I ran the first two Windemere Marathons, and yes, each had their share of issues, all detailed here (except the woman who said the course was 2.5 miles short; uh... no... it was .8 miles short). Anyway, I've run over 30 marathons and live in Spokane, so I reached out and joined the board. I can say that the issues have been heard loud and clear. This is a low-key, fun marathon with an AWESOME medal and shirt. Flat and fast... give it a chance. You won't regret it.

Overall, this was a terrific event.

The only problems were that they: 1) failed to properly calculate the finish line (that's right - THE FINISH LINE!); and 2) failed to calculate our time when a train crossed the marathon path forcing runners to stop for several minutes. Regarding the finish line: no one mentioned anything about it being "off" until AFTER we crossed the finish line. So, when we passed under the finish banner, we were told by the race organizer to turn around and keep running (back another 2.5 miles). If you've run one, you know how disappointing and frustrating it is not to be finished when you race to get to the FINISH LINE. What made this HUGE MISTAKE so much worse was that instead of telling us to do 1.25 miles and turn around so we could finish with the banner, the medals and the crowd down the finish chute, they sent us out 2.5 miles to some guy standing near a tree with a clipboard. We didn't even know if this guy was related to the race or not, but it appeared other runners were talking to him. He took our bib numbers and then said, "You're done." After this, we had to walk back to the official "finish" to get the medals and water and food. REALLY??

Problem 2:  the train. So, it really did cut right through the course. And, we had to stop. I was on one side of the train and my husband on another. Ugh. I didn't even mind the train, truth told. But, please remember to calculate our time accordingly.

Having said that, I recommend this marathon. I enjoyed it very much overall. If they can figure out how to measure 26.2 miles, wow - good times. Great shirts.

I've run 12 marathons prior to this race. The water, HEED and gel stops were well placed and stocked, even for middle- and late-pack racers. I cannot give enough credit to the volunteers and organizers for the support on the course. As with all races that I've run, the race had great and not-so-great moments. There are MANY beautiful parts of the course. There were a couple of turns that could have been better marked, but overall, the course was great.

The flaw: the course was short. There's been much bashing of the course. As a casual runner, this was not a problem for me. The organizers have gone to great lengths to appeal to Boston for the BQ runners with success. Not all organizers would do this. Kudos to the organizers for the effort.

If running again in WA, I'll be back to this race. Maybe next time, the weather will not be so "nice."

As already detailed, major problems included:
1. Late start
2. All mile markers were wrong and the finish was short of 26.2 (quite a sin, especially for those who didn't have GPS)
3. A train crossed course about 3:20 after start. I was first to get to the train and waited for about 5 minutes as more and more people piled up. They did have someone there writing down the numbers of those delayed, but I don't know how they will differentiate the varying times each runner was delayed for. As of 10 days post-race, the promised time adjustments have not been posted, so I still don't know my time.
4. Sunny and relentlessly hot, with very little shade

On the plus side:
1. Few runners, so no crowding on the course
2. Sufficient, well-manned water stations; HEED was a tasty electrolyte drink
3. Pretty scenery for much of race
4. Flat course

Overall, I'd say that the organizers fail Marathon 101 for having a course of the wrong length, and I would be cautious about committing your training to this race.

Here we go. My first marathon. Mostly flat. Rolling hills. Aid stations every 2 miles or so, many offering gel. The course is fine.

Organization: Lacking. Late start. Screw up on mileage. A few spots to get lost if your not careful. Finish line isn't the finish line? Oh yeah, I have to sign up for another marathon to actually run 26.2. Tough way to train.

Some of the highlights of this NOT marathon were:
1- 25.4 miles of paved trails ran by the Spokane River; views were just beautiful and I could actually look up and enjoy without worrying about tripping like most trail runs.
2- Aid stations were just about right, not considering the sport drink, HEED, which doesn't do much for me.
3- The entire race felt downhill, other than a few small uphills.
4- Post-race food was great: chicken kabobs - as much as you can eat.

There were of course a few hiccups as far as race organization.
1- Race started 12 minutes late trying to line up with the half marathon, which had nothing to do with marathon they started at half point, They could have easily started this race at 6:00 a.m. instead of 7:00, since we had bright light by 5:00 a.m.; this would have prevented people from being out there in heat!
3- Of course, last but most important: The race was cut short by .8 miles by the biker who was supposed to lead the elites! I realized this as soon as I saw mile marker 3 in less than 20 minutes! They had a biker at mile 25 telling people that if they want a Boston qualifier time, they need to turn around at the finish and run another .8 mile to the Red Lion Hotel for the 26.2 distance. Of course, I did, but more than 300 people didn't! This kind of puzzled me; why would you attempt to run a marathon and stop one mile before the finish?

This was my 176th marathon and the only one where the finish line wasn't at the finish! I finished in just under 4 hours, BQed and placed first in my age group.

If I run a race that is advertised as a marathon, I expect to run a measured distance. After the lead cyclist took everybody the wrong way early on there was a half-hearted attempt to let some runners make up the distance at the end. I was asked if I wanted to run a Boston qualifier. I didn't, but I did want to know where I needed to turn around so that I could run the full marathon distance rather than having to stand at the finish line for nearly 3 minutes asking the question. I traveled from the UK for this race. I wish I hadn't.

Pros: nice goody bag; plenty of water stations and gel; friendly and helpful spectators and volunteers.

Cons: The course was too short. Yes, the measured course was a certified course, but that was not the course that was run. Due to some confusion right after the start, the runners took a wrong turn and ended up cutting the course short. The times listed on MarathonGuide.com are for the short course. The option was given to run longer to make up the distance, but that route was very poorly marked. Also, many runners finished and didn't know they needed to turn around until after they'd crossed the finish line, or why they needed to go back.

Also, there is a train crossing near the end of the race, and runners have been stopped by it each year.

The sections of the race along the river were wonderful, but there were some dull stretches through neighborhoods and on the shoulders of main roads as well. Nice, big medal at the end, but it would be nice to have Spokane rather than the sponsor's name mentioned on it. Not getting the distance of the course right is inexcusable. I didn't hear the announcer telling people to turn around at the end and finished my "marathon" with 11 minutes to spare to run 0.8 miles for what should have been an easy Boston qualifier. Thanks, RD. This must have been disappointing for those running their first marathon or attempting PR's. Give this race a miss until they establish a track record of getting the basics right. There are plenty of other choices at this time of year that are also relatively flat, scenic, not too large, and run reliably.

Most of the route was not even close to the river. Too much of it was near busy roads/highways and in subdivisions in hot sun, while the website and course photos lead you to believe it is in shade along the river. I only saw one medical person on a bicycle early in course; however, when I needed someone around mile 22, there was no one around.

The mileage markers were totally wrong from beginning to end, which made it difficult to pace. Apparently the markers were messed up in 2009, so that should have been corrected. Beer should have been free (perhaps 2 max per person), as most people don't have money with them when running a marathon. The few spectators and volunteers that were out there were great, and the medal was beautiful.