle to conquer is another punishing descent just past 23. Much shorter than the Blueberry Mountain descent, but capable of abusing muscles that are already spent.

I drove the course in the rain Friday after package pickup, and I'm glad I did. I knew when to push, hold back, how bad the gravel section footing would be, what was coming around the next bend. No surprises.

I even had company for a mile after my partner pulled away. A stray tan puppy joined me at the 19 mile water stop, and tried to trip me up about a dozen times till I shook her at the 20 mile stop. An hour after I finished, here she comes, trotting along beside runners, right across the finish line like she owned it! My wife fell in love with her, but with 3 at home, we really didn't need another.

Most of the fluid stations had folks who were into it and had cups held out. No complaints there. Drinks were cool and clean.

The roast pork and fixin's were first rate. My thanks to all the generous sponsors and to David Hatfield and his staff for organizing a fun, friendly, challenging marathon. I enjoyed this better than many 'concrete jungle' marathons I've done. The scenery on the drive from Pikeville, where we stayed, was nothing short of awesome. I'd like to see those hills and hollows in the fall. Hey Dave, how about running that course in reverse in October?

This was my second year to run this one. Yes, it is not easy, but it is so well organized from the night before with its great supper and show, the course (lots of drinks and treats), and one of the best finish line crews. Well, if you missed it -- then you missed it! Well worth the drive to get to it; make sure to call ahead early for a room!

The course is challenging, but that makes completing it all the more rewarding. I placed in my age group and the Race Director was kind enough to mail my trophy... thanks. This is one I would like to do again.

I ran this one in 2003, and truly enjoyed it. The course is somewhat demanding, changing from pavement to rocky road, to pavement again. A couple of the hills were a bit challenging too. I ended up winning my age group though, and was not well trained for it, so anyone who has been doing their long runs can make this one. Scenery is pretty with lots of Appalachian charm for you. Well organized, lots of aid stations, friendly volunteers, and generally just a good time. Sat with the Race Director, David Hatfield, later in the evening to listen to a bluegrass band. Ate fish and collard greens for $5 at a local restaurant. Life can be simple and sweet after all!

During this marathon you will do just about everything from hills, bridges, golf course, through small towns and I could go on and on. You must attend the supper the night before with their skits and stories. Truly a fun time. I got hurt and was helped to finish - truly a great effort by all.

The race start instructions are in hillbilly dialect. The course was certified usin' the most modern form of measurement, the speedometer of a Dodge pick'em-up truck. Not sure how accurate the course was. It seemed like it took forever for mile marker 19 to show up. If the course is long, the Hatfields are to blame. Overall this is a good fun race to do. The race is a great value: $25 whether you register early or late, and for $25, a nice pasta dinner is served the night before the race, with a skit about the Hatfields and McCoys. There was a raffle at the pasta dinner, but the pasta dinner went from 6-10 pm and I'd left about after an hour or so, not sure exactly what time they did the raffle. Couldn't stick around too long because I had to drive 40 minutes back to Pikeville for accommodations. Accommodations at the race start are limited, so you better plan early for this race. I'd suggest next year drawing race numbers at random and posting the winning numbers at the finish lines. If you are flying in for this race, you can either fly into Charleston, WV or Lexington, KY. The drive is longer from Lexington, but the airfare prices were cheaper from Lexington as well. I heard there were floods around Charleston, and not much to see along the way. If you fly into Lexington, stop at Natural Bridge Park along the way. Now there wasn't much food at the finish except bananas, but what you expect for $25 and a pasta dinner the night before? They also give you a nice t-shirt and a towel with the fee. Aid along the course was great with one exception: they were giving out Sunny Delight, in addition to Powerade and water. I don't know too many runners who train on Sunny Delight - we got plenty of sun at the end of the course as it was getting hot. This is historically a warm marathon, so the 7 am start is kind of late. Organizers should consider starting at 6 or 6:30 am next year (wasn't even that dark out at 6 am). Now one fellow said he was being chased by some damn dogs. I saw the 3 dogs; they were probably some McCoy dogs, and he was a Hatfield, so that is why he was being chased. These were nice dogs; they actually ran with me when I got to the bottom of the big, big hill after hitting the mile-23 mark. Those dogs ran with me and some other runners for a good 2 miles, so it was a good distraction.

If you're looking for a moderately challenging course and environment, this may be the marathon for you. Banked roads, hills (with a couple of steep descents), a couple of rain showers to add weight to the shoes (but cooling to the skin), various surface conditions, lots of humidity, very good water-stop support with one every mile as promised, an interesting view of the rural coal country, blue sky and sunshine in which to complete the race, some right friendly folks along the way, and the beautiful forest and mountains for a distraction. And for you 50-staters, it can be West Virginia or Kentucky.

I gave spectators just two stars only because the course offers few areas where they are able to congregate, and not because those who were out there weren't enthusiastic and supportive.

If you want to find out what you're made of in terms of being a marathon runner, then the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon is the one for you. This course is tough. It is everything one would expect from a country marathon, including roosters cheering you on. This marathon makes Boston's hills at Heartbreak seem like child's play. After the climb up the mountain between 6 and 7, the second half of the race features narrow dirt and gravel roads. A small trek through a golf course with a wavy bridge adds to the charm and challenge of this race.

There was plenty of water and the course was pretty easy to follow (they had big blue foot prints on the road). This year (2003), we were graced with a light rain storm, which helped keep the temps down and was very refreshing.

Congrats to David and the others involved in putting on a great, tough race.

My suggestion for next year is to have some food at the finish, although seeing as they were hoping to get 150 runners and wound up with over double that number, it was well put-together. Forget your Bostons and Chicagos and New Yorks; get on board and run the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon!

Hills. Rain. Sun. Humidity. Did I mention hills?

This was a very challenging race. I am glad I did it, but I do not think that I will be looking for that much challenge anytime soon.

The first half was reasonably rolling, with the exception of a long steep hill at mile six. It rained heavily during much of the first half of the race, making footing tricky, especially on steep downhill segments.

The second half was very difficult. Miles 13-20 were more like trail running. The path was made up of broken pavement, gravel, and mud. Miles 21-25 were on a two hilly two lane road. The sun came out at about mile 21, adding heat and humidity to the challenge. The fast downhill segment at mile 24 really finished off my quads. Mile 26 was run on flat sidewalks along a six lane road - not ideal. The finish area was nice. A car show gave everyone something to look at while we hobbled around.

Aid stations were plentiful and appreciated.

The shirt, towel, medal, and other goodies were very nice, especially considering the low entry fee. They need to put a date on the shirts.

This small, rural marathon embedded in the heart of coalfield America typifies the best of what a small marathon should be. The race director and supporters were all friendly, and every mile featured sports drink, water (ice available), bananas, and Gel (apple pie flavoring that tasted like apple pie). The roads were rolling, and there wasn't much elevation, considering the mountains which paralleled the course. This year was hot and humid, though you would expect this in June. It travels through both Kentucky and West Virginia, so this can count for either state for those completing all 50 states. Every mile was marked with visible mile markers. Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), the prime sponsor of the race, was everywhere and very helpful. Would recommend this to anyone desiring a taste of a rural marathon.