This was my 27th marathon, and second in South Dakota. Out of all of them, Mount Rushmore '07 and the Mickelson Trail are my favorites. The uphill is tough going, but I took it slow and enjoyed the scenery other runners and the aid stations. The Blackhills and Jerry Dunn are one of a kind. I will be back.

It's billed as "26.2 Miles of Breathtaking Black Hills Beauty," and it is! It's a really well-run race, too. Aid stations are about every two miles. Spectators are virtually nonexistent, as only a few trailheads along the route are accessible to vehicles.

Most of the route is along the Mickelson Trail, a sand/gravel rails-to-trails path through the beautiful Black Hills landscape past horse and cattle ranches, ghost towns, abandoned gold mines, over bridges, past creeks and beaver ponds, through one tunnel, past the gold mining town of Lead, and ending in Historic Deadwood, SD.

As previous comments said, the climb is not too steep, but at altitude, it still takes some effort. The 13-mile descent gives the quads quite a pounding too, and after the long climb, legs are already tired.

Great tech T-shirts and medals, and the RD personally greets each finisher. Nice.

This year it was 38°F and raining, which is my only real complaint about the race. Marathoners were dropped off at the start in the tiny town of Rochford, SD, and the buses departed, leaving us shivering in the cold rain for 90 minutes before the start. Some sort of shelter would have been nice, but there was none! Half-marathoners were able to wait in the buses, which waited there until the start, and even had hot coffee. Why didn't the marathoner buses remain?

Still, this is a great race, and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't need spectators, bands, huge crowds and a flat, easy course. While you're in the area, there are plenty of great things to see.

The course is absolutely spectacular. This is one of the most enjoyable marathons I have done. Be prepared for a tough race if you are a flat-lander. I handled the gradual climb from 5,200 to 6,200 feet during the first half pretty well, but the continual downhill running in the second half absolutely killed my knees and legs.

This was a wonderful, scenic, trail marathon. The trail is pretty resistant to rain, and was muddy/slick in only a few spots even though it had rained all night. We were very lucky, as the rain stopped as we got to the starting line and remained only a drizzle until we finished. The organizers did a good job getting us from the parking lots to the start, and from the finish line back to the parking lots.

The map on the website shows a constant 800-foot climb from miles 2-13, followed by a constant 1600-foot drop from 13-26. This was amazingly true, as there was almost no rolling hills except for a small but annoying uphill around mile 19-20.

If you can curb your enthusiasm during the uphill climb, you almost have a guaranteed negative split on the second half. Just make sure your knees and quads are trained for the downhill part. The trail has plenty of year round markers on it, so it's pretty hard to feel lost. The pack does get pretty spread out, so you should be prepared for that. However, there are only a few places where you could possibly get lost, and then you only have to look for the trail sign. Most of the spectators were volunteers at the fluid stations, runner entourages, or relay runners.

I'm a 50-stater, and I would recommend this marathon as the South Dakota Marathon because of my experience, and because its held in June - when there are only a few marathons scheduled in the U.S.

This is the fourth time I have run this race and was thinking it was time for a change in my marathon routine. But running it again is enough to inspire me to want to return.

There isn't a quarter-mile on the 26.2-mile route that doesn't have beauty, even on an overcast and misty morning like we had this year.

Using the Mickelson Trail also eliminates the need for crossing guards and isolates runners from the outside world. It's nothing but you, your fellow runners, and God's creation.

Spectator viewpoints are limited, but those trailheads and crossings do draw a good throng of well-wishers of participants.

The aid stations were well spaced, and the offering of fruit was appreciated. Signs designating which table offered water and which offered sports drink were appreciated.

At the finish line it was encouraging to be greeted by running legend and race director Jerry Dunn. The chocolate milk at the refreshment table tasted great.

My only suggestion for the race would be to have some type of shelter at the starting line. With buses taking runners to the start more than an hour before the start, there could be a real problem if it would rain, which almost happened this year. I would suggest a tent, or opening up the fire hall or chapel, if possible. Otherwise, there could be hundreds of soaked runners waiting around for the race to start.

Everything about this race is fantastic. Great scenery, nice tech shirt and a really cool medal. Jerry and all the volunteers are great and had a lot of enthusiasm. There is a trolley that picks runners up and drops you back off at your hotel.

The town of Deadwood is a lot of fun also. No one I met - including the runners - could have been any nicer. Thanks, Jerry!!

Good race, beautiful trail, and the 2008 USA Championships too! The complete package for any trail marathoner, beginner to elite. The organizers make everyone feel welcome. Racing is a great way to meet people, and this race is no exception. I talked to some interesting people before, during and after the race.

This was my first time in South Dakota and I really enjoyed the area and race. The region around Deadwood is stunning in natural beauty (Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, The Badlands, Goldmines, and Lake Pactola) and the people that I met where extremely friendly and fun. The race director did an amazing job organizing the event, there were adequate aid stations, the course was very tough and challenging, which was fun, many great volunteers lined the course, and the bus transportation to the start was on time and very convenient. There weren't a ton of spectators (which is expected since this is a wilderness trail race), but the ones around where very vibrant and encouraging. As you approach the last two miles outside of Deadwood, there are many more spectators and a lot of energy down the final stretch. I'd highly recommend this race to anyone who loves adventure, fresh air, a challenge and exploring the real Wild West! Also, the medals were top-notch (engraved and heavy) and the shirts were blaze orange and made out of a Dri-Fit type of material.

Beautiful scenery on this "trail" marathon. The trail is a converted rail line, so it's smooth and flat. The first 13 miles went uphill, and with the elevation, it definitely could be felt. Not a PR course, but the views of the black hills make up for it. We stayed at the Days of 76 campground. For RVers or tents, it was great because you could walk right to the bus for the ride to the start. At the finish line, the bus brought us right back to the campground area. Earlier posters were correct that there are not many places to eat in Deadwood other than in the casinos. (We brought our own food for the night before.) The city of Deadwood was very welcoming and the organization of the race was super. The weather was nice but was cool at the start and you have to wait outside for awhile before the start. It did hail for awhile in the middle of the race but stopped after about 15 minutes and the sun came out. I guess the lesson is to be prepared for any kind of weather. I definitely recommend the race if you like smaller-sized marathons with great views!

I can't speak for the full marathon but the half is a winner. I wasn't in shape to run that uphill portion of the marathon, so I opted for the downhill half. This is one fast course. Having the word "Trail" in the name of the race shouldn't dissuade anyone from wearing racing flats. The course is run on crushed red rock - no ankle-busters here.

Organization was top notch, from the shuttle buses, to the porta-johns, to the speed of the results being posted at the race.

As far as Deadwood, the casinos had a Mom and Pop feel to them. (Depending on your Mom and Pop.) They weren't crowded, and all the dealers were friendly.

If that's not for you, travel in any direction. Devil's Tower to the northwest, and Mt. Rushmore, The Badlands, Custer State Park are all within a two-hour drive. Face it, if you're not from this part of the country, you might never get here again. See it all.

But back to this half. If your half marathon PR is soft or less than a dozen years old, get yourself in racing shape in the spring and get yourself a PR. Twelve downhill miles and one mile uphill in the middle for a change of pace. The altitude wasn't a problem at all. Go and race, or go and enjoy the scenic course.