I truly was expecting to see wild horses. I did see piles of horse poop. They even had nice educational signs to explain what you were seeing. It seems that the piles of horse dung are there because this is the way the male horses mark their territory, and the nice open space that the graded road provides is perfect for them. My time was about thirty-five minutes slower than most races, but I attribute that to stopping and reading the educational markers, looking for horses, runner's knee problems, and taking pictures of the vast distance between me and the runners ahead of me. If you don't mind being alone most of the race, need some time just to think, clear your mind, this could be the race for you.

Now,some things that need attention: I would guess that if you asked most anybody in the town of Green River, besides the organizers and volunteers, about the 'Run with the Horses Marathon' they would say, 'What marathon'. Until I came accross the finish line over the bridge that spans Green River I did not see any spectators except for the policeman that changed the traffic light to green for me when I crossed the Main St. I should think the city of Green River should be proud of the fact that they have a 'Wild Horse Preserve' and that they have people coming from all over the country to not only visit this preserve and their city but to run a marathon in it! Somebody needs to alert the town to this race. After running 24 miles of basically high chaparral wilderness it would have been so much better to have at least some people cheering from the streets of Green River besides the few that checked my time as I finished.

Oh! back up. The pedestrian bridge that crosses the train tracks near the end of the race has big cracks on the down slope. I saw the first crack and said to myself be careful Alan, this railing is like an old erector set, one wouldn't want to fall and get a foot or much worse a head caught in the bars as you fall. the next crack I caught with my toe and slid for about ten feet on my stomack and elbow. The race director was very helpful when I showed her my boo-boo. They even took pictures of it.

The water stops every two miles were great (even M&M's) and the volunteers on the roving quads were very helpful with discarded clothing or whatever you needed. The course was well marked and mile markers were easy to read, even from more than a 1/2 mile away. The pasta dinner was a nice picnic in the park with great entertainment. Overall, a unique race I would do again, if I happened to be in the area, and ran it with a friend, who would not be interested in a fast time. The elevation of over 7000 feet is deceiving.

This marathon is like life. It is not an easy run, but that is the beauty of this run. It is a tough, beautiful run that will inspire you. The course is dirt/rock, but quite smooth. The hills just kept on like a bad joke and there wasn't enough air for this flat lander. The people were great. One could not ask for better organization or support on the course. It was a long way for me to come to Wyoming, but it was well worth it.

This was an adventure; not about the time, it's about the spirtual. See horses, race ducks, eat shrimp - now that's what I am talking about. Have fun and get out there,

- Boston

Where were the horses? I saw three dead rabbits along the route. Maybe the marathon should be called 'Run With the Dead Rabbits.' Seeing horse poop along the way made me think that maybe the race committee planted it there just so we would think there had been horses in the area. I even carried a camera for 26.2 miles. I attribute my slowest time ever to carrying the camera. Having run over 40 marathons in 37 states, I would rate 'Run With The Horses' as the most difficult. I thought it would be a combination of Grizzly in Montana and the one I ran in Steamboat, CO in June; however, I was wrong. We asked the volunteers if the crosses along the way were the runners who did not finish last year's marathon. They did not say yes, but on the other hand, they did not say no.

Seriously, it was a very well organized marathon. The director and the volunteers could not have been more friendly and helpful. The scenic views were breathtaking.

For those people who are above average, but never won anything, the Running With Horses Marathon may be your best chance. Only about 60 runners were in this marathon in 2004. Usually my joke is, 'If there were 22 more steps on that podium, I'd be standing up there too.' I ended up 2nd place in my age group. That's the first time I ever won anything in a marathon (besides a finishing medal and t-shirt). There are several competing marathons that same weekend. The fastest people go for the marathons with big money prizes. Many runners don't like the high elevation or dirt/gravel road. Runners who like high elevation marathons would rather do Silverton that weekend. At the last minute, I decided to run this marathon in 2004. It runs mostly on a dirt road along a bluff high above the interstate. The views are spectacular, with the Uinta Mountains in Utah to the south. My guess is you can see for 70 or 80 miles, maybe more. I don't know how many will sign up this year. For those of you looking for a unique marathon, this is it. The race organizers gave that friendly small-town welcome. The prizes included a history of the town (ask them to show you a piece of Trona). The scenery is awesome.

This first-year event drew in a small but very experienced group of runners. Don't expect a PR, rather expect to run about an hour slower than usual. Some people found the constant hills to be difficult at high altitude. Not much as far as food at aid stations. Food at the finish.

Being that this was a first-year event, the organizers did well, but there is room for improvement. There is a shuttle ride to the start and once boarding the bus there was a 45 minute wait before the bus departed. Runners arrived at the start where there were no port-a-johns, just open prairie. The course is somewhat monotonous and very open. But you do spot an occasional wild horse and there are some very cool rock formations towards the end. Near the 23rd mile mark or so there is a steep decline which is rather painful on the body.

At the end of the race you enter the town of Green River, and at the finish, two sweet little girls were holding up finish line tape for each runner to run through as they finished. I don't think I've ever been first in a race so this was fun for me. I felt fine after the race but my two race companions were pretty sick; one had flu-like symptoms for 8 hours. Maybe this was due to the altituted but I'm not certain. Overall we enjoyed the small-town atmosphere of this race and would love to do it again.

High desert...wild horses in the distance...the Uinta Mtns. and the Wind River Mtns on the horizon...the buttes and the twisted rock formations and the faraway legendary landmarks along the Oregon Trail way out there...about a 6500 feet elevation...no spectators...enough water stops...ends on Expedition Island in GR, where JW POwell began his exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers in 1869...nice small town marathon...inexpensive lodging in Green River...eat at Bitter Creek Brew Pub in Rock Springs...enjoy the vista and the big sky.

The course follows the Wild Horse Loop road in the hills above Rock Springs and Green River, WY. It's big, wide open country, blue sky and brown earth, wild horses, distant mountains. Don't expect spectators. Don't expect many other marathoners. One of the few marathons here in my home state of WY. Mostly dirt, which I prefer over pavement and concrete. The course ends on Expedition Island on the Green River where J.W. Powell began his historic exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers in 1869.