I have done 69 marathons now and City of Trees was my 69th. As I accumulate more marathons and as I age, I appreciate the simple aspects of running and enjoy the smaller events more and more. No need for a fancy expo, a list of so called elite athletes, etc. The City of Trees was just that kind of event where you just had an enjoyable time. With the weather as perfect as can be, the volunteers were superb. I thought Jeff did a fantastic job, all things considered, with the Boise St. football team getting all the headlines. Overall. if you're looking for flat, fast, cool and spectator-free event, then this is the one. If you need spectators to run, then you probably need to take up another sport. This is what marathoning is all about - having fun and digging down and finishing. Great job and I will try to be back next year.

A quiet Sunday a.m. marathon that I ran to enjoy the journey on this figure-8 course that mostly meanders along tree-lined residential streets. This was my 14th marathon, and my second easiest because I took my time to stretch and drink. I only saw the clock once - at the finish line. I only ran two miles with other runners. Thanks to the young man who told me, "Well done," at mile 20. Simple and memorable. The dozen bagpipers at mile 24 were awesome... thanks for pushing me through the final two miles. Well organized for a city marathon; good traffic control with two loops through central Boise. Nice yellow T-shirt and the chicken noodle soup was great. Thank you to all the volunteers.

I have done NYC and larger marathons, but I really enjoyed the solitude of this "long lonely jog," guided by the great volunteers and cops managing traffic. Not many spectators, as the race has only about 170 participants and is not advertised locally, but the finish line fans were enough. The mile markers were way off and did frustrate me as I was looking to do splits to qualify for Boston - but I'll take it, as I clocked a PR by 12 minutes. Great Boston qualifier - flat, fast course.

What a beautiful setting and weather. The course went through beautiful neighborhoods. Great support for a small event! If I didn't live so far away, I would do it again for sure! Worth the trip.

Cons:
- Concur with others that mile markers were off. (Still ran a PR.)
- No food at the finish.
- Ankle bands for timing chips left me with several sores. Attach the chips to the shoes like the bigger races.

This race was my first marathon! Overall, very happy with the organization and support. The volunteers were amazing - very encouraging. Beautiful course and great weather. Only disappointment was the information about the awards ceremony and available food - I was starving! :) Look forward to running again next year!

The course showcased some of the best of Boise and was very convenient since it was a loop course with plenty of parking at the start/finish. Like others, I noticed that the mile markers were inaccurate. The course was open to traffic but the volunteers and police controlling the intersections did a great job. The volunteers and other runners were friendly and encouraging. It would be nice if women's sizing was offered for the shirt. Check this one out if you're looking for a smaller, low-key event.

Miles 2 and 13 were way off for the half marathon. I knew this because I live here and knew the course beforehand. Not so good if you're going for a time and need to do splits. I still made my time, but if too many more were off it would've messed me up.

My GPS recorded 26.23 miles which is closer than most marathons. The mile 22 marker may have been too close to 21 and too far from 23. For me, the most remarkable thing was how cheerful and encouraging the traffic monitors were. Even some who seemed to be in a dangerous and difficult traffic situation were friendly and encouraging to me. It is hard to have a marathon on open city streets. It was well done.

Loved the course and the overall organization was great. However, food at the end was marginal if that. I was surprised there was so little. Medical aid was great and the support for injuries was fantastic.

The course really showcased what a beautiful city Boise is and the volunteers were amazing.....with that said, I was amazed at how few runners there were and almost total lack of spectators. Besides the finish line and the aid stations, it was pretty lonely out there. There was no mention of anything before, on, or after race day in the Statesman (the local paper). Engage the press. Boise has more to offer than Bronco football (good luck convincing Mike Pratter of that).
I was also searching for food at the finish line (a bananna, orange wedge, anything!) One volunteer told me there was none. I just found out today that there was soup and an awards ceremony in the hotel. Wish I would have known that. A simple sign could have helped us (as I heard other runners asking for food too).
The mile markers were off which made it difficult to monitor splits. One mile I ran a 6:55, the next was 9:10?
I don't know if I'll run this one again.