This was the 2nd running of the Wichita Prairie Fire Marathon. This years course was an improvement over last year's course but still had some running on brick roads, wet sand (Cowtown), and measured 26.4 miles on my Garmin. The crowd support was excellent and the beverage stations were every 2 miles and adequately staffed.
The post-race food and beverage was OK, but could have been better.
The race and finisher shirts were very nice.
The packet pickup, held the day prior to the race, went smoothly.
The finisher medals were very nice.
The medal I received for placing in my age group was a little disappointing.
Despite the extra mileage, I still ran a PR and would do the race next year.

This was an unexpected surprise. Crowds were sparse, but very friendly. Water and Gatorade stops were well staffed and enthusiastic. Very flat PR course. Reasonably priced hotels within blocks of the start/finish. Plenty of restrooms along the route. Expo lacked run related stuff. Not many eating options Sunday in Wichita unless you have a car.

Usually not much for finishers medals, but this one was a keeper. Nice tech shirt and cotton race T as well. This is a second year race, so it has had a few growing pains, but all in all, the experience was very positive.

This happened to be my first marathon, and I must say that I was truly impressed with the set up and the atmosphere around the finish line. I felt like a true athlete coming down towards the finish line; it was a welcome finish. I loved it. I am doing it again this year.

This was my first half-marathon and it was a great. The course was relatively flat, and it went by a lot of landmarks and through a lot of residential areas so we had lots of support. One family even set up a little water station for us! We ran on back roads through Bricktown but it was short and unavoidable. They had lots of post-race food and entertainment. I really liked how the half marathoners got finisher t-shirts. The porta-potties were a little far away but the lines were good. We live just a few minutes away and parking was not too bad. All around, it was a good race and we will be back.

The marathon was good, and we got a nice finishing medal, but the finish area was a mess. They did not tell you where anything was and I happened to walk past the finishing shirts. They could have put a map where things were going to be or had a person telling you. The massages were gone; if the course is open for six hours, then they should been there. Where are the results?

A far cry from the previous marathons. It had the feel of an actual, real race. The expo was a big change from the past, as there has never been one. The finish area was done well. Those looking for a Midwest marathon should definitely have Wichita on the list. As a runner, I can now say that I am proud of my hometown marathon.

I was very excited about the new Prairie Fire Marathon as a resident of Wichita and the Riverside neighborhood that the marathon passed through. I was very proud of the locations and landmarks that were highlighted by the route. Wichita is a great city and has a lot to offer. Bob Hanson and his team did an outstanding job of organizing and will continue to do so in future years, I'm sure. I hope that increased awareness and the success of this year's race will bring more spectators.

The inaugural Prairie Fire Marathon was a great event! This race was basically a make-over for the old Wichita Marathon and what an improvement it was. The expo was larger and had some fun/interesting booths (more running and less health-related booths may be nice). The start/finish area seemed to have plenty of porta-pots and was located near numerous downtown lodging options.

The course itself was a nice change from the old course (basically a south-to-north course across city) traveling in every direction through many shaded neighborhoods and areas. I would recommend changing the last 6 miles or so as that stretch got lonely and wasn't as interesting as the rest of the course. Overall the course was very flat with only a couple of uphills and downhills. There were many, many turns though.

Crowd support was pretty good over much of the course, especially for a smaller size event. My wife commented that she was able to get around the course very easily to cheer me on. A good number of neighborhood residents came out to cheer. The final 6 miles did not have much crowd support until getting back into the downtown area near the finish, which was very loud and fun to run through.

The swag was outstanding! One short-sleeve cotton t-shirt in the registration pack, a long-sleeve, tech t-shirt at the finish and my new favorite medal. Lots of food at the finish although some of it did not seem quite right for post-marathon (doughnuts and pizza).

Overall, a great new event. The bar has been set high this year. I look forward to running it again in the future.

I liked the new course; it had a lot of shade and different scenery to look at.

This was a huge surprise. I did not know what to expect with a race in Wichita, Kansas. This was not only my first time in Wichita, but my first trip to Kansas. The city and course were beautiful. The highlights: beautiful neighborhoods with tree lined-fall foliage, beautiful parks with views of lakes and rivers, Old Town, Cow Town and a great finish over the bridge to The Hyatt. Speaking of the Hyatt, it is a must if you are coming from out of town. It is the location of the start, finish and pasta party - and only a short walk to the expo. I enjoyed both this town and this marathon.