The course is reasonably flat and very scenic. There is a long and gradual climb from about mile 13 to 19, however you then turn around and descend that same route. There weren't a lot of places for fans, but being in nature without fans was quite nice.

Ran the marathon in 2002 and loved it! Plenty of shade and solitude and ample aid stations. If you like big crowds of spectators this is NOT your race, but with these TREES (and the ravens!) who needs spectators. Wish I lived closer, I'd run this one every year!

Wonderful course which is spectacularly beautiful but a bit hilly in the latter middle miles. I loved the second turnaround because you can practically sprint the last 6 miles downhill, which helped after the hills from 15 to 19.5 miles. The weather is nice in the beginning of the race but it was so hot at the end that it became difficult to finish this year (I've run it 3 times). If the race started at an earlier time it would allow the runners to be able to go back to their hotels to shower prior to driving (up to 5-6 hours) home. It may help with the heat also. Otherwise, enjoy the scenery.

As has been posted, the vast majority of runners do the 1/2 marathon, which is relatively flat so everyone is going fast. Then the second half, most of the runners disappear and it is pretty much constant gradual hills. So the back half was difficult for me. Probably the most beautiful marathon I have run. Too bad there is no expo, but it's a very small area. Really worth the trip. Best t-shirt ever and a nice medal, too.

My husband ran the 2001 marathon and I ran the 2001 half-marathon. We had a great time, and it was fun getting to see each other on the out-and-back loops during the race.

Ran this in 1998 and my only wish was for more shade during the second half where the heat (~72+) and small hills zapped me at the end. I hear that was uncommonly warm for this area in late Oct. (But I still got a PR.) Organization very good and great matching avian theme t-shirts & medals. A must is the pre-race pasta dinner at the local VFW where local runners and visitors mingle. Volunteer massage folks and good mix of light food after the race were great. Lots of runners stayed in the redwoods campground but we opted for a local hotel. (Showers & hot tub were our priorities.) Nice place to spend some vacation time after the race and sightsee the redwoods area. Arcata has a farmer's market worth visiting on Saturday.

Beautiful marathon. The 1/2 is a major event and most people run it. It draws some very fast runners so unless your very fast don't get caught up in the speed as most stop at mile 13.1. After that there is a good climb, nearly 5 miles thus don't go into it thinking it is an easy marathon. I think it is just slightly easier than San Francisco. Nice race to place in as there are not many runners and with a time of 3:06 I even got 3rd in my age group (34); go figure?

Rob

This is a double-loop out and back with the first loop being a half-marathon race. You get to see the leaders come back by you (unless, of course, you are the leader, and then you get to see who all you're ahead of), and so if you're not in complete awe of the trees and beauty of the land, you can be distracted for a while by the other racers. The second loop is just for the marathon, but being another out and back, you can see how you're doing. Last year there were approximately 400 who ran the marathon and you could see exactly where you were going to place. Pretty cool. It is a lot of gentle rollers, though. Never completely flat. There's also almost no fan support because (1) the roads are closed so people would have to walk to view anything and (2) the population in this part of California is low.