At the end of the Pacific Crest Marathon June 24, 2006 in Sunriver, when I finished the course, I was told they had run out of medals. Two weeks ago, I was called by AA Sport and told the medals had arrived and had been shipped out to the runners, who did not receive them during the run. I was told I would get it at the end of the week. I did not! Then I called AA Sport at the end of the week, and was told, if my medal did not arrive to me by next Tues. or Wed., to call and let them know. I did not receive my medal again, so I called AA Sport, and was told that they had not even received the medals from the company they get them from, and as soon as they do get them, they will send them out! Go figure: First I am told my medal is in the mail to me, and then I am told two weeks later they have not even arrived to AA Sport, and have not even been sent out to the runners who did not yet receive their marathon medal.

This was my first marathon for myself and my running partner. We are from Texas and were told repeatedly that the 4,000 ft. elevation would not be an issue. We trained for 6 months, and after the first four miles, I knew we were both in trouble. Our time was approximately one hour slower than our expected time, based on our training. On race day, several runners, including myself, were unable to find the start line, and luckily, we ran into a runner who had run the race in the past. We all ran to the start line one minute before the start of the race. Not a good way to start.

During the race, many times the volunteers did not hand us the cups. After the race, our names did not appear on the results page because they thought all of the marathoners had finished and we were incorrectly put into a different race category. We also did not receive our medals. Hopefully, our names will appear and we will receive them. The only positive from the experience was the breathtaking scenery. Due to the lack of organization, I will probably never run in Sunriver again, at least at an "organized" event. I will try my luck closer to home at the White Rock Marathon in December. I ran the 1/2 marathon last year and it was first-class all the way.

Great race, well organized and part of a much bigger event. The Pacific Crest Marathon is only one race of the Pacific Crest Weekend Sports Festival. It has a half Ironman, duo-endurance and other running events. There was a very good athlete village and expo open three days. The course is relatively flat but very twisting, weaving through the trees, meadows and with great views of mountains and rivers. It turned out to be hot this year, near 80 at the finish. But there were aid stations at every mile, so one could keep taking in fluids. Great reception at the finish, plenty of fruits, liquids and snacks all undercover and out of the hot sun. There was a couple showers to cool off under and they presented a large and colorful enameled finishers medal. The division winners medals were excellent, in the the usual gold, silver and bronze colors and presented swiftly in a pleasant awards ceremony. All in all, a great race weekend, this is one you should enjoy.

The organizers and course operators of this race did a fabulous job for the 2005 marathon. Water/Gatorade/Hammer gel stations were present at every mile, and all street crossings were staffed by course officials to block traffic for runners. The biker that rode before the leader and the thorough course marking both worked to make sure that the runners knew the course. The course itself, at 4,200 feet in elevation, was quite scenic. Timing was done by shoe chips, so that timing started only after you cross the starting line and stopped immediately after you cross the finish line. The post-race tent was great as well. It's a smaller marathon, as it had only 120 runners.

Great support with water/gel every mile and lots of toilets. Hard to get motivated with only 120 runners. But if you are a front-of-the-mid-packer like me, there is a outside chance of age group placing. Course was very nice with pretty homes, river, and ponds and it was flat. I liked the part where my name was announced at the half.

Do not let them fool you. Runners using this as a fun run or a training run will say that elevation was not a factor. If you are going for anything close to your PR you WILL notice the elevation; adjust your pace early and stick with it.

If you have time, plan on staying a few days because this part of the state is beautiful and worth visiting.

This marathon was good in that it left me with no excuses other than my own poor training.

Course was flat with two mild inclines in the first 3-or-so miles, aid stations and toilets every mile, cool temperature on race day. It was well marked (pink directional signs and white chalk lines) two days in advance, and I was never confused about where to go. We spent 4 days previous in Bend so the altitude was not a factor. We rented bikes from one of the multitude of rental places in Sunriver and biked the half-loop to check it out a few days before the race, so we had a good feel for the course in advance. Race-morning parking was a breeze: we rolled up about an hour before start and found parking very easily.

They also had hammer gel packets, which I had been wanting to try out.

I talked with various people who passed me up at different stages... it seems like most of them were either treating this race as a training run, or were just doing it on a whim at the last minute.

This was only my third marathon, and I'll definitely consider running it in the future!

Great fun to turn Sunriver into Athlete Paradise for the weekend. Organizers and volunteers were excellent and KIND. Runners supportive, friendly. Great views, I didn't mind doing the same loop twice. These are the flattest rolling hills ever, a good personal best course. And NO CARS!! And lots of shady pines with river and mountains beyond.

Strong request: start at 6:30am, not 7:30am. The sun's up by 5am, and we 4-5 hour runners dealt with midday sun since we didn't begin til 7:40am. Also, please clarify the starting PLACE in the guide - it was unnecessarily unclear. Only other suggestion: with names like Sunriver and Pacific Crest, why a grey t-shirt?????????? Go for color!! Thanks for a great race.

I wanted a small race before the summer set in, and this was perfect. The Sunriver resort area is beautiful, hence the course is too; the organization was excellent, expo was great, and there was water/Gatorade/gel/mile markers every mile.

Volunteers were exceptional, courteous and helpful. And if you like a fairly mild (temps) morning run (maybe 50's at start, 60's by finish) in summer, this is the one. Traveled from Tennessee (left 90+ degree temps) so this was a supurb setting and marathon all around. May not make it every year due to distance, but if I can, I will.

I ran the 1/2 and the 10k over the weekend at Sunriver. The marathon is just a 2 loop half. The course is very nice on paved bike trails. This was the best organized running event I have been to. It never was crowded, the finish line was great, the expo fine. What else can I say? It was well done. If you are not from higher altitudes I would not suggest this as a first marathon. 4200 feet is pretty high up for a sea-level guy like me. (Got pretty anaerobic on the 10k race). Aid stations at almost every mile. No crowds except at the finish so if you need the support this may not be for you.

Sunriver has a beautiful marathon course. The course winds through pine forest, along a river, near a golf course and through houses on a paved trail.

I will not run this marathon again. I will not recommend it to anyone. I felt like an afterthought of the tri-sporting events.

--I was told I would receive a pamphlet in the mail 2 weeks prior; I did not. When I arrived to pick up my number, they did not have any pamphlets explaining the race course, showing the race profile, or telling where good places were for my supporters. I asked about busing to the start, since so many events were taking place, and was told by a veteren Sunriver volunteer to sleep in my car if I wanted a parking space.

--The morning of the marathon we had great weather. There were plenty of aid stations with water, Gatorade and Gu.

--Now I am one of those runners who says 'thank you' to the volunteers. The majority of volunteers did not say anything, not even say whether they had water or Gatorade. At one station, I was physically blocked by a biker who was supporting a runner.

--The bikers on the trail did not give way, and one little kid even ran into me on his bike! Some of the bikers asked what I was doing; they did not seem to know that there was a marathon occuring.

--The second loop of the course passes by the finish area. The second loop was not marked and there was no volunteer ushering us one way or the other. The runners I spoke with on the second lap all said they were very confused by the second lap transition zone.

--When I finished, two people clapped - one a stranger and the other my boyfriend. I know I am slow, but I still feel like I was snubbed for running the marathon instead of one of the tri-events.

--The post-race food was cheap. There were no bars to take with me.

--And two days later, the marathon results are not posted, but the tri-event results are posted.

I would go for a training run in Sunriver, but I will not be a part of a run organized by this group again.