First off, hats off to Bass Pro Shops and the race organizers for getting together the GREATEST in marathon history to attend, speak at, and participate in this event. Rodgers, Shorter, Beardsley, and Galloway were all at the same event and it is NOT Boston or NYC! Great job, Bass and Springfield.

Great weather and solid organization. Could use more port-a-johns at the start and along the course. Really few to speak of and this is a problem. Bass Pro has an entire parking lot available to porta-johns at the start and finish; use it for the runners.

Support: Little along the course. It is ok, but mostly you are running in a small-town event, and while not many turn out, the ones who do are really spectators, and don't offer much cheering or support.

Course: Hated it; sorry, Springfield. Ok, I have no problem with hills, and to be honest, the website elevation chart is accurate. But you were either going up an incline, down an incline, or around a curve - a tight curve usually. So the opportunity to get out and RUN is not there. A tight course and you are either using energy going up a hill, TRYING to conserve energy going down a hill, slowing for a curve, etc.,

Now the best part: I "caught" up with Bill Rodgers at the 6.0 mile marker, and ran with him for the ENTIRE rest of the 1/2 marathon!! Just me and him, running, talking, trading setting the pace, etc. - I mean, just me and him!! As we closed to the finish line, Bill finished right ahead of me, but my best friend (RR) got a picture of me and Bill as we neared the finish, and then I got a personal photo in the runners' pen after the race with me and Bill, arms around each other's shoulder and having cold bottle of water! It does not get better. So while the course could be faster, the spectators more plentiful and loud. This will go down as my greatest running experience ever simply because I RAN with Bill Rodgers!

- EPM

For being only in its second year, I thought the organization of the race was well done. Full marathoners start with the halfers, but around mile 3-4 (?) the halfers break off. The marathon field size was fairly small (around 300), so you can run alone if you want. Mile markers were large and very easy to see. Aid stations were about 2 miles apart and had Cytomax, water, gels and many had other offerings such as pretzels, oranges, M&Ms. The weather was beautiful, but it was too warm for me later in the day (around 73), so the pretzels came in handy. The course is not entirely flat as advertised but the hills were not huge and they were doable. The run along the greenway was nice but the last few miles in the neighborhood were tough, as there were few spectators. There are quite a lot of turns in the neighborhoods but there were plenty of volunteers showing you which way to go.

One thing I did not particularly care for was that you had to run from behind Bass Pro in the final half-mile. You couldn't see the finish line and the back of the building was not the most scenic. Maybe that part could be re-routed? The finish medal was a large fish, which is definitely a unique shape to add to my medal collection!

Note: The Motel 6 by the highway was only $35 and they gave me late checkout at 1:00 (at no extra charge) so I could take a shower after the race. I heard other motels were charging extra.

A very challenging marathon! First, the expo was very good. Having it at the Bass Pro store was a great idea. We had Starbucks coffee by the fireplace - very nice - with nice rocking chairs and very friendly people. We spent a lot of time walking around the store. The pasta dinner was totally awesome! We got to meet and talk to and take pictures with Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. Bill Rodgers was especially nice and encouraging; he was a great guy! The dinner itself was quite good, with excellent salad, pasta and pie. The speakers were outstanding and were a great motivation before the race. Dick Beardsley was especially great, as he recounted his "Duel in the Sun" with Alberto Salazar at the 1982 Boston Marathon. As for the race itself, it was a beautiful day - a bit warm for November, but the Springfield area was very nice. This is a challenging course. It is very hilly and I made the mistake of not training enough on hills. I enjoyed the scenery of the area while running and there were a lot of nice things to look at while running. I forgot about my time at several places as I got caught up in the scenery and the beauty of the area. Water breaks were plentiful, and the volunteers were awesome. Porto-potties were plentiful also. Had gel at a few stops, along with fruit, pretzels, and candy, if you wanted that. Definitely plenty of water stops. The volunteers were all very friendly. Traffic control was excellent also, and the local police were very nice and encouraging. There was nothing at all negative about this new marathon, and I will definitely be back next year! Way to go Springfield, MO!

I did the Bass Pro Half Marathon last year. This was my second marathon and I was sooo disappointed at the spectator turnout. The last 2 miles through the neighborhood was grueling and felt like no man's land, with no spectators or cheerleaders. If we had more enthusiastic spectators it would have been much better!! Despite that, the finisher medal and cap were cool!! Will probably do it again next year.

Course: 4 stars only because we had to run through town for 6 miles or so; the rest was on trails, with resplendent fall colors.

Organization: 4 stars only because there was one aid station that was abandoned after 4 hours (about mile 22 or 23).

Spectators: awesome, when there were any; but out on the trails, there were just a few (no biggie for me as I train by myself anyway).

Overall: a great marathon and I would love to do it again after my 50 states quest is done!

Just did the 1/2, and I liked it quite a bit. It is relatively flat. Sure, there are a few inclines, folks, but overall, it is quite manageable. Not a lot of spectators, but the ones that were there were cheering for all runners (for the most part).

At the end there was a full breakfast buffet, with biscuits/gravy, eggs, milk, fruit, cereal, beer, wine, and stacks of newspapers on all tables.

This is going to mature into a well-rounded and popular event.

I've run this race both years now and I can see the improvement from last year to this year. Last year there were a few areas that could stand to be better, but it seems clear to me that the folks at Bass Pro read these comments and take them to heart: the finish line was moved outside the store, timing and results were more organized, they were smart enough not to promote it as a "flat and fast course" ;-), etc.

The course isn't flat (surprise! - it's the Ozarks) but isn't incredibly hilly either, and running through the local greenways at the peak of fall color is a nice bonus. Spectators aren't that numerous (after all, we're talking Springfield, MO, not Minneapolis or Boston) but they and the course volunteers were enthusiastic nonetheless. And it was nice to come into a large banquet room with a stocked buffet and plenty of room to stretch out and recuperate.

I do have to tip my hat to the organizers for rounding up a who's who of American distance running celebrities to participate/speak/sign autographs (and on the same weekend as the NYC Marathon, no less). I won a humble age-group award and got to shake hands with a receiving line of Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, and Dick Beardsley. I mean, how cool is THAT?

Bottom line is that while it's nearly impossible to put on a perfect race, the folks behind this one seem committed to trying their best. I know I'll be back again.

So it was Bass Pro's first year doing this. I guess I'll give them a little extra slack for that reason. Good things first: the weather was great, and the food provided at the finish was pretty good. Very nice fans; not very many of them along most of the course though. This is probably a "first year thing," and it should improve in time.

I never like "turn-arounds" on the course. Two-way traffic is always horrible; figure out a new course! The "park miles" were nice. As others noted, the medal is a shameful Bass Pro promo thing, probably the primary reason I may not run their full this year. Really didn't like the finish in the store at all! Way too crowded - there was no room to walk around. Don't do that again! It is not a flat course, but it's the Ozarks, so that's unavoidable. Brag about the elevation chart, instead of pretending it's flat. The elevation chart would make a great focal point on a finisher's shirt. Course needs more port-a-potties, at more locations. Luckily, I didn't need one.

I have run several half marathons but this was my first marathon. I thought the entire race was fabulous. The weather and scenery were perfect. I was encouraged by the many, many volunteers and cheering friendly people. The aid stations were fantastic. I appreciated the huge mile markers. This was a great course. There was just the right number of hills. I will be back next year.

Not a bad marathon. But there are some areas that need attention.

The bad news first:
- The race shirt was a long-sleeve technical shirt... that's it. This is the first marathon I've done where a finisher's shirt (or finisher's something... duffel bag, jacket, etc.) wasn't given. This may require a small increase in price but that's fine. Since most of us run with no illusions of winning, it's just nice to walk away with some gear.
- I'll echo one of the comments below regarding the lack of music on the course. I had no clue how big of a deal this would be. This is the first marathon I've done where there weren't bands, gospel choirs, bagpipe players, etc. set up every mile or so. I think there was a high school band that you ran by twice - that's it. By not being distracted from the pain inherent to running a marathon the "voices" set in much earlier than normal. I would strongly recommend headphones if the organizers have no intention of improving this.
- Lack of fan support. Coupled with the lack of music made for a lonely... and quiet 26.2 miles.
- Where was the running expo? Pretty weak. The Ridge Runners store (10-minute drive from Bass Pro) was nice, though. At a minimum, they should have come and set up.

The good news...:
- Nice course. Running through the parks was nice and there were just enough (small) hills to keep it interesting.
- Volunteer staff was awesome.
- Finishing the race in the store was cool.

In conclusion, if you can do without entertainment and fan support while out on the course, and don't need the little extras in terms of race amenities, then this race is for you. If you do like these things, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.

On a side note, if you are going to do this race, I'd recommend checking out downtown Springfield. The Springfield Brewery was outstanding - good food and beer.