I have never run on trails. Thought I'd start by running a trail marathon. I know, brilliant. I signed up for Medoc because the race reviews were over the top. The race absolutely lived up to the reviews. The marathon is 3 loops. By the third it's a little monotonous but it's beautiful and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I also loved the Medoc emails. Please tell whomever wrote them that they were hilarious and the only race emails I've ever read from start to finish. Thanks for working so hard to create such a great experience.

I'm a 34 year old male. Finished 17th overall at 3:51 (that's my running 'level')... so I'm an average runner for my age. I ran the Tecumseh Trail Marathon 2 yrs ago and this one was definitely kinder, in regards to the uphill burn and downhill knee torture, but this one had loads of roots (galore!) and rocks to dance with, so watch out Tenderfoots. That being said, I actually finished just shy of my average flat-marathon time. I think it's because the weather was cool, race supremely well-organized, and enough flattened out parts to recover as you run. Pluses: catered awesome catered meal, friendly people to camp out with the night before, a huge medal that made me feel like I actually won the thing, and just getting a chance to twist up the whole marathon thing (challenge outside of a city). Anyway, definitely recommend it!

This was a fantastic race! My only constructive criticism was about the color of the 10 mile race shirt. That is a really awful color that looks good on very few people! We were so disappointed, because they just look awful on our coloring. Everything else though was absolutely wonderful! Thanks guys!

This was my first ever trail race and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The volunteers, race directors, medals, finishers surprise, food- all wonderful! I would thoroughly recommend this race to anyone. Thanks for everything!

Wonderful race that keeps me coming back year after year. Amazing volunteers, the course is beautiful and everyone there feels like a friend that you haven't seen in a long time. There's no shortage of kind words and good times no matter your performance. This is the one and only race that dictates every year where I will be at any given time.

This is race is, in short, amazing! The trail is beautiful, appropriately challenging, and well-marked. The aid stations are a blast(!) and spaced ~3miles. They are well-stocked with almost everything a runner's stomach could desire and the volunteers are incredible. Instead of breaking the course into 'loops' (there were 3 for this marathon); I broke it down until when I was going to see the aid station with the super-loud spectators or the station with fun spread of cookies. This race could not be better organized or executed. And post-race? That's what keeps you running! The finisher's medals are unique each year and that same attention to detail and commitment to making the day truly distinctively excellent runs throughout the entire race process. Definitely returning next year!

I was surprised to see that the sponsors did not have booths set up to engage racers. Other than that, A+.

Although this race was a three-loop challenge, it never felt like a repeat performance. The more fatigued you are the more you respect the course. A LOT of roots and rocks. Did I mention there were rocks? A little crowded at times, but there are lots of miles where you will be all by yourself. Great support at the right times. Make sure to get at least a few training runs on trails before taking this one on. If you need crowd support or entertainment, then this is not the race for you, but the spectators that were out there were very enthusiastic. I came in last and there were still people waiting to give me a medal. It is obvious this race is organized by runners who love taking on the trails. Very few details were missing!

Everything about this race was excellent. From the initial posts about the race, the information on the website, the organizers email updates (both funny and informative!), the facebook page, and the day of the race. Parking was well organized, bathrooms aplenty, easy to pickup packet, great music, great food (red beans and rice post-race!!!)and the best volunteers on the aid stations along the race. And the race started on time! The organizers are outstanding, I wish there was a way to say thank you better than just saying thank you to them.

This was my first marathon and I'm so glad I did this one. Great positive energy from everyone, good course, great 'goodies', well planned. I have two small suggestions: 1: The number of people who were standing at intersections and aid stations decreased as the race went on. The course was well-marked; I just wanted to see people. 2: I wasn't quite sure where the finish was as I was coming out of the woods for the last time. Maybe explain the last turn when the runners are lined up at the start. All in all, I recommend this race to anyone and am so appreciative to all who put it on this year!