This is one beautiful marathon! For a first time event everything went along perfectly. The scenery is just gorgeous, much prettier than what is shown online. The aid stations were well-maintained, plenty of water, Gatorade, pretzels, trailmix, GU, and wonderful volunteers. Weather was cool and dry and sunny. It is a gradual downhill course and will not beat up your legs too badly, but it is a trail and there are some rocky spots, sand, etc. so that might affect your time some. Very well-organized. Be sure to do the pasta party the night before as there isn't much in Susanville and the pasta party was very well done with great speakers and good food. A must do if you are looking to try a trail run.

I thought the race was well organized. I encountered no hassles which enabled me to fully focus on the race. The course winds through a scenic canyon which is slightly downhill the last 11+ miles. The footing is mostly dirt with a fairly long section of small gravel which slows you a bit. There are aid stations every 2 miles which for the day were more than sufficient. Overall, I had a great experience. This has to be one of the fastest trail marathons around.

I recommend this race very highly. All 3 of my previous marathons have been big city races - this was the polar opposite. There are fun aspects to both, but this is a wonderful 'destination' marathon - for first timers or veterans. Extremely well organized, from the pasta party (great speakers) to the post-race refreshments (including yummy potato soup!) - and this was only the first year. The course is beautiful, and is a gradual downhill from mile marker 6 (except for a very short steep section at mile 20). I didn't even notice the altitude. The whole area is simply gorgeous, and Susanville is a quaint and friendly town. Marvelous job, Eric, and thank you!!

This was a spectacular course. The scenery alone was worth the price of admission. Bring your camera, your friends, family, and bring some warm close. It was cold at the start, so layer and shed as you go. They did a remarkable job for a first time event. They were well organized, and course support and volunteers were great! While there weren't a lot of spectators, but everyone was cheered on at aid stations and finish. The course was reasonably well marked for a trail run. This is a small low-key event, and a great opportunity to get off of the road and onto a kinder, gentler-on-the-body marathon. Heck if you don't want to run it, just head up for the scenery. Book your hotel early, as there isn?t a lot of space available. If you?re a road runner like me, you?ve got to check this one out, it was definitely a welcome change.

I went to this one because the website had great pictures and promised a fast course on a forgiving surface. It was everything advertised. It is almost entirely on 'Rails-to-Trails' abandoned railbed. Nice crushed gravel and very smooth. It is not really a 'trail' run per se.

The grade is very slight, and there are lots of straight sections and long slow curves. At times, you can see the next aid station from a half-mile away. Bus transport from the RR depot to the finish was well organized and on time. Mileage markers were all there, and the aid stations were well-stocked with a wide variety of liquids, snacks and pain relievers, and manned by enthusiastic locals and members of the Susanville High School wrestling team. Roughly the first half of the course is through pine and fir forest; the second half drops into the Susan River canyon, which has rocky cliffs, more deciduous trees changing color, lots of wooden bridges crossing the river, and two very cool, dimly lit RR tunnels.

There is not much in the way of spectator support; only a few spots where vehicular traffic can approach the RR bed, but I struck up some great conversations with other participants along the way. I came to Boston-qualify without tearing myself up too much, and succeeded. This is a small event, so I also placed for age-group, which I never dreamed would have happened, and certainly never would have in a bigger event.

Susanville is not quite the 'destination' locale of Deadwood, S.D. with Mt. Rushmore and other major tourist attractions nearby, but in all other respects I think this event should be giving the Deadwood-Mickelson Marathon a run for its money.

This was an awesome race. It slightly climbed uphill in the beginning, then it was downhill the whole way, except for one at the end. Very nice race, very fast, and very well put together.