It was a great 1/2 marathon. We were the only two walkers but that did not stop us. The course was well identified but lonely. Need more porta-potties - around the 6-mile mark would be great.

I finished the half-marathon. This is my second half-marathon. I have yet to complete a full marathon.

The race organizers changed the format of the race this year by reversing the direction of the runners for the same route. Thus, runners ran the same loop in the different direction. Therefore, the hills that people posted in 2003 start at the beginning of the race instead of the end.

The hills do make this race one of the most challenging races I ever participated in. Period. This race really challenges your heart and mind, and you will quickly discover what you are made of in this race.

Water/Powerade stations are located about every 1.5 miles and are awesome. The volunteers did a great job at the aid stations, start and finish line.

Spectators are the only drawback because there are very few. In their defense, there are only a couple of miles of prime residential area encouraging people to bring families to root on the runners. In other words, there are a lot of highway miles in the race.

A great experience, the organizers are doing a great job and I'm looking forward to coming back next year to beat this year's time.

The course could be very scenic....why go out on a major highway when all the rural roads are there? Very friendly, competent people managing the races.

This was only my second marathon, the first being in December (below freezing), so I was a little taken by the heat, but there were aid stations every mile to keep me going. There were several medium-sized hills and long unending stretches of highway, which hurt my mid-race morale. But the volunteers were very encouraging. It is quite a challenge, but I would reccomend it, unless you are going for a PR.

I actually walked the half-marathon, but since I was out there just as long as the marathon runners, I felt 'qualified' to critique. Very enjoyable. Water at every mile - that was great. I gave the spectators a '1' because there weren't that many out there, but few spectators is just what I wanted - low pressure. Really fun event, well organized, nice town and people. (Great awards for those who placed)! See you there next year!

This was the first year for this marathon, and my 45th career marathon. In a small field, I was the 1st place masters, in what was a slow time. The course has rolling hills from 0-3, 9-16, and 22-26 miles, and is flat and fast from 3-9 and 16-22. The weather was mild for June (sunny and 70's by the end of the race). There were plenty of water/aid stations, and plenty of volunteers to keep runners from straying off the course by mistake. Traffic was not a problem. Like most marathons, it needs more port-o-lets. Maryville is about an hour and a half drive north of Kansas City. The hotel was only $55 a night, but you want to make a reservation in Maryville or one of the outlying towns early, since it's the same weekend as the Glen Miller Festival (in his home town of Clarinda, Iowa, which is only 1/2 hour drive north of Maryville). All in all, a nice marathon in a friendly town.

This course has to be one of the toughest road marathons in the country. First, there's the heat. The average heat for this time of year is 84 in Maryville. It's also typically humid. Well, this year did not disappoint; in fact, the weather OVER-achieved and was hotter than 84. Second, as if the heat weren't enough, the course has six very tough hills (three of them are absolutely the worst things you've ever seen) which you do not just one time, but TWICE... because it's a double-loop course. So, you end up with a total of 12 major hills. In the last four miles, you do five of the six really tough hills (including the three tough ones, one right after another). It was just downright cruel (but in a fun sort of way).

Despite the misery, 82 of the total 83 runners in this marathon and half-marathon finished, so the runners were, thankfully, tougher than the course this year. I did the full 26.2, but was a full half hour off of my PR, set in a cool month on a flatter course (Huntsville, AL). The most inspiring finisher of the day was a half-marathon runner who was 66-years old, and less than a year removed from major heart surgery (my father). He was a stud on this day!

Maryville is a pretty college town. Unfortunately, the course doesn't take full advantage of that due to logistics. You spend about five miles of each loop on a desolate-feeling highway with no shade. I will have to say that the race planners did a fantastic job of coordinating both a half and full marathon certified course that both finish in the college stadium. But don't look for much crowd support. Like most races of this size, the folks that come out are awesome, but there are just very few that do.

Maryville did a great job for their inaugural event. The course is challenging (quite a few steep hills) and warm (72 at the start, and over 80 when I finished). There were water stops every mile, and the volunteers were very encouraging. This is a small marathon, but well worth it.