Very well stocked, with aid and support, great markings (although I was a bit confused when the marathon joined back up with the 40K trail), serious runners involved. Great weather.

The Free State Trail is run on a challenging up-and-down course on the trails on the north side of Clinton Lake in Lawrence, KS. The race director and the volunteers make this a truly great event. The trail is perfectly marked for the race, well staffed with both manned and unmanned aid stations. The support at the manned stations is exceptional (they use seasoned runners/ultra-runners who make sure you have everything you need to keep on running, as well as making sure you are still ok to keep on running). This year's race had the additional surprise of an intense weather pattern that spawned tornadoes not too many miles from the course. Despite the crazy weather, the race director maintained control and did his best to ensure the safety of all the runners, volunteers, and spectators. Unfortunately, the severe weather caused the remainder of the runners still on the course to be removed at various checkpoints for their own safety (it was already after 6 p.m.).

This was a great experience and a great challenge. I give the spectators 5 stars - not for their number, but for their enthusiasm. Since you are running on single track trails, you spend most of the time by yourself unless you bring a friend to run with. And, be sure to bring your mud shoes! Several parts of the trail were nothing but mud/slop. Even though Lawrence had not seen much rain the week before the race, short sections of the course were nothing short of slop. The mud, rocks, tree roots, and terrain definitely slowed me down. If you are looking for fun people, an extremely well-organized race, and a challenging course, this is the place to go.

Hate to write too glowingly about this race, because (selfishly) I don't want the secret to get out. I flew in from Seattle to do it and felt it was time and money well spent. The event is "no frills," but you'll have everything you need. No mile markers, many self-serve water stations, and the course isn't particularly fast. But the course itself, and the logistics and energy around the event are both great. Bad Ben has a small army of great volunteers that will take care of you!

Highly recommended - but don't tell anyone :).

I did the 100K this year; it was my first race of that distance and I loved every second of it. The course is beautiful, a technical single track, and the race director and organization are top-notch. Having experienced ultra-runners at the aid stations gives you a huge advantage over some other races. Fantastic race, Nerds!