This was my fourth marathon and the prettiest one I have run so far. At first I was disappointed because it was a small race...I've found them to be unorganized and disappointing. NOT the case with this race. It was amazing and I plan on running it every year that I can. Well done!!

Seconding the comment below about the paucity of the 'expo.' This is the first marathon I've ever run where you could not look at a course map before the race. Not only was there no map in the official program, but there wasn't even a poster of the course posted at the packet pick-up.
Also, I'm not sure the course was measured accurately. As another commenter mentioned, the mile markers came up long before my watch (and everyone else's) beeped.

This is my favorite marathon thus far! I love the course, the spectactors, the massive amounts of kind volunteers and cheering crowds, and the lesser-participant feel. Thank you for taking so much time and effort into making this marathon a special memory. I look forward to running it again!

Great race today, beautiful weather, run around the lake was awesome. My only concern is that the mile markers were not accurate, especially during the first half of the race, and the last mile was too long. Also, if you could serve any other electrolyte drink, that would be great. But other than that a well-organized, fun event! I would love to run it again!

This is a well organized event. There were plenty of port-a-potties at the start. Also there is plenty of parking within a few minutes of the start/finish line. There are amble aid stations with volunteers who do a good job of handing off beverages if you announce what you want. The course is basically an out and back. It has quite a few turns during the first and last quarters of the race, but it's well marked. The race had a strong local field. FYI if you are fast you'll have to dodge a lot of the slower 1/2 marathoners, which start 30 min at the full. But this is pretty typical for most races.

I ran this marathon about 10 years ago and a friend asked me to run it again with him. Well, he ended up not running it for family reasons and I was left to run it alone.

The course is beautiful, the race director and volunteers were great, the weather was cool and breezey, and there were plenty of aid stations, a good finish, and a nice post-race party (with beer). The only negative about this entire experience was the pre-race expo. I travel around the country running marathons, so I travel light. I look forward to the expo to buy shoes, GU, socks or whatever I need for that marathon. The pre-race expo had none of these things, and I had to head into town to get what I needed. Not a big deal, but make sure you bring whatever you may need.

I did this marathon as one of my 50 states and highly recommend it for a race in Idaho. It is a well run small marathon. The course is beautiful with a few mild inclines and declines. This is one place I did not mind a long out-and-back stretch, since the course follows a trail along the lake and is very scenic. There were plenty of volunteers along the way. The tech shirt is nice and I was very happy to receive a matching hat at the finish! The aid stations were well stocked with gels, fruit, and bagels. It was also very convenient for an out-of-stater, with the start and finish in the same place and the location across the street from the host hotel. My only suggestion for improvement is to add at least 2 more aid stations and get rid of the Styrofoam cups.

Overall, a very enjoyable, small marathon in a beuatiful town!

We didn't get too hot this year. It rained hard the day before and the day after, but the race day only had a strong wind to contend with.

The scenery is great. The out-and-back course is not an issue since your scenery actually changes on the way back.

The support couldn't have been better. Nice people, and food and drink every 2 miles.

My only negative would be about a boring circle we had to do at around mile 23, which was a drag when you're already dragging. Fix that part of the course and this is a 5.

I first saw this race early in the year on MarathonGuide.com, and I thought about running it, as I knew I would be moving to the Pacific Northwest. As I relocated from NYC to Seattle, I drove through CDA, and I then knew I had to run it.

With that said, I had a great weekend in CDA, but it was much warmer than I think we all anticipated. While I have never been one to need excessive amounts of water or sports drink, I needed it that day, and the stops were way too spread out - especially toward the end. I have never been so happy to drink water around mile 25 in my life. The stretch between 23-25 (approximately) was a LONG one for me.

I did enjoy the race, and while I didn't stick around for the aftermath, I imagine it was typical of a small event. I would recommend the race to a fellow runner.

Thanks for great parking, organization and friendliness.

Perhaps the broken toe of a couple of weeks back dampened the experience a bit, but the beautiful weather and surroundings did not. I normally do not prefer out-and-back courses, but this was OK due to the lovely area. It was relatively flat, with two long hills with mild grading. The long-sleeve, modern-fabric T-shirt featured a great design, but the medal is a bit sub-standard. There was plenty of parking, porta-johns and refreshments for the start. Package pickup and the race start were well organized. The water stops were a little too far apart for the heat of this particular race, and for awhile the sports drink came in little, shot-sized cups, so you had to stop and get more liquids. There were few spectators, and not much food at the end (but enough). Great race to combine with the whitewater rafting, biking and hiking in the area. It's not necessary to stay at the host hotel, as there are many alternatives fewer than five minutes away, in areas with more local amenities. The fact that it's only a half-hour from the Spokane airport made for easy travel.