Great people in Green River, and the race organizers are very laid back - a no-hassle marathon! Nothing fancy, but well set up for the remote terrain, from the bus ride to the start to the finish line with no "finish" banner. (First one I've done without a banner, but that's not a big deal.) There could have been more port-o-jons at the start, and for those of us who lost sight of the runners ahead, the course markings were lacking in a few places; thus, there was a bit of confusion on the route. A lot of hills, and 3 miles of a steep decline from miles 20-23. Don't plan on a PR or BQ at this one. Great medal and unique finisher's awards made of horseshoes! No horses this year, though.

This was a great race. The repeated hills and the climb to 7500 feet were challenging. Coming from 2000 feet, my breathing didn't set into a rhythm until about mile six. The temperature and the breeze/wind made the conditions ideal, despite having no cloud cover. Running on about 24 miles of dirt road made this a nice change from other marathons.

I highly recommend this race. It's a great small race but is probably going to grow very fast!

This was my 37th marathon and it is also one of the best organized. The race director was very responsive to questions (yeah, I started asking questions months in advance) and great with follow up.

This is definitely the toughest marathon I have done to date but the scenery more than made up for it. The vistas were gorgeous and the horses were amazing, definitely worth the lack of oxygen at that altitude (I live at 1,200 feet above sea level). The aid stations were about 2 miles apart and the volunteers were incredibly supportive. Two of the water stops had run out of water and just as I was panicking along came the race director with jugs of water, my bottle was replenished and I was on my way. Did I mention how wonderful the volunteers were? They were the only spectators along the course, except the wild horses. If you need lots of spectators, this isn't the race for you. But if you want a well organized, friendly, runner-oriented race, I encourage you to run this one. However, due to the altitude and the steepness of the hills, I wouldn't recommend it if you plan on a fast finishing time.

My only complaint: more porta-potties are needed at the start, as two weren't enough. I finally made it to the front of the line, when the race started. Nothing like a little panic to get you started up the hills.

The race organization was great, packet pick-up was incredibly easy, and the pre-race shrimp dinner was incredible. And tons of food at the finish for us back-of-the-packers, something we aren't used to having. Also being a back-of-the-packer, they had run out of medals when I finished. Not to worry - a medal would be mailed to me. True to their word, 10 days later my medal arrived in the mail. I agree this race won't stay small for long!

I've completed 185 marathons/ultras and this makes my top 10 for uniqueness. Might also make my top 10 in degree of difficulty. To give you some idea of that: I ran a 4:13 and yet was able to recover and run a 3:54 at the Pocatello, Idaho Marathon seven days later. Those two finishing times are unremarkable, but at 59 years-old I think they show that the Green River marathon is fairly tough, but also forgiving on your body because of the dirt road surface. Green River was pretty much up and down for the first 20-plus miles and then you pound your quads a little downhill from about miles 21 to 24. There were three or four vehicles that created some dust, but I didn't find that to be a major problem. The road surface certainly was easier on your legs than most marathons. The race was very well organized and the marathon officials, volunteers and Green River folks were friendly folks. I had never loaded on shrimp before a race before, but the shrimp boil was quite a feast. They also provided a pasta dish and garlic bread for the carbs. A lot of marathons for me are one-timers. I'd go back to this one.

Some of the previous comments had me a little concerned; however, it was not as bad as they made it sound. The start was a little tough to us flat-landers due to the elevation, but it turned out to be a perfect day (once the immediate incline was over and the breathing returned to normal). The hills were there but nothing extreme, except for the steep decline at the end. Water stops were as promised even though they were off of the beaten path. The worst part was dust thrown up by a few drivers who didn't slow down when passing the runners. I skipped the shrimp boil due to the long line but the portions they were handing out were fair. I did partake of the buffalo and beer on race day. The festival was small but nice (dog show, local artists with impressive works, etc.). I even won a horse-shoe for being fastest in my age group (got to love the small races). It won't stay small for long since it was a good time with great views and friendly people.

My friends and I took a 1 week road trip from Wisconsin to Green River. We camped each night or just slept in my van. Each morning we'd play a round or two of disc gold and hit as many hot springs as possible.

The Green River course was difficult but very beautiful. I enjoyed it very much because of the challenge.

Getting home was not fun. As soon as we finished racing we drove 20 hours straight back to Wisconsin and went back to work. Ouch.

I love running the smaller races because I can normally do better in my age group but this race was an eyeopener. By mile 2 I was taking walk breaks and it didn't get any faster as the course got longer. It was very pretty and the weather we had was just about perfect. There was an aid/water station every 2 miles for the entire course so I got to talk to a lot of folks at the stops. The full marathon runners did get to see a small herd of horses early on the race but the 1/2 runners saw 2 or 3 herds. The course was along the ridge line, so it is HIGH - I think from 6300 ft. to 7500 ft. Being a flatlander from Chicago, where it is only about 30 feet above sea level, the altitude was brutal. I had a great time even though my time was about 30 minutes off of what I normally run. We passed on the pasta shrimp feed on Fri. night but did go to the buffalo BBQ on Sat. It was very good. The race director was great and everyone connected with the race was helpful and friendly. It is not what I would consider a Boston qualifying race but if you run close to a BQ time here, any low-level race would be a piece of cake. This is a race to take easy and enjoy.

This race was definitely worth the trip. I had considered one of the flatter WY races but was encouraged to run this one "while my knees were still young," and I'm glad I did. I didn't expect a PR and didn't have one, but the course was beautiful and the volunteers fantastic - plus horses! Aid stations every 2 miles. Cool in the a.m. and nice and warm at the finish. The race was well organized and small enough to be personal - we got emailed driving directions due to a road closure and a list of all items left along the course that they'll mail out - can't say I've experienced that before!

I just moved to Ogden, and scheduled this marathon because of that. Unfortunately, I was not as well trained as I could or should have been. So, with that, a warning: Do not run this marathon if you're not ready for it. At a 7,500-foot starting elevation you will need all the aerobic capacity you can muster. I thought that once we climbed up onto the plateau west of Rock Springs, the going would be flat to gently rolling hills. The hills were a little more than gentle. And, I was counting on the precipitous decline after mile 20 - forget it, my legs were so trashed at that point that even gravity seemed to hate me.

Still, it's a beautiful course. We did see a large herd of wild horses in the distance at about mile 3. That was spectacular - something about the tightly packed herd, the energy of the group, and the dust they were throwing into the air as they galloped across the prairie was truly magnificent.

The organization of the race is very good for a small marathon (113, I believe, finished the race). No details were missed as far as I could tell. Even better, though, were the weekend activities surrounding the river festival. Don't miss the shrimp boil, the duck race, or the 24-hour sculpting contest (that really was pretty incredible). I only wish I could have stayed through Sunday to enjoy the other scheduled events. It's definitely a weekend that Green River does well - worth the trip!

The course is challenging and has fantastic scenery. With the hills and altitude add at least 15 minutes to your normal time. There is no shade. The organization was pretty good for a small race. The pre-race shrimp feast was nice. Getting to the buses was easy and there were no problems with the start. It was good to be able to wait on the buses before the start because it was cool outside. The aid stations were consistent: Located every two miles with full strength PowerAde, cold water, and a few stations had snacks. They ran out of cups at the mile 20 station. The course is very hilly and dusty. There were trucks on the course pulling horse trailers and creating a tremendous amount of dust. My throat is still sore from breathing dirt. I don't understand why they couldn't close the trail to vehicles for a few hours. The shirt is the worst one I have ever received. It is a cotton tank top with the race logo on the back and a column of sponsors names on the front. I won't be wearing it, ever! The medal is shared between marathon runners and 13.1-milers. The half started at the halfway point so it didn't interfere with the marathon runners. There was plenty of post-race food and cold drinks when I finished around 4:30 hours.