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Mt. Rushmore Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Mt. Rushmore Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 3.9 
Spectators 2.8
Number of comments: 62 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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Nikki Underwood-McDaniel from Rapid City, South Dakota
(10/26/2006)
 "It was a challenging but beautiful course." (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Mt. Rushmore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first time running the Mt. Rushmore Marathon. The scenery along the way was beautiful. I enjoyed it becuase it was close to home so I could have lots of friends and family out there to cheer me on. Overall, I thought it was a lot of fun. I loved the trophy I got for winning and the shirts are the nicest shirts I've ever received from running a road race. Thanks to everyone who put all the time and energy into making this a successful event. | |
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D. P. from Phoenix,AZ
(10/17/2006)
 "Runner-friendly organization and caring volunteers" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Mt. Rushmore Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 What a treat to run either Mt. Rushmore or Crazy Horse marathons on the same day, on a low-impact trail with one incline. Volunteers are there for the runners from start to finish. Weather was perfect with fall temps in 50's. I wish, I'd had more time to enjoy the beauty of the Black Hills region. Would recommend to any marathoners, esp. the first-timers. Race organization will make you feel welcome and help you in any way they can. I loved it, and will do it again in a blink, and in fact, plan to do a 100-miler in that region next year. | |
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m. a. from Black Hills, SD
(10/17/2006)
 "Thank you volunteers and organizers!!!!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Mt. Rushmore Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have participated in the event the last few years and had some friends volunteer at the race this year; therefore, I wanted to respond to some of the posted comments that are not correct. First there were actually four different medal types Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse designs with gold medals for the marathon and silver for the half marathon. Second, most mile markers and course markings were not able to be put out on the course due to high winds that came up the day before and into the early morning. Third, local tour company in Hill City was recruited by event staff to provide additional tranportation at no cost to runners. Fourth, the expo had speakers, movies, and featured keynote speaker Olympic Marathoner Rod Dehaven. Fifth, the marathon sponsored tour included a souviner cowboy diner plate that the standard tour did not offer which is why the marathon tour was more expensive. Sixth, shuttle buses were scheduled to leave Hill City from 1PM-4PM then based on interest modified the schedule to have buses from 10AM-4PM. Seventh, there was a group of volunteers assigned to pickup and watch the runners bags for several hours. I think we also forget that all the events we go to are staffed by volunteers for the most part that put long hours to make our stay in thier communities more comfortable and our race experience more enjoyable whenever possible. We should be thanking them for waking up @ 3-4AM to set up a course, prepare food, or block traffic for us to run on. Next time you see a volunteer make sure to thank them ... | |
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Joseph Laber from Denver, Colorado
(10/16/2006)
 "Crazy Horse Mt. Rushmore: great faces, great place" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Mt. Rushmore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I enjoyed the race. I run for the beauty. The fall's leaves turn highlighting the hill's grace and the trail's peacefulness. For me, great people and great scenery make a good race. I enjoyed it, and will do it again. | |
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M. S. from Florida
(10/13/2006)
 "Breathtaking Course, Pre/Post-Race Org. Poor" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mt. Rushmore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 The Mt. Rushmore course is one of the most beautiful race courses I've ever run (27 so far). However the race organization prior to arrival and after the race was a big disappointment. The recommended hotels went from 8-ish, all including transportation to the start/finish down to only the host hotel. When trying to modify a hotel reservation to the host hotel, the host hotel was all booked. The tour offered on Friday was great and I would recommend it to all. I was disappointed to see that the marathon charged more for it than to just book it on your own. Typically these tours have a group discount, not a profit for the race organizers. Buses from the finish to back to the start were published to leave every hour from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Rather odd since the race started at 7 a.m. Just in case this was a misprint I confirmed this with a race rep at the expo. My friends and I waited until 1 p.m. to go catch the bus only to find out they have been running for a couple hours and were scheduled to stop at 1 p.m. One last suggestion to the race organizers. When people leave bags at drop-off, don't drop them off on the sidewalk near the finish line with nobody watching them. The poor race organization should not discourage people from running this race - it is beautiful. Just be prepared to be self sufficient. | |
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m. a. from Black Hills, SD
(10/13/2006)
"This is Truly a Monumental Event!!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Mt. Rushmore Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was a little skeptical about having two marathons, two half marathons, a marathon relay, a 5K and a kids run all at the same time... but they pulled it off and did a great job. This year I ran the Crazy Horse course; next year I am coming back to run the Mt. Rushmore course. Kudos to event staff and volunteers. Fantastic job!! | |
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Mike Loos from Rapid City
(10/13/2006)
"Amazing Race; Beautiful Courses" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Mt. Rushmore Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This race has absolutely found its legs with two different course options, both of which are highly recommended in terms of terrain, surface and beauty. I ran from Crazy Horse and thought it was fantastic. For my money, you cannot beat the grade, beauty and surface of the Michelson Trail, 17 miles of which is included on this course. | |
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C. S. from Belle Fourche, SD
(10/11/2006)
 "Needs Some Work" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Mt. Rushmore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 This was my fourth marathon and my first Mt. Rushmore. This year the race directors set up two marathon courses; one starting at Mt. Rushmore and one at Crazy Horse. The courses joined after 10 miles and both finished in downtown Hill City. This is by far the toughest marathon I've run. The Mt. Rushmore course has an overall elevation loss, but there are several big hills in the first 10 miles followed by a nice gentle downgrade for a few miles leading into Hill City and then six to seven miles of almost constant inclines heading north out of Hill City and then a nice gentle six-mile decline for the return to Hill City for the finish. I ran the race conservatively, having just run another marathon three weeks ago, and I ended up feeling good at the finish, but the long uphill stretch after Hill City was tiring. I had several problems with the race organization. First, since the race ends in Hill City, it would seem logical that some runners would want to spend the night there (I did) and take a shuttle to the start. But the race director failed to set up any shuttles from Hill City in the morning. Luckily, a local tour company picked up the ball (apparently unbeknownst to the race director) and I managed to squeeze into an 11-passenger van. Also, there was only one host hotel which was located a few miles from Mt. Rushmore. It would have made sense to have multiple hotels since many runners stayed in Hill City or Rapid City and there were far more runners than there were rooms at the one host hotel. Third, the course was marked horribly. I saw mile markers for the first nine miles but after that I missed more than I saw. Fourth, Optima either tastes horrible normally or it was mixed wrong. Fifth, the finisher's medal looks cheap and doesn't have the year on it or a specific medal for the full and half, so they can essentially make a bunch and give them out to both the full and half finishers for a few years in a row. They did at least make separate medals for the Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore courses. Sixth, I couldn't find any reason to hang out at the expo any longer than it took me to pick up my race packet. On the good side, the technical fabric shirt was the best looking one I've ever gotten. There were plenty of enthusiastic volunteers and aid stations, and traffic control was good. Crowd support was pretty sparse along the course, but there were a good number of people cheering runners to the finish. The race directors have stated that they want this to become a "destination marathon." With two scenic courses to choose from, that may be a possibility, but they're going to need to get some of the logistical kinks worked out first. If you're looking to run a marathon in South Dakota, I'd recommend either heading farther east to Brookings, which is very flat and very well run, or, if you want to experience the Black Hills, check out the Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon, which I've heard is a very scenic, extremely well-run event. Give Mt. Rushmore/Crazy Horse a few more years to mature. | |
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E. R. from New Jersey
(10/10/2006)
"A peaceful atmosphere and challenging course!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mt. Rushmore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I did the Mt. Rushmore start (runners can choose between Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse), and it was one of the most challenging I've ever run. Lots of ups and downs in the first half, and it's those long hills that aren't too steep but seem to go on forever! The second half was much more forgiving because you get to look for a gradual decline on dirt for the last 6 miles.... That said, the course itself was mostly on a peaceful, twisting mountain roads... no view in particular really stands out over others, but at any point you just look around and say, "This is just beautiful." Then you're on the Michelson Trail for the last 6-7 miles and it's a nice trail run. Spectators were in patches, mostly closer to relay switches, but very enthusiastic. Aid stations were superbly stocked; they had gels, snacks, fluids and very helpful staff. Mile markers after the mid-point were a crapshoot. We guessed quite a few times; I was disappointed about that. Something great needs to be said about organizing a race with two starting lines that are miles apart. Just giving people the option to choose their start is pretty cool. Everyone got medals and shirts that corresponded to their start too. Plus if you want to do it twice, you can mix it up the next year. Can't speak for the CH start, but it looks like a linear elevation drop to the midpoint where the Mt. Rushmore start had a lot of spikes... not sure which is better/worse; depends on what you like running on.... Definitely worth doing again. I am a 50-stater so would not be back for a while, but I'm glad this is my SD race! | |
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Bud Drake from Newcastle, Wy
(10/10/2006)
"Great way to spend a morning" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Mt. Rushmore Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 A GIGANTIC thank you to the people who was and are involved with the race. You did a great job from A to Z. Keep the same course next year and I will be back. |
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