While reading the others' comments, I agree the organization was great! Lunch was fantastic. The volunteers were wonderful Unfortunately, I did not receive a light. I think it would have been nice to have directions to the start place in the race packet. The race course was great until you got into town and then there were a couple of times I felt I was taking my own life into my hands as traffic was quite heavy and people were not paying attention. There were many times I felt alone on the course.

This was my fourth marathon. And it was quite unlike the others I've run. This marathon is small (150 runners). For me, I think I prefer a larger field, but the fans/spectators/volunteers that were there were wonderful. I will say, overall, I loved this race. David and Rhonda are A+++ 110% committed to making this a great experience for everyone. The Lees and the volunteers gave their all, and I am very thankful to them.

The course is tough. For me, it was TOUGH. Believe them when they say it is a STEEP decline in the first half. IT IS!!! Be warned, the roads are open and have a considerable camber. This and the steep drop made it very hard going on my legs for the second half, but marathons aren't really easy anyway, so there it is... lol. The scenery is gorgeous. This area of NC is beautiful and we had perfect weather. The finish was perfect. Solitary through the woods and over pathways and the bridge. Gorgeous and peaceful, especially knowing you were at the end. For me, a somewhat private triumph...( I was in some pain, but it was worth it times 10).

The celebration at the finish was fantastic (food, drink, mylar blankets, friendly people) as is the "one of a kind" medal. Even the race shirt was excellent. This was not my PR, but only 6 minutes off, and still a Boston qualifying time, so I am pleased. And thanks to the store at the top of the ridge, for opening up for us! Much appreciated!

I highly recommend this marathon. My experience in the Ridge to the Bridge means quite a deal to me. Thank you, Brown Mountain Running Club, and especially David and Rhonda. I LOVED IT.

This marathon was a terrific experience from beginning to end. The race director did a fantastic job, and really set an amazing standard. I want to offer my hearty congratulations and appreciation to David Lee and his terrific team of good-hearted folks - you did a great job on this marathon. Here are some of the highlights:

David sent out a number of email updates to all registered runners, with useful information about the run. He answered questions, and shared tips about how to best run the course, and its first half, downhill section. He was quickly responsive to any and all emailed questions. He added a place on the website to communicate with other runners - for example, to share rides to the bus pick up area.

Very nice buses to the start - no school bus ride for this run! We had a comfortable travel coach, with a great driver. He didn't talk a lot, allowing for conversation among the riders, but he pointed out things along they way, and shared humorous anecdotes.

Since the run was starting at 7:00, prior to the sun rising, we were all given small flashlights (easily carried with the attached key ring) and a glow bracelet, to increase visibility.

The course was a lovely, tree-lined road in the country. Although there were cars on the road, most swung wide to go around us.

The shirt was a nice, long-sleeved tech shirt.

The goody bag was a yellow fabric, with our name and race number on a luggage tag. He also included the typical clear plastic bag as a drop bag for extra clothes at the start.

The volunteers were uniformly pleasant, supportive and encouraging.

The race finish area did not have showers, but David provided packages of 10 deodorized body wipes!

In addition to bananas, oranges, pretzels and water, we were served pulled pork, green beans, rolls and peach cobbler - delicious!
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Thanks to the owner of the new store at the start, who opened early for us, had coffee, gels and other products available, and provided a warm place to wait. I hope he got some business back for his efforts.
Thanks to everyone who spent so much of their time to make this a special experience. Your time and efforts are much appreciated.

By the way - I gave the fans 5 stars, because even though there weren't any to speak of, the volunteers and local sheriff, driving back and forth the whole time, made up for it! (Who needs spectators anyway? That's not why I run!)

Read all these comments by the other runners. It looks like they are over-selling the marathon, but once you run it, you feel the same way yourself. This was my 17th marathon and was a special treat. I am on my way through the 50 states and am thankful I selected this one for my North Carolina marathon. I ran both the Ridge to Bridge and then the Marine Corps the following day and there was a huge contrast between the two, yet both were special in their own way.

Most small marathons are organized by a local running club and there are details missing which runners from out of town need to have, yet this race director, David Lee, had it together and assembled an awesome race. There were not many spectators, but I expected that in this race and prefer the small marathons to the overcrowded ones.

In Minnesota, our leaves have changed and most are on the ground, but in North Carolina, I was treated to the full fall colors and spectacular scenery. I held back on the down hills since I had a marathon to run the next morning, so being towards the back, I was amazed by the cheering of the aid station volunteer who I could hear ¼ mile away and there wasn't another runner in sight, that'll make anyone feel like a hero.

This marathon is so easy to recommend to others, I only wish I lived closer and could make it an annual event.

I hate giving a race a low score when it doesn't deserve a low score. This is a small rural race run in the hills...nobody lives there, only trees and beautiful countryside...so spectators get a single star.

The race is wonderfully friendly. Fantastic medal! Loads of great food! And if you stay at the host hotel, 4AM breakfast! We were given homemade goodies at packet pickup, too good to be true. The course was well marked, there were plenty of friendly volunteers...the Sheriff and ambulance cruised the course continuously. The owner of the store where we started was a friendly and courteous to us as possible. We were even taken to the top of the hill (yes they drive you to the top of the hills so that you can run down them!) in luxury coaches, not school buses. This was a first class event from beginning to end. Even your race number was based upon your predicted time...so you when you lined up you just made sure that no smaller numbers were behind you! Very well done event.

Okay, the course was fast. The medal was great. The food was wonderful. The organization was like perfect. Pretty dang near perfect race...but a couple of small items. Some people like crowds. Sorry, find a big event race...Marine Corp is the next day. The road was not closed. Not much you can do about that. The road had some camber to it...even less you can do about that!

If you like small pretty races with lots of support (water, gatorade, gels, and food at the finish), then you should love this course. Run it for the fast time. Run it for the great medal. Run it for a scenic course. You will be glad that you did!

This was only my second marathon, but the lack of spectators cheering on the route was not a problem. The weather and the view was gorgeous and more than made up for lack of people.

As others have mentioned, the race organization was great. Everyone was kept well informed.

The post race food spread was awesome! I was able to cart away an entire pizza and a few cokes for the drive back home to Georgia.

My only complaint about the race was the fact that, although it was a small race, I feel a volunteer holding a caution sign at several intersections would have been helpful. The large intersections had police, but a busy Burger King intersection and another non-policed intersection close to the end proved to be a challenge.

All in all, a great run.

First, Race Director David Lee was right on the money in describing and helping runners prepare for this course. And for a flat-lander like me, this course was extreme, so I am glad I knew what I was in for from the start.

Course: almost all downhill for the first 13-14 miles. For me, this took much more of a toll than I expected. The rest of the course is rolling hills, with a big two-step hill of 300 feet lasting for nearly all of Mile 17. The finish is just fantastic, with a beautiful run through a gently descending forest path. If I had any hesitation about giving 5 stars to the course, it was because of the very small shoulder along which we ran for most of the race as (some) vehicles sped by a few feet away. However, stopping traffic for a small race like this is not an option, so it's a necessary evil.

Organization: from the obvious amount of good planning that went into this, to the website, to email updates, to race-day execution . . . it doesn't get any better. I have absolutely no complaints and no suggestions for improvement.

Fans: this is not a big deal for me, as I tend to be a solo runner most of the time. However, it was mildly surprising to me how few people seemed to come out (or even be aware that a race was being run). I would think that for a small town like Morganton, this would be somewhat of a special event. But a big thank you to the one fellow I saw twice with a cow-bell and words of encouragement. You were the best fan by far. Of course, you were the only fan I saw.

Lastly, this deserves its own special category. The volunteers were absolutely awesome, especially on the course at the aid stations. They were more than enough to make up for a lack of spectators.

I somehow managed a PR on this course, but it was the hardest of my four marathons to date. And probably the most satisfying. Training tip: do hills, hills, and more hills. If you don't have hills where you live, move.

Ten reasons you should run this marathon:
1. David Lee and his crew do a great job organizing and putting on this race.
2. The course is fast, as promised. I came with two other friends from Raleigh and we all got a PR.
3. The bus ride to Jonas Ridge is chartered and a nice way to get to the start. Plenty of potties and a warm spot to gather.
4. Gorgeous scenery on the first half - especially with the sunrise.
5. Safety on the course... Burke County Police and support staff passed me at least a dozen times.
6. The spread at the finish is yummy and filling. The variety of soft drinks in tubs was a hit with me.
7. The packet was great-T shirt is really nice.
8. Beautiful pottery plates and plaques for age group winners.
9. Stations were stocked, as promised, with gels at 13 and 16.
10. David Lee and his crew.

This is a small, running-club marathon. The pressure is on to grow, but part of the allure of this race is the intimacy and personal touches. Personally, I would pick this over Richmond or Marine Corp (other area races at this time). If you want crowds and masses of screaming fans, this is not it.

Try it - you will love it!

David and Rhonda are to be commended for such great organization. Every detail was thought of - a ride in very comfortable buses to the top of the mountain, a great spread of food afterwards, thermal blankets at end, led lights and glow sticks for start when it was dark, plenty of support vehicles on the road to watch out for our safety while running down the mountain, and the Holiday Inn kitchen opened early for us (4:30) so we could get coffee, cereal, orange juice and bagels. There was a great support staff along the way with plenty of Gatorade and water, and we were allowed to drop off clothing at any of the water stops and it was taken to the finish line. A great marathon to run, with beautiful views and leaves while coming down the mountain. I would recommend this marathon to anyone - not much crowd support, but when running down the mountain, there is not room for people to be there. All of the runners were very friendly, and I had a great time. Dave kept us very informed via e-mail about everything going on prior to the marathon, and saw to it that all of our running needs were met to make the marathon go smoothly. Thanks, Dave, for a great marathon!

You will have a spectacular view throughout the marathon course - especially with leaves changing their colors. Tighten your shoes and be prepared to set a PR for the first 1/2 and you should have no problem gliding through the second 1/2 with the rolling hills. The race director will shower you will e-mail updates before the race. They did an outstanding job on this race. I hope they keep up the good work.