Tough course: 8 miles on gravel/dirt roads, and 16-22 are uphill - when you need some downhill the most. Great support, and it's nice to have aid stations every 2 miles starting at mile 4. No spectators. The party at the end left much to be desired.

Pluses: Lots of sunshine and no shade at all. Early start, so you are not running in a hot part of the day. The bus ride was organized. At the start, it ws 45 degrees; at the finish, mid 60's. Porta-potties and water stop every 2 miles. Chocolate milk at the finish. Also, it's only 2 hours from Jackson Hole and Teton National Park, which are totally awesome. And it's about 4 hours from Salt Lake City.

Minuses: Except for the water stops and relay exchange points, and fans at the finish, there are NO SPECTATORS. Gatorade or whatever they were handing out was the worst I've ever tasted in a race. Several of the early miles were on dirt/gravel road, which I found annoying, especially going uphill. Food at the potato bake looked so awful that we ditched and went elsewhere. Mile 25/26 was downhill, but since quads were toast from the two previous 4 mile climbs, it hurt with every step going down the hill. No split times. No 13.1 marking.

Summary: I was doing this as part of the 50-state club. Would not recommend this for those wanting to travel to cool or interesting places. Nothing really to do in Rexburg. Very ordinary and nothing special.

Do this one and you can say you did the Dam Marathon!! And you should do it! Outstanding volunteers! Great marathon!! Tough course; high elevation; two long hills, one on gravel; and almost all the rest was rolling hills. We stayed at AmeriInn and ate at Hard Hat Cafe - and highly recommend both!

This was number 4 for me - NY, Miami, and A1A were my other three, and this was the most challenging. Lots of hills - like the whole course, and on top of all of the hills, we were at over 5,000 feet in elevation. No PR for this course; add about 15 minutes to your time. The race was a lot of fun. Rexburg was very nice.

For a small-town event, this race is well-organized. The course is very rolling, especially tough for flat-landers who are not accustomed to running at altitude (4800-5100 ft). The new course for 2008 featured approximately 7 miles on gravel roads, which made for some slower going on the hills. Weather for the 2008 race was sunny and warm (got very warm very quickly), so the prevailing winds were most welcome in the later miles (as were the occasional, unintentional showers from farm sprinklers). There is not a lot of variety in the scenery, mostly potato farms and long stretches of road. However, the volunteers more than make up for the long lonesome stretches of road with their enthusiasm and encouragement. They made even us back-of-the-pack folks feel great about our efforts.

Wonderfully organized, small-town marathon. Commemorating the 1976 Teton Dam burst tragedy, starts at the dam site. Challenging mile-high course with great scenery. Two substantial hills, but do-able. Excellent, friendly support, with free Idaho potato-bake carb-load dinner. No complaints.

I trained well and went up alone. I was a little nervous since it was my first marathon. I enjoyed the small-town scenery and the great support. They ran out of water at mile 15 or 16 that was a little bit tough - only Gatorade. A couple in a car gave me a water bottle that I carried for 3 miles. Thank you! Otherwise, it was very well organized. A very flat course with great scenery.

This was my 29th marathon experience and my slowest, but given that I completed the Deadwood Mickelson Marathon in SD 6 days prior, I can't complain. The organization was surperb. The whole town gets behind this one. The mayor actually hands out your number and goodie bag. I had #1, don't know how other that I must have registered early. I wanted the mayor to have my number, but he declined. What a personable and down-to-earth guy. He even ran the marathon. There were not a lot of spectators but those who were at the water stops were second to none. The scenery was great, along with the weather and shirt. Keep up the good work, Rexburg.

- Mike from MA

I only did the half but the course was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Everyone was very friendly and we got a lot of nice freebies. It was fun to meet the mayor of Rexburg and to see him run the marathon. The food post-race could have been a lot better. I think this is an area for improvement, but other than that it was a really nice race.

This is a scenic, well-organized, feel-good, small-town race. Everyone - the race organizers, the volunteers, the other runners, and the spectators - were all so friendly and enthusiastic. The mayor of Rexburg also ran the marathon this year - his first! - setting a great example for the citizens of his lovely community. I highly recommend this wonderful event.