Hearing "Chariots of Fire" blasting from the tower of the United Church (as well as from a private residence, where a woman was playing it on her piano) set me off with a smile on my face. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, and the volunteers at the aid stations were super friendly. What a great day!

I just ran the Treherne Marathon yesterday, and the whole experience was really good (with the nasty exception of a single kilometer between KM 37/38, when I hit a wall that looked like more or less like the Great Wall of China... but I'll save you from reading that unpleasant story).

The experience was spectacular; this is my second full so far, so I'm not a seasoned runner so far. But anyway, I believe I can share this with the rest of the running community (in case you are living somewhere close to Manitoba and you are looking for a new marathon to run).

What makes this marathon unique (for most of us running on the prairies) is the additional complexity presented by the inclination of the terrain (8 to 10 hills, mostly located in the first two thirds of the marathon).

I think it's a great challenge for someone who is looking to spice up his marathon experience a little. The hills and the additional struggle with running on a rural area (and not having lots of people around you giving you that moral push we all rely upon) will make this one not a good candidate for personal bests, but it is for sure a great marathon to improve your resistance to inclined courses and an interesting challenge to justify hill training and inclined treadmill runs for awhile.

The organization is good (organizing a small marathon is obviously not as difficult as a bigger one, but people in Treherne deserve kudos anyways), and the people in the town are nice and they welcome you like they really care to make you feel comfortable...

In summary: The Treherne Marathon is still small in participation, but there is potential for growth, considering how close they are to Winnipeg and that Winnipeggers will never have a chance to experience a course like that in the Manitoba Marathon. If you leave in the city of Winnipeg and the Manitoba Marathon is your only run scheduled, consider this one as your second if you like variation, because it's exactly the opposite (hilly instead of flat, rural instead of urban).

I do a lot of my long runs on gravel roads, so I really enjoyed the country roads & scenery. I had heard about the hills, so mentally I was prepared for them. I'm just glad all the tough up-hills were in the 1st half of the race.

The organization of the race was amazing! Very impressive; congratulations to all the volunteers.

I would add a couple of things for the future. Have someone audibly call out the times at Mile #1; it really helps with the pacing. And please mark the 1/2 way point at 13.11 miles so runners can gauge their performance at that point. Thanks again for an awesome marathon.

Excellent weather this year, the fields were very pretty, and the hills were challenging as ever. Extremely well organized event for such a small town. No big crowds of supporters, of course, but this IS rural Manitoba on a Sunday morning after all. Should consider an ultra-event in the future.

Aids stations were great - gels were not offered on the full course this year, but that's no big deal though. It would be nice to see the pork-on-a-bun back.... The burger didn't quite match up to it.

Keep up the good work, Treherne.

Small town, big hearts. Very nice run. Good food - except the milk/chocolate milk was missing at the end.

My first time running the half marathon, and I throughly enjoyed the entire event. The pasta dinner the night before was awesome, with homemade pasta dishes and desserts. The organization of the race was flawless, from the early morning volunteers directing parking, to the run itself and onto post-race food - including a free hamburger. We stayed at a nice local hotel but next year we plan to stay at the beautiful campground that is right at the start/finish area. The folks at Treherne should be very proud of this great race. Special congratulations for Miss Candace Sutherland for her run - but more importantly, her great fundraiser that has raised over 50 turkeys for a local charity.

Thank you all.

What can I say but bravo to Treherne? You guys have the potential to be number 1 in Manitoba - and I didn't even have to walk 5 miles to my truck after it was over. See you next year.
- Candace ("Special Feet") Sutherland, age 14

The weather, scenery, and race course were great for a wonderful morning run in the Manitoba countryside. The hills were "awesome".... long going up, short going down!!!!! A great way to move into fall, and prepare for the indoor tennis and downhill ski season. We are already planning for next year.

I believe this was the slowest marathon time I have ever had! This was due to the combination of lack of training and a very challenging course. I was worried going into this, as I am much more used to large urban marathons with huge crowd support. I actually found the solitude and beauty of the prairie landscape on a wonderful fall day to be quite moving, and I thought this must be something like running Big Sur (which I haven't) but without the crowds or ocean.

The volunteer support was fantastic and enthusiastic, the organization was great, and it sure is nice to show up at a marathon, park your car and walk across the field to the start line.

One small quibble: It is now 2 days post-race and I still cannot find online results.

Thank you to all the organizers and volunteers; I am definitely recommending this one as a unique experience.

I have been coming out for this annually to run the half marathon. It has always been a great course for hill training prior to racing in Switzerland and New York. The people of Treherne are so friendly - and the best part is the food the people put on the night before the race, as well as the post-race set-up. This year the muffins were awesome! Thanks to all the organizers for their cheeriness and awesome hospitality.