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☰
Missoula Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Missoula Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 166 [displaying comments 161 to 166]
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R. H. from Bend Oregon
(7/16/2007)
 "Missoula Marathon... a blast with a view" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Race-walked the Missoula Marathon yesterday... my 12th marathon. Beautiful course through the Missoula Valley with all the hills and mountains around - mostly flat with a few hills at miles 13-16 (not very hard), straight as an arrow for the first 10 miles or so, with the last eight miles in the city. Great, great, great organization... aid stations were well stocked... super volunteers... cool medal... good food at finish... not a lot of spectators out in the countryside, but hundreds of people spraying water on you. It was very hot... Missoula had had a week of record temperatures. Congratulations to all the workers on this first marathon... I loved it. Did my third best time ever out of 12 marathons - if I had not been packing 15 extra pounds, I would have had a PR.... | |
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Don Allen from Thomson, GA
(7/16/2007)
"Everything perfect except results" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Everything was great except for the results and awards, and in talking to one of the organizers after the race, he assured me that next year they will have the results professionally done. A finish line clock would be nice too. When I say everything but that was perfect, I mean it. The busses to the start were well marked and on time. The starting line area had good facilities; packet pickup was permitted at the start before the race (something that some of the big races don't allow; tough for us coming from out of town on late flights) and there were plenty of free fluids, bag check, and room to stretch/warm up. The port-a-potty lines were long, but I can't recall being at any marathon where they weren't long. The announcer at the start did a good job of keeping us informed and in good spirits, and the cannon start was an excellent touch. The route was great. I know some runners will complain about running through the middle of a container factory, but that's something that you don't get to see everyday, and as an engineer I found it a bit interesting. Initially I was a little put off by the profile being mostly uphill, but having run it, you don't notice the grade at all. The one hill was a bit challenging, but it was nice that right before and after the hill there were well-stocked aid stations. And how many races have ONLY one hill? That was the case with this one: once you got past that one hill the rest was virtually flat. ALL of the aid stations had great staffing and supplies when I passed them, and all of the staff were very friendly and helpful, despite the very hot temperatures (near 80F when I finished.) The local support was excellent as well: and I think much of it had to do with the race staff adequately informing and preparing folks for the race. I have been in several marathons where angry motorists have expressed their frustrations to both police and volunteers when they can't get past the race route. However, the organizers had put up signs along the race route, letting people know that the marathon was coming. The signs seemed to work well, and many of the locals came out to see us. Another nice touch was the folks that put their sprinklers along the route for us to run through; some of them were even out with their garden sprayers hosing us down (if we requested it, and I always did!). Having the shower/sprayer/sprinkler device at the finish area was also great for cooling down; the last couple of miles the heat got pretty intense, even for this Southern boy. I definitely recommend this race to anyone: even with the heat, it was a great, fun, race, and I bet they'll have the timing/results fixed for next year. This was their first marathon, and my 38th, and they did a great job, considering! | |
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Scott Turner from West Linn , Oregon
(7/16/2007)
 "Well organized and a great destination marathon" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The two weeks of near-record high temperatures in the Missoula area leading up to the event nearly scared me off, but I am very pleased I went. For an inaugural event, they really pulled it off. The host hotel where I stayed (Holiday Inn) was right next to the expo and three blocks from the finish. The shuttle buses were right on time and everyone seemed to make it to the start. As for the start, the cannon blast was a nice touch, but my ears are still ringing a day later. The course left something to be desired. It was mostly flat and through farm fields with one substantial hill just past midway. The last 10K's bring you back through Missoula streets but not through the many beautiful areas this town has to offer. The on-course support was fantastic. They had aid approximately every two miles with water and energy drink. Gu's at mile 18. The crowd support was also nice. There will be more in the future as people become aware of this event. Heat and altitude are a factor and should be considered. This was and should continue to be a great destination event for "50 Staters" or just people like myself who have never been to Montana. | |
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J. V. from San Francisco, CA
(7/16/2007)
"Great Race!" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I have family in Montana and have been hoping to qualify for Boston so I signed up for this one several months back; however, a few months out I realized that I didn't account for the elevation, so if you're used to training at sea level, like I am, be prepared! (Looks like my mid-life crisis will continue at the California International later this year!!) The race was well organized, especially for a first time; the spectators were great and the course was very nice, except for the hill at mile 13!!! They could have coordinated with their sponsor hotels better. When I called for a reservation, they didn't know that the marathon was happening or that they were offering any deals, and on race day, they didn't offer breakfast early or shuttle rides to either the start, or the shuttle pick-up. Other than that, it was great. | |
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S. H. from Missoula, MT
(7/16/2007)
"I had fun at this well organized marathon." (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very impressed. There were plenty of aid stations with very friendly volunteers. The organization of the event was superb (very surprising since this was an inaugural event), and lots of healthy, yummy refreshments at the end of the race. Each mile was clearly and creatively marked. Traffic was well monitored. I would like to run this marathon again. | |
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D. R. from Montana
(7/15/2007)
 "Too hot; serious problems" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Missoula Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I ran this one today. It was way too hot for me to enjoy. Long-sleeve, Dri-Fit T-shirts were promised. Short-sleeve, cotton T-shirts were delivered, without comment! No door prizes. Results were so messed up they canceled the awards ceremony. If they fix all of these errors, I would return only if it were in a cooler month. One runner described the weather conditions as "that was ugly!" I would call it grueling. |
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