Nice area, good weather, helpful volunteers - overall, a great experience. Cut the oranges and bananas next time and control the traffic, and you've got yourself a classic!

Running lakeside in the early morning as a white pelican skims the placid blue surface of Bear Lake is indeed a scenic experience that all should enjoy. While the highway portion of the run could be a bit disconcerting at times, I didn't think it was too bad. Another great marathon to add to Utah's growing list of classic runs.

Bear Lake is beautiful! Breathtaking - and getting to run around half of it was an overall great experience. My biggest problem was the last 10 miles on the side of a busy highway; for me (60 years-old), it was just not wide enough. The trucks and cars went by fast, but next time they will have some signs up to warn the drivers, so that would help. The organization and organizers were super! Fruit (oranges and bananas), GU, water and Gatorade at most of the stops, good road surface, porta-potties along the way, but no encouragement from the community. Perhaps they just did not know what to expect. We had a lovely time in this community of Garden City. These guys are the best!

The Pros:

Race Directors: Jared, Dwayne and Corey are enthusiastic, flexible and eager to please
Setting: The race is run around a gorgeous, deep blue lake surrounded by mountains on the Utah-Idaho boundary. (Attention 50 Staters: The race can count for either state.)
Weather: The entire race was cool, even for us at the back of the pack.
Raspberry Shakes: A Bear Lake specialty not to be missed.

The Cons:
Traffic: Miles 17-24 are run on the shoulder of a state highway, where some of the drivers are not runner-friendly (pay attention).
Hills: Rolling for Miles 1-8 (but not too tough).