Great for 50 staters. Tough yet endearing with the scenery and fellow runners. Unique finishers medal given both to half and full participants. where else do you feel like you stepped right onto the set of HEE-HAW. David does a good job but needs support from more core people. With the right amount of devoted and seasoned staff, this race will grow into one of the best in the south. A much needed Thank You to the Waterstop Volunteers, Fire Department EMS, Police Department and all of the porch Yellers. The enduring heat that many volunteers stood through shows what efforts this group is making in stepping up the participation in this race. Nice touch with the Mason Jar award to all finishers and How Bout that BBQ at the finish. WHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY DO YOU GET TO RUN ON A SWINGING WOODEN BRIDGE AND RUN ON SOME NICE TRAILS WITH THE ADDED TOUCH OF INDIVIDUAL SIGNS WELCOMING BACK EACH OF THE PREVIOUS YEARS RUNNERS WITH NAME AND HOMETOWN. The skit about the Hatfield- McCoy Feud provided at the Hit The Spot Spaghetti Dinner was enjoyed by a full house (What a Deal) was an unexpected treat. Fellow Marathoners were some of FRIENDLIEST I have ever been with, and they were from everywhere. Ran with folks with unfathomable amounts of marathons that they had completed from 1st to 47th, 48th, 98th 163rd, 187th and 198th. The big HEE-HAW SALUTE to all participants.
David, Thank You. A couple of Dropped balls though. Please set up better safer crossings when crossing roads. With vehicles on the same roads as runners this was dangerous especially on the last turn down the Home Stretch going into town (Need a well adorned crossing guard at the crossover before the bridge. Finish line Chute needs to be extended a little and the volunteers need to tell you where to go for refreshments,medical,Mason Jar pickup and the Great BBQ. Loved the Iced down towels, Plenty of cold drinks and did I mention the a-Kicking BBQ. Alot of Fun and will be back.

For a small, very well organized race in the country, you can't beat this. The course was challenging, winding through culturally and historically interesting villages and neighborhoods. Courtesy and hospitality abounded with 300 volunteers for the 500 runners. A home stay program or air mattresses at the firehouse were unique features. Yes, the weather can be interesting as well, with a 66 degree start, a morning thundershower and a 90 degree finish. The spaghetti feed was graced with a well done dialog between the major protagonists in the Hatfield-McCoy feud. And a weekend festival can keep the non-runners busy as well.

Ran the half marathon, not the full. This was my 3rd half.
Very friendly organizers, volunteers, locals and other participants.
Beautiful scenery, very enjoyable run.
Mostly flat, other than Blackberry Mountain, which wasn't quite as bad as the elevation profile suggests.

This was my second time to do this race, and I was not disappointed. David and his crew did a great job... even better than I remembered! The course is tough, and the rain didn't make it any easier... but a race director can only control so much! The entire town was out and supportive. The hospitality was outstanding! Thanks so much for an outstanding marathon experience!

I agree with previous comments from other runners about all of the postive aspects of this event!

Ever wonder how the elites feel at the "big races?" Well, I can only imagine it's a lot like the feeling we "average Joe's" experienced at Hatfield-McCoy.

Bottom line: This is more than a race; this is an EVENT - a memory to cherish.

The best summary of this race is that it is a race for people who love running marathons for the sake of running marathons. It is not a race where you will likely run a personal best but a race to be with people who love running marathons. The hospitality of this race was over the top. All of the runners seemed to be from someplace else because this race attracts people from everywhere and should because of the friendly staff.

Since nobody is out to set a PR, it is easy to be relaxed at this race and strike up a conversation before, during, or after the race. If you are looking for a competitive race, this is not the race for you; but if you are looking for a social event that is also a race, this is definitely the race for you.

As a normal 3:00-3:10 marathon runner, it was surprisingly easy to allow myself to just relax and enjoy the scenery instead of focusing on my time. The race is truly for the love of distance running. My overall finish time was still acceptable despite dropping out of the race for a 15-minute pit-stop at the halfway point because of the rainstorm and admittedly being a little spent from the inclines and declines in the first half. However, this race is still very doable for someone from a flat part of the country and well worth the trip down to Williamson.

Blackberry Mountain is the real deal for someone from a flat part of the country. My recommendation is to power-walk it and save you legs for the second half of the race, which is much easier than the first half. A significant part of the course is tree-covered, so that makes it a bit cooler than some races run out in the sun.

I'd recommend starting the race at 6:00-6:30 since it was already light out and it is June and can be hot and humid. The biggest disappointment for me about the race was to see how few people participated because the staff and town put so much effort into the event, so give it a try!!!

The Hatfield and McCoy Marathon is a small, hometown race set in the valley of the mountains of WV. The race was well organized and the directors were very accommodating. We ran up Blackberry Mountain, on paved paths, on mud trails (it rained), and across a swinging bridge. The course was well marked. Plenty of water and sports drink every mile. The pasta party was good and included in the race fee. Besides a tee shirt and finisher's medal, we received a mason jar with a plaque inside depicting our place. Plenty of food and drinks after the race, despite the rain. Great race and great people. Go, WV!!

The people in Williamson could give hospitality lessons to almost anyone. What a wonderful welcome! Plan early and stay at the Sycamore Inn if you can - I asked for a late check-out and they said since I was running the marathon all they asked was that I come back, shower and check out as early as possible. No late fee. Amazing! The course is tough but beautifully scenic. It had to be planned by someone who knows the area well and leads you through places the average traveler would never see. And only someone knowing the area well would be able to place the water stops at such strategic places. Every time you need water... there it is. I can't say enough good things about this marathon. The only suggestion I would give is to start at 6 instead of 7 - that would give us northerners not used to the heat and humidity an hour of relief. Thank goodness for the rain! Also, due to the rain and subsequent chafing, Vaseline at the later water stops would be great! Well done, West Virginia!!!

I am so happy that I ran this race! I had it planned to for over a year and am so glad I did. The townspeople were incredibly friendly and were so happy to have us there! The water stops were excellent, and the course was simply beautiful. The hill was not as bad as everyone made it out to be. The goodies were great, and the reenactment during the pasta dinner was a real treat!

Running over that bridge around mile 20 was really cool, and slapping hands with Devil Anse and Ran'l at the finish was a really great way to end the race.

One suggestion for runners - if you like to wear flats, I wouldn't recommend it for this race. There are a few miles of rocky trail that aren't good for flats. You don't need trail shoes, but definitely something with some support.

It's not a race that is spectator friendly because it's not a very densely-populated area. But those that do come out make up for the lack of volume.

One thing I really liked was the prayer that David Hatfield gave at the beginning of the race. This was the only marathon where a prayer kicked off the race, and it was great to thank God for the opportunity to run another marathon!!

Honestly, there is little that the race director could do to make this race better. Keep up the good work!

My wife had been running marathons for about 2 years and finally last December I decided to start training for my first. This one just worked out with my schedule, and in spite of some reviewers saying that it may not be good for a first marathon, it certainly was not only good, but absolutely great! I'm 42 years-old, so I didn't have youth to bail myself out. But I had put in the work and I completed this one is 4:59:00. Hills? Yes, at mile 7 to 8, a huge hill. So what? It was great and had a porta-potty at the top. We slogged up and sped down the other side. At mile 23, there was a slow, long hill, but it's not really that bad, to be honest. The thing that struck me the most was how scenic this marathon is. KT and WV are stunningly beautiful on this one. The community turned out well and gave HUGE support as well as water stations almost every mile! There were plenty of restrooms too! I love the smallness of this one. Unlike the huge urban productions, this was a true runner's marathon where a few hundred runners got out there and had a wonderful time running for the love of running! It stormed and rained, but that just added to the wonderment. We ran paved roads, gravel roads, a bit of muddy roads, and various other surfaces, such as a golf cart path and a large suspended bridge. But honestly, it was amazing and beautiful, and if you need KT or WV, THIS IS THE ONE you should go for. I'll be back in a few years to get the other state with this same marathon. I just might even do it again next year. I LOVED IT!!!