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☰
Brookings Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Brookings Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.9 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 104 [displaying comments 71 to 81]
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Chris Stores from Belle Fourche, SD
(5/16/2006)
 "A great small town event" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Brookings Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Brookings was my second marathon, the first one being Seattle in 2005. Having experienced a big city marathon already I was looking forward to seeing what a small town marathon was like. I had read many positive reviews of Brookings and I recently moved to South Dakota, so it was a natural choice. I definitely wasn't disappointed. The course was great: it's a large loop course that takes you on a running tour of almost the entire city of Brookings including the historic residential district, South Dakota State University, a few different parks and an arboretum. The course is almost totally flat with only one real hill and a few other minor inclines. South Dakota is famous (or infamous?) for being windy and the course layout takes as much advantage as possible of the shelter provided by the buildings and thousands of trees in Brookings. The wind was blowing at about 20 mph out of the north for the entire race but I still posted a huge PR. The organization was great: everything started on time, shuttles were available to the start line, there was ample parking at the start line, the course was marked clearly, aid stations were plentiful and well stocked and all of the volunteers were very enthusiastic, despite the cold, wet weather. Since Brookings is relatively small you shouldn't expect there to be a large number of spectators and there weren't. But, the spectators who were present were very energetic and supportive. The only downsides I discovered were that they course got pretty lonely (there were only 134 marathon finishers) especially during the last half. Also, I wasn't really impressed with the shirts. The design was fine, but I would have preferred a different color (not yellow). But that's more of a personal preference than a real downside. If you've only experienced big city marathons, you need to do yourself a favor and give Brookings a shot. | |
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Jim Reimann from Eagan, Minnesota
(5/14/2006)
 "Great Race - well organized" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Brookings Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The course, support crew and spectators were great for this race. My neighbor and I had always 'talked' about running it, but kept to the Minnesota marathons. Not any more. I plan to be back after my experience there. The setup before, during, and after the race were great. More volunteers than runners and everyone of them were excellent. I give it the highest marks for a small town marathon. | |
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Dave Graves from Volga, SD
(5/14/2006)
"Flat, friendly, finely organized" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Brookings Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 It was my third year on the new course and the third time I have PR'd on the course. It is flat, the weather is dependably cool, and the organization is top notch. With 134 marathoners and 137 half-marathoners, this isn't an event that is going to attract roaring crowds, but it does boast of friendly aide workers and fellow runners. Today's cool weather (42 degrees and cloudy with sprinkles and less wind than usual) seemed to help everyone. In the marathon, 67 of the 134 runners finished under four hours. This year's medals were in the shape of South Dakota, which is a nice touch if you're out to be a 50-stater. | |
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J. O. from Orange City, Iowa
(5/13/2006)
"Great Marathon experience for my first!" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I chose this marathon as my first experience, primarily because it was flat. I also liked the fact that most of the course was on blacktop-type surfaces, with only a little bit on concrete. Aid stations were marvelous. Energetic fans (though few) and helpful support people. Loved using a timing chip. Only thing I'd change (if possible) would be to have the start/finish at SDSU campus, which would have had more indoor prep space. It was a fairly cold day. Otherwise, awesome! I highly recommend this experience. Everyone running around me agreed it was a great race. | |
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Dan Fucinaro from Ralston, NE
(5/25/2005)
"OUTSTANDING!!" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Brookings Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 For anyone potentially interested in this marathon, do yourself a favor & RUN IT! Some comments: Very scenic course with a mix of city streets, parks, bike trails & even a gravel trail. The major road intersections had police & volunteers stopping traffic for runners. The course had mostly flat incline grades & a few smaller hills. The organizational efforts cannot be overstated. At every turn there were (in addition to painted markings) volunteers pointing to the right directions. Lots of evenly-divided stations throughout the course for water/PowerAde, first aid & portable johns. All the volunteers were supportive of the runners with their cheering & their dedication being out there in the cold for us! The same goes for the die-hard loyal spectators! Lucky for me, the day before was a slow day at work & I was able to leave midday Friday (was originally planning to leave after the full workday) so as to attend the dinner & the speaker on the Friday night before the Saturday race. The pasta dinner was fantastic, but I was really overwhelmed with Billy Mills' speaking afterwards. The man is a class act in every sense of the word - Olympic gold medal winner & a winner in life - giving an inspirational speech. I was so impressed that Mr. Mills DIDN'T just show up for his speech & leave. After the speech, he talked to individuals & signed autographs; & I also saw him twice on the race course cheering us on & at the finish area. Got the impression that he knew that this was OUR Olympics/"moment in the sun" & he was supportive in that regard. Don't let the weather intimidate you. Yeah, SD is known to be windy... and it lived up to that on the race. Just wear plenty of layers of clothes - you can always leave off a layer or two at one of the stations. I left off my coat & cap at one of the water stations & it was at the end waiting for me. Also, since there are so many twists & turns in the course, I knew that if I was running into a headwind that I would be turning before long to get to a crosswind or eventually the wind at my back. I was able to do a personal best on this marathon with a 3:07:57 finish & it was a great day for me. I enjoyed the mix of great crowd & volunteer support but also the peacefulness on the trails that I love in my own running. I will be back to the Brookings Marathon year after year! | |
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G. S. from Bloomington IL
(5/22/2005)
 "Flat course, just as promised." (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Brookings Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I did this marathon because it was so small. There were only 83 of us that went the whole way. I really enjoyed the previous two days in Brookings before the race. It is a very quiet town, very easy to find and navigate around, and it was relaxing. The race-day weather was hideous, but they had plenty of volunteers pointing the way, water or energy drink at every stop, and fruit towards the end. I gave the course 4 stars because it was flat just as promised, but I don't really care for running on sidewalks during a marathon and there was a fair amount of that. I hoped there would've been more spectators on a nicer day, but as it was there were none to speak of back where I was... EXCEPT for Billy Mills! That was great!! He was there before the race to chat with us and waved at us at various points. | |
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michael johnson from Bath south dakota
(5/21/2005)
"great experience" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Brookings Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and up until now I was planning on it being my only one. But I had such a great time that I will be back. The course was well marked and easy to follow with all of the guide poeple pointing the way, and everyone was so supportive. Even the other runners, when I was lucky enough to pass one, would say, "Good job, keep going." It was nice to see good sportsmanship in action. The aid stations were always ready to go with people handing water to the runners; that helped a lot, and you never had to go very far without passing one. I would recommend Brookings to anyone who is thinking of running a marathon. Keep up the good work!!!! | |
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Greg Herrold from Emmetsburg, IA
(5/21/2005)
"Pack more than just shorts! Excellent Race." (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Brookings Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Unpredictable weather, so be prepared! 300 volunteers!?! It was nearly a 3 to 1 ratio of volunteers to runners, talk about hometown hospitality. The course was pretty much flat, yet extremely scenic. Running through downtown Brookings, through the McCory Gardens, and a very nice path lined with trees for miles... very enjoyable experience minus the wind and weather. This was my 2nd marathon, and even with the weather factor, I was able to set a PR in Brookings. Small race crowd with a huge heart. Excellent race; thank you to all the volunteers/police/etc. Hope to do Brookings again. | |
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Heather Prendergast from Waterloo, Iowa
(5/19/2005)
"Superb!!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Brookings Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I am so glad that I made it Brookings. It will truly hold a special place in my heart. The course was beautiful and scenic. The support was fabulous and without flaw. Yeah, the weather wasn't fun but that's not Brookings' fault and I'd rather have cooler weather than super hot weather. I hope to make Brookings a yearly trip. Congrats to all the volunteers and Andy for organizing such a wonderful experience!! | |
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P. H. from Sioux Falls, South Dakota
(5/16/2005)
"Billy Mills sets the stage" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Brookings Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Interesting course: mostly pavement but also gravel, dirt, and grass. Congratulations Andy Stockholm. Packet pick-up was quick and easy. Free shuttle bus to start. Course was well marked; intersection traffic was regulated. Plenty of volunteers and adequate aid stations. Decent long-sleeve T-shirt. Nice finisher's medal. Plenty of post-race refreshments: sport drinks, bagels, muffins, bananas, cookies, etc. Pre-race dinner was very well done. Glad I stayed to hear Billy Mills speak about his career and his great gold medal race in the '64 Tokyo Olympics. Beware: South Dakota weather is famously unpredictable, so come well prepared. Brookings is a college town - check out the downtown area for a post-race recovery beer or head down the road to Flandreau and gamble at the Royal River Casino before returning home. |
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