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!!!

You know June in the hills and woods of coal country West Virginia is going to be hot and humid, and after 4 times here it always is: 70 degrees at the start and predicted 89 high was looking like a typical Hatfield/McCoy race, but the blessed rain fell off and on all race long and it was still 70 at the finish - thank god. I think they had water EVERY mile after mile 2, and where else do you have ice in the water and Gatorade? Had it many times here. Top-notch in every way: course, volunteers, pasta dinner, skit, and price (extremely affordable). David Hatfield and crew do a remarkable job. Oh, and seeing my name on a sign around mile 14 welcoming me back with my name and city and "keep running" was a complete surprise. I guess they had a sign for everyone who had run the race before; I saw many over a 3-4-mile stretch.

My finishing time was not that bad considering how sore my body felt at the finish. Those hills really get to your legs later in the run. The volunteer support was excellent. The spacing of the water stops between mile markers was great. Awesome number of friendly volunteers made the race!!!!!!!

Thanks for all of the spectators and the volunteers who hung with us on a sloppy day. We had fun and will be back. It's always a first-class event from the prior day to the finish line....

What a wonderful surprise, from the pasta dinner to the Mason Jar awards. We stayed at the Pikeville Hampton Inn 30 minutes away, and thoroughly enjoyed Pikeville - wonderful people and a clean, upscale town. The course was awesome and the rain made it a even better. This was my 29th marathon and it was one of my favorites!! Where else can you come off of a trail onto a golf course and run across a swinging bridge?! TOO MUCH FUN!!!

Hatfield-McCoy is an amazingly well organized and well run event. I'd estimate that there are at least twice as many volunteers as there are runners. The festival events surrounding the race are great also. The spaghetti supper the night before is a very nice addition where you can stuff yourself sick (and we did). As to the course, well, it is not for the faint at heart. Though the mountain climb between mile five and mile seven is intimidating, fortunately it comes early enough that the toll it takes on the runner doesn't become apparent until later in the race. The hill at mile 24...  well, thats a horse of a different color! Vast sections of the course are on back roads, one stretch is gravel/dirt, there's the famous swinging bridge, and at one point the course follows a golf cart path. Spectators are few, but the crowds at the half-way point in Matewan are enthusiastic and provide a nice shot in the arm. The fact that, among a field of approximately 250, something like 39 states and three countries were represented, demonstrates that Hatfield-McCoy is a must-do for marathon addicts.

This was the most challenging marathon I have ever run. It was also the most fun I've ever had! I loved running up and down Blackberry Mountain and across the swinging bridge at mile 18. I even loved running on the road with the mud and gravel and seeing the huge drop-off cliffs with the river below. Also I saw a waterfall coming off of a hill. I loved the whole setting. It is definitely coal-miner country and I loved the people and the town where it finished. I got to high-five Hatfield and Mccoy at the finish. They had the long beards and had their guns. I also liked when race organizers led us in prayer before the start. After I finished, the volunteers offered me a chair to sit in and got me a banana. I just know this marathon will get bigger and bigger, and I will get the word out to people. This marathon is worth it! I had a blast!

This was 39th in my marathon collection since beginning in 2005, an assortment that stretches from Alaska to Carlsbad and Napa to Mount Desert Island in Maine (which was the most scenic). The Hatfield-McCoy fits into my top ten and places second in the most scenic category and first in aid stations.

Despite 69-degree temps and some intense rain cloudbursts, the course simply never got boring. No stretches through industrial parks. No boring suburbia. Simply beautifully green rolling hills with vegetation so lush that you thought you were in a Cambodian jungle. Butterflies were dancing on the pavement and dogs were barking. With steep and thick forested mountains, this was bear country (lots of trash cans inside metal cages). The hill around mile six to eight is not a killer, but be careful not to run down it too quickly.

The race committee knew how to prepare for a hot marathon: aid stations every mile or so, with ice water at most. By splashing the cold water over my head, it felt as if my body temperature was going down two degrees. How refreshing! The other choices were Gatorade or PowerAde, with the occasional banana and gel. And the volunteers - friendly country folk - dressed in green marathon t-shirts, and made us feel very welcome.

Around mile 12 the course bends sharply to the right and is well marked with blue directional paint. My friend and I saw a runner ignoring this turn and going directly across the road. Despite our yelling and shouting, he kept going (the hazards of wearing headphones). At this point the course crosses the river into Maketwan where the half-marathon ends. So, we continued through and then back across the road. A few miles later we saw our unfortunate runner coming back at us, telling us that he missed mile 13. Since that spot was at mile 15, he now had to run an extra four or five miles. Another reason not to wear headphones.

Yes, there is a stretch of gravelly road that makes running difficult; and a little farther there is a stretch of muddy slog where your white shoes will turn brown quickly. Thats OK, although you might consider wearing trail shoes if the weather is really wet. And then you get a chance to run along a par 5 at the Tug Valley Country Club (watch out for shanks and hooks) and then over a swinging wooden bridge, which can be slick in the rain (be careful). I appreciated the golfers in the four carts waiting for me and my friend to cross!

At the finish, volunteers put an ice cold towel around your neck and offer cold watermelon slices and drinks. A medical tent (empty) was easy to spot: well placed. Each finisher received a plaque engraved with his finishing position inside a mason jar, showing that each marathon finisher is a winner. Age bracket metal engravings will be mailed to those who placed in the top three, another nice touch.

Most of all, it was good to run in the heart of coal country where miners risk their lives daily to provide for their families. Great job on the pasta dinner - simple pasta with red sauce, and tasty banana pudding. Thats all I needed. And five stars also to the Sycamore Inn for giving us a late checkout and plenty of ice for a cold bath after the race. Our room was clean and not far from the finish. And, since I ran for the McCoy clan, I'm glad we won!!