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☰
Swan Lake Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Swan Lake Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.8 
Spectators 2.7
Number of comments: 52 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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t. k. from eastern nebraska
(6/25/2017)
 "Excellant choice for a mid-western marathon." (about: 2017)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Swan Lake Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great food, many options for 'sleeping over' at the camp, easy to travel there. Larger marathons could learn something from the Swan lake race group. The only issue can be the weather - its June on the great plains, so you can get almost anything. | |
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B. M. from South Dakota
(6/24/2017)
 "Great race to connect with nature" (about: 2017)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Swan Lake Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 One of the things I love about running is having time for some solitude. Another reviewer referred to this course as boring. I rather see it as an opportunity to run the way I love to run - just me, the sunrise, and the road. I really enjoyed this race. And the organization and volunteers were great. I highly recommend it. | |
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F. S. from Michigan
(6/12/2017)
 "Bad Experience" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Swan Lake Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I'm a 50 stater and I signed up for this marathon and the Marathon to Marathon in Iowa to do a back-to-back. My Iowa Marathon didn't go quite so well and I was quite sore for this race, which was the second of the back to back. So here's the positives of the race: The course had a great amount of aid stations, especially for such a small marathons. The volunteers were also very friendly as were the runners. Here's the negative: The course is pretty boring, laid out with long stretches going straight with nothing to see. It also is laid out mostly north/south so if there is a strong June wind (common in SD), you will feel it. Here's my problem: I slightly hurt myself the day before in Iowa, so I made the decision to drop down to the half-marathon at about mile 11. I told the volunteers at an aid station and they said good for you. As I crossed the finished line, I was scolded by the volunteer at the finish line. She called me 'shady' and said I was dropping down to confuse people who might be racing against me. (Mind you noone was within 5 minutes of me either way). She really put a bitter taste in my mouth. | |
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G. P. from Sun Prairie, WI
(7/31/2016)
 "Splendid Race and Atmosphere" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Swan Lake Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Swan Lake was a superb experience from top to bottom. This is a small scale run with an array of rural scenery that resonated a few patriotic songs as I rumbled along: America the Beautiful: 'Amber waves of grain...' Home on the Range: 'where the buffalo roam...' and 'The skies are not cloudy all day...' We enjoyed some lake vistas, a variety of farm animals, an inspiring sunrise, and a touch of small town America (the real Main Street USA) on the course, which was 67% gravel / 33% pavement. Well organized, smooth pack pick up, excellent volunteers, a relaxing pasta dinner, and a nice post race lunch. Be sure to stay at the camp when you visit. It offers a great rate, a quiet night, and a 50 yard walk to the start line in the morning. Special thanks to Julia for your support throughout the run!!! | |
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J. F. from Ohio
(6/22/2016)
 "Awesome marathon and volunteers" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Swan Lake Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Do not be fooled by the lack of stars-this is a small marathon but the folks who put it on do a first class job and I recommend it highly. The course is flat to slight hills, lots of farmland, some gravel roads, no music, fantastic waterstops and volunteers, and folks on carts and in cars continuously checking on you and offering support (verbal plus ice, various treats, gels, etc.). It was very warm this year and they started the run 1 hour earlier, and communicated that to all the participants well ahead of time. This was state #39 for me and even though it was a big time struggle, I was extremely glad I chose this event for SD. Great pasta dinner the night before and great grub afterwards. A real first class, well organized marathon- well done SLCC!!!! Oh and one last thing- stay at the camp cabins- easier than getting a hotel 15 or 20 miles away like I did.... | |
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J. S. from Nassau Bahamas
(6/14/2014)
"Nice Event" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Swan Lake Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 The race has an early start which was a important factor for me. It was well marked. It is run mainly on unpaved roads. This was a 1st for me. So I usually wear minimalist shoes so I kinda felt each pebble. The course was supported and afterwards there was a nice meal & showers available. If you need crowd support this is not the race for you. The course is flat and traverses through farmland. There are accommodations at the camp which makes access to the start easy. I stayed in Beresford which was 40 mins away. The packet pick up was very efficient & equals technology used at major marathons I enjoyed the marathon | |
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B. P. from Albuquerque, New Mexico
(9/25/2013)
 "Good 50-stater's race" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Swan Lake Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The Swan Lake marathon is a really small race but not the smallest I've done and the aid station support was really good considering the size of the race. I would not be surprised if there were as many, if not more, volunteers as there were runners. The course is pretty nice, lots of farmland and then you take a tour of Swan Lake, which is pretty small. However, I don't think this is a race you come to do for the scenery, the quality of the course, the amazing support or for any of those reasons. This is more a race that is ideal for 50-staters because you can get South Dakota and Iowa (Marathon to Marathon) in the same weekend and what's cool is that both of these races are so small that there is a large chunk of runners who do both of them so you end up recognizing a lot of people. I gave the 'spectators' one star only because there really were no spectators but in this part of the country you would be hard pressed to get a crowd together for anything, there just aren't that many people to begin with. Are the people who are around friendly and supportive, absolutely but if you are the type of person who is really into crowd support like teaming masses of people cheering you on this is absolutely not the place you will find it. | |
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D. H. from MN
(7/9/2013)
"great race" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Swan Lake Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I really enjoyed this race, which is surprising because the race conditions this year were perhaps the worst I have ever run in. But the people at the camp were the nicest bunch and the most concerned about the success and well being of the runners. This year was a very wet spring and there was about 2 inches of rain the day before the race. The course has about 19 miles on dirt roads and so we had 19 miles of mud to run through. Add to that the normal spring winds in South Dakota and the conditions were quite tough. But the volunteers at the water stops were all out there and quite cheerful and encouraging. The dinner the night before and the lunch after the race at the dining hall were quite good and very enjoyable. I hope I will be able to be back next year (and I hope for better conditions) to see what I could do there without the mud. This may become one of my favorite marathons. | |
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E. I. from Leavenworth, KS
(6/9/2013)
"Great Small Town Marathon!!!" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Swan Lake Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is a fun race. The course is a mix of dirt roads and pavement. Although it is a small field, the aid station support is excellent. It is a Sunday race so 50 Staters have time to run the race in Iowa the day before. The Start/Finish line is well organized and the food at the finish was great. | |
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S. C. from Portland Oregon USA
(6/13/2012)
"TOP RATED" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Swan Lake Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 read the next comments. RIGHT ON !!! I will add, 50 Stater's can do Iowa the day before (Marathon to Marathon) The weather was tough this year. But 2 days later it was perfect marathon weather. So don't let the comments on the heat deter you. Lots of runs get a bad luck weather event. The lunch afterwards was fantastic. DO NOT miss the cheesy potatoes. I'd run another marathon for seconds. Fortunately you don't have to. They are VERY generous with the food, the fun, and the friendliness. TOP NOTCH !!! |
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