Please ask people with pets to please keep them from running after marathon runners. The hills I loved until my legs said, "No more!!" I loved the park too. We will run next year.

For a small marathon, it was well organized. The weather was warm, but shade along the way made it pleasant. While the aid stations were 4 miles apart, it worked fine. I would advise having a water bottle to last between stations. Kristen and Jefferson were helpful and friendly. I have run 22 marathons, but the hills were challenging. Not the best for first-time marathoners.

This was my very first marathon, and it was quite the experience. My training consisted of incline levels between 2-4.5, and it definitely should have been much higher than that. This was a very organized marathon, and great views throughout the course. I would not recommend this for anybody doing their first marathon, or if you do then definitely train up and down steep hills. I was happy to finish the marathon with a decent time; I just thought the hills were much more than "rolling hills." Great groups of people, and an excellent number of water stations.

I chose this race as my South Carolina marathon primarily from the comments from the runners from previous years, and wanted to support the race directors who put together this race last year on short notice for a group that got snowed out. The course is quite challenging with many, many hills. It is scenic and utilized the best the area has to offer. That being said, I was very disappointed with the support on the course. Offering five aid stations for a hilly course on a warm day is not enough. Each of them was well stocked, but there needed to be at least twice as many. Fortunately for me, many of the other runners had their own support teams and shared water and Gatorade with me and other runners. Thanks to all of those Good Samaritans.

The Race Directors seems like great young people and I hope they keep working on this race.

Second year for the race, and registration increased by seven fold! Congrats! Beautiful course through a state park, rolling country side, horse pastures, peach orchards,and past "Old Geezer Lane." Didn't have enough sleep for the hills, though. None of them were terribly steep - just long and repetitive! Would've liked more aid stations towards the end - spaced every 4 miles, but well-stocked. Ranks as one of my favorite settings, time of year, and courses. Save some for the finish, though - the last 1/4-1/2 mile is uphill to the camp parking lot!!

This race director got it right! Empathizing with fellow runners due to the cancellation of another South Carolina marathon, race director Jefferson Nicholson organized a fantastic event for all. The course was extremely well marked. Course support was one of the better ones I've encountered as well as plentiful aid stations! Finisher crowns made especially for two runners who completed their 50 State quest at this event were bestowed upon them by a thoughtful race director. Nice mason jar mugs with the race name were presented to all finishers, and polo shirts were mailed to us after the race. Congratulations to Jefferson and Kristin for a fun-filled event where we all felt like family.

Such a great couple of race directors who just couldn't be more southern and sweet to us. Despite our small numbers, they gave us oodles of amenities - we didn't expect much and we got hugely more than we deserved. There were good course markings and port-a-potties, and the fluid stations were stocked with bananas, oranges, trail bars, cookies and Gatorade, given by smiling, young and good-looking runners. At the end there were practically awards for everyone as well as the promised gift in lieu of a medal - a mason jar with gold-painted kings and queens of the Mountain Marathon and the date. T-shirts came later and were worth waiting for, as they were customized and embroidered. Most unusual course and we all loved the farming country, lakes, and sights, and we had a delightful time that of all of my 60-plus marathons will be highly remembered.

Kristen and Jefferson started this marathon for a number of us shut out by the Myrtle Beach Marathon cancellation in Feb. 2010. The course runs through both a state and a national park. The area is not too far from Charlotte, NC... but is entirely within South Carolina. My family and I camped at the state park the night before and the night after the marathon. I was there bright and early. Jefferson was so kind to let several people start early. I think he would have been willing to start us each at our own time. Kristen and her family were the SAG crew - with water, food, and friendship every couple of miles. They even picked up a stray dog. Our support crew and family made up the spectators for our run  not many of them, but they were all very enthusiastic and supportive.

The course is hilly with most of it on asphalt roads with very little traffic and some on crushed gravel.

At the end of the run, they awarded crowns to the top 3 men and women. They also had special awards for several people who completed their 50 states. Later in the mail, I got my Kings Mountain polo shirt with small (and distinguished) 26.2 on the back that I'm wearing today. I LOVE my SWAG.

What a wonderful small marathon. Jefferson and Kristen knew everyone by name and they worked hard to make sure it was a good experience.

I will gladly sign up for more of their races because they really know how to put the runners first.

I called this a marathon of necessity because most of the participants were Marathon Maniacs and/or 50-States Marathon Clubbers who got snowed out at Myrtle Beach on Feb 13th earlier this year. Maniac Diane Bolton petitioned the race director for the Clemson Easter Bunny Half Marathon to organize a full marathon by letting participants run the course two times, and getting the run certified as a marathon for club purposes. Instead, RD Jefferson Nicholson created a brand new marathon to fill the gap. At the same time, the marathon event was used as a fundraiser for Cierra Burchfield, who will be serving overseas as a missionary. This served the needs of a dozen or more people who needed a SC marathon, Jeff's desire to be a marathon race director, and Cierra's need for financial support.

The race location was near Charlotte, and just across the border into South Carolina. This made access easy for those from farther away needing to fly in. There were area hotels close by, and directions  and course description were made available ahead of time so folks knew exactly where to go. Even as small as the race was, nothing was left to chance. Several of us even drove the course the day before. This race was in Kings Mountain Park, so it sounds pretty tough. But living at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado myself, I think of these more as rolling hills. We congregated at the park around 7:30 a.m., where we received our assigned numbers and got briefed on the course; and the race began at 8:00 a.m.

The race course exited the park, did about a mile out and back from the park entrance to the highway and back, and then started a big loop to the west. Coming back, the course back-tracked about the last four miles and the finish was co-located with the start line. Hills were definitely a factor in this race course, but nothing was that bad. And being a spring marathon, all of the plants were coming to life. Most of the trees were already leafed out, and there were dogwoods and lilacs in bloom along the course. I even saw one lilac that had grown into an adjacent tree, and there was an array of lilacs blooming all the way up to the power lines. It was spectacular. Still, this was a remote marathon, even though there were a few houses scattered along the course. There were plenty of dogs that came out to greet us too. Apparently, no leash laws in this part of South Carolina.

This course was laid out and marked well; there was simply little chance of getting lost or going off-course. There were an adequate number of aid stations too. As usual, the volunteers were encouraging, friendly, and they had water, Gatorade, chewy oatmeal bars, bananas, oranges and Vanilla Wafers. These folks were the only support and cheering fans we had, but nobody expected anything more than that.

Thanks to Jeff, his assistant Kristen, and the volunteers who made this marathon work. They made this event a positive experience for all who participated. And now South Carolina has another marathon event for future years - just in case it snows in Myrtle Beach in February.

And the polo shirt we received by mail some time after the race was among the best.

Needed an SC to finish my 50 state quest this year. The course (held in two different parks) was fun and different, and as our small group ran along, we were totally catered to. The RD drove along all morning checking on us, the aid stations had fun goodies and kind encouragement, and our finishers were treated to winners' crowns. Later, in the post, arrived beautiful Polo Shirts. A definite must-do for anyone wanting to experience first-class planning and execution of a nice, small marathon.