I read several of the comments on this guide and decided to give the marathon a try. What an experience! Down-home good hospitality! Local church ladies providing a nice pasta dinner the night before. Friendly, personable organizers and volunteers who really care. Where would you find a water station volunteer that would peel a banana for you?

The course is not flat, but not too hilly either. The weather in 2013 was a little chilly but perfect for racing. You see a lot of people while running the in and out couse twice, but mostly you are on your own. Makes for a completely different racing experience.

I'll be back for 2014!

flat course, beautiful course, wonderful and supportive spectators and volunteers. so nice to run a small race, no lines at the toilets and no jostling at the start!
we never ran with any traffic and the off road areas were not very taxing for those not used to trail running.no backups at aid stations, i would recommend this marathon to anyone, like me, tired of the big congested races, who just want to run! not chip timed.

Davy Crockett Bear Chase Marathon
Groveton, TX
Saturday, April 14, 2012
7:00 AM

Groveton is a small town in Davy Crockett National Forest in East Texas. The packet pick-up was on Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Groveton Elementary School. Each runner received a long-sleeved cotton T-shirt. We were also treated to a pre-race spaghetti dinner. There is no hotel/motel is Groveton. I spent the Friday night in Crockett, about 27 miles north of Groveton.

The start and finish lines were at the Groveton High School stadium. The race day temperature ranged from low 70s to mid 80s. We ran the same out-&-back route twice (half marathoners ran it once). A total of 6 miles was on hard-packed dirt roads & footing was less than desirable. The rest was on a concrete country road. There were more hills on the way back than on the way out, which made the last 5 miles of the marathon challenging. We ran alongside pastures & through the forest. There were cows & horses which served as spectators! There were water/sports drink stations at approximately every other mile. Snack items were also available on the course. Each finisher received a nice medallion & a stuffed bear. There were a variety of recovery food items & drinks at the finish area.

It was a humid morning. The weather remained overcast during the first half of the marathon, which was helpful. Then sun was out & it became quite hot. We had to deal with some head wind too. And of course the rolling hills. In short, it was a well-organized marathon which offered a scenic, yet challenging, course.

There were 101 (67 male, 34 female) finishers in the average time of 4:57:35. The winning times were 3:05:08 (overall male) & 3:43:33 (overall female). There were 215 half marathon finishers, & the winning times were 1:31:23 (overall male) & 1:44:38 (overall female). There were 70 5K finishers, & the winning times were 19:14 (overall male) & 23:16 (overall female).

Personally, it was my 94th marathon run.

I ran this race based on previous runners' comments, especially those of Cheryl Murdoch from Pensacola, FL. She's right; this race is AWESOME. I slept in my car right next to the stadium, and the athletic complex (bathrooms and showers) was open at 5:00 a.m. on race-day. Great course with fantastic scenery - horses in pastures, blooming flowers, majestic canopy of pine trees. I loved being able to see runners going both directions, especially on the dirt roads in the forest! Though Mother Nature didn't cooperate - hot, humid, windy - I had a great time running with Nathan, Abby, Courtney, Lee, Gary, and David, just to name a few. Steve and Paula have created this hidden gem in Groveton - free pasta dinner, great course, friendliest water stops in the business, and hot dogs, drinks, and candy after the race. I can't recommend this race enough and I will run it again.

Record temps this year (92 degrees), but the race was well organized and aid stations stocked with plenty of fluids. Paved route with a country road detour for about a mile and a half, and then back again. It was a small marathon with many friendly runners and volunteers. Really enjoyed it!

Great race. Great time. Friendliest volunteers ever. All of the iced lemonade pop sticks you could want. Every participant was treated like royalty. Flexible. Can extend or shorten your race at any time. Beautiful scenery. Well-stocked aid stations. Strongly recommended!

Ran this on a hotter-than-normal, April day. It is a small race in a very small town. That said, it is well organized and very well supported. The course is moderately challenging, with rolling hills and a short stretch on a sandy, wooded road.

CONS:
Double-out-and-back course - you run out 6.5 miles, back, and then repeat the whole thing again.

It would be nice to have more ice at the water stations to keep water and Gatorade cooler, especially later in the race.

Running the sand, uphill, wasn't my favorite part, but not a huge deal. Wish there had been more running in the woods.

PROS:
Very well organized and supported.
Food at the end.
Running in rural TX, wildflowers etc.
Showers afterward.
Friendly and laid-back runners.
At $70 for race-day registration, it's a steal.

WRAP-UP: If you enjoy running in less crowded areas, and well-organized marathons, give this one a try.

I drove down to Groveton the night before the race and didn't bother getting a hotel. I camped out in the designated camping area about 2 miles outside of town. Everything was fine with that, but make sure to bring earplugs and a blindfold. There is a streetlight that stays on and big trucks will drive by throughout the night. The starting line is extremely easy to get to. Just park in the high school parking lot. The race may be a little chilly at first, but as soon as the sun comes up, there is no more beautiful sight in Texas. The race passes by horses galloping through pastures, tall pine trees, and wildflowers blooming everywhere. Be ready for some rolling hills; about 2/3 of the race is on roads, while the rest is on dirt. Overall, a wonderful experience. This is my favorite of the 7 marathons I have run, and definitely the smallest, with only about 300-400 people in the race. Still, it's a worthwhile experience and it passes by some beautiful scenery. Lastly, the people involved are incredibly friendly.

I ran this race to celebrate my 200th marathon, so I have many events to compare this with. This race is now at the TOP of my list. Can't beat race directors Steve and Paula, or the whole town of Groveton. Free pasta dinner, free camping, free parking, fantastic volunteers and a beautiful course. Can't say enough positive things about it. Will be back!

Get out of the big-city mass confusion and logistical nightmares and run a marathon that has perfect aid stations and protected roads, with some miles on hard-packed sand through a canopy of trees. What a refreshing change from the streets of downtown Chicago. Free camping at County Park, free carbo-load meal, friendly folks... if you want to run YOUR race without waiting 13 minutes to cross a start line, this one's for you.