I ran the half marathon. Weather conditions were absolutely perfect: cool and clear with a light breeze. The course is hauntingly beautiful, although I was mildly concerned about running on the same side of the road facing/dodging faster runners who had already turned around. Vehicle traffic wasn't much of an issue, maybe because I am used to running in the streets at home.

Organization was generally good, although I heard afterward that they ran out of shirts and will be back-ordering them - that would have been a major bummer had I run the full marathon, since I am slow. Come prepared to deal with limited food choices. If the restaurant is too crowded, the general store sells packaged food and drink.

I recommend carrying your own water on the run, since the desert air is still drying despite the cool temperatures. Take advantage of the porta-potties at the aid stations, since the rangers patrol the course to make sure no one litters or defaces the park. Although the course is not exactly flat, it is very do-able, and I felt good enough afterward to take a 2-mile hike.

Here are my few comments regarding Death Valley.

Pros:
1) As always, the officials and volunteers were really nice and friendly.
2) Getting up 'late' and being able to walk to the start within 2 minutes was a plus. (You know, no shuttle to take 4 or 5 hours before the race!)
3) The environment was gorgeous.
4) The course was good, despite a few hills towards the end.
5) There was no line at the porta-potties!!!

Cons:
1) The disappointing medal we received at the end of the marathon. It was just a generic medal from Envirosports that did not commemorate Death Valley.
2) Unlike most marathons, there was no pre-race packet pick-up, and the shirts were given at the end of the race. However, since there were three races that day (10K, half and full marathon), and people could register on race day, most wanted shirts (L and XL) were already gone by the time marathoners finished the race. Pre-registered runners should get their shirts, regardless!
3) The awards ceremony. Knowing that my husband may have placed, we went to the awards ceremony. Names and times were shouted, but there were no awards given away. Could someone explain?

Mixed feelings:
1) Aid stations 3 miles apart. Maybe because we are in a national park, and unavoidable littering on race day has to be controlled? Although the organizers warn runners they may want to carry their bottle, this is unwanted weight when one is trying to run a good race.
2) Running on the side of the road. It was fine as long as we were running against traffic. When we turned around, we were running with traffic, and some cars and trucks were careless, which was a little scary.
3) The lack of spectators was not much of a problem because I like solitude.

As a whole, right now I am not too sure whether I want to run that race again. (A personal reason being that a 30-year old knee injury started playing up around mile 10, and I knew that I could not qualify for Boston again with that excruciating pain at every step I took.) Ask me in a few months when the disappointment of not qualifying is gone.

This was my 7th marathon and by far my favorite! There is something truly amazing about Death Valley that makes this one of the most unique places to run 26.2 miles! The scenery is like an acid trip! I never wanted to run the same marathon twice, but I really would like to make this an annual pilgrimage. The Furnace Creek Ranch is a good place to stay ? clean, nice rooms. I wished I stayed longer to take some of their horseback tours and relax at the pool, but I only had the room for 1 night. The restaurant there did a good job of feeding everyone without any wait (last year's reviews made it sound so much worse).

If you need crowd support, then you are out of luck here! While crowd support is nice, the crowd never helped me cross any finish line. It?s almost nice NOT to have the crowds yelling at you and saying things like ?I know you can do it!? When I hear people say that I wonder ?how do you know what I can do?? I think it?s just fluff for weak-minded people. If you?re a true runner ? you find motivation within yourself, not from some idiot yelling ?you?re almost there!?

I read reviews from past years and a lot of people talked about the hills. I would not call this course ?flat?, but the hills were no as bad as I thought. I PR?d by 11 seconds and felt that they were manageable and easy grades. It almost seems like they were more of an optical illusion than grueling hills.

My ONLY disappointment was that neither the bib nor the medal said ?Death Valley Marathon?. They REALLY NEED TO CHANGE THAT!!! This race already has people from around the world coming to participate ? so make the name count! I don?t care if Envirosport sponsors the race, it?s still the ?Death Valley? Marathon ? not the ?Envirosport? Marathon. It may cost a little more ? so just charge a little more. All in all ? this was my best marathon experience and I hope to be back!

I personally don't think it's worth it to come all the way and run this. There is nothing here. The place is dead. The medal is no good. Doesn't even have the name of the marathon in it. It's not for regular runners... that partly explains why only a couple of hundred show up.

What a great event. Spectacular views for the full 26.2 miles, great organization for a small race, terrific weather. Though this was my first Envirosports event, I would certainly go back for more. The race director was a class act, at a cheering station for the runners before the race and at the finish line.

If you are normally used to trail running, or running alone, this is a good event to run. Of course, being in Death Valley you don't have the massive spectators and crowded streets, but to get a good, fast 26-mile run in, this event can't be beat. Even the slowly rolling terrain provides a good break from the monotony of a flat course.

One other comment to the person who claims that organizers dropped the ball... Surely you are kidding. There were porta-potties (I really mean portable--the one I used was on wheels) AND a gas station not 30 yards from the start line. If you must invent something to complain about, at least be realistic.

When I drove into Death Valley the day before the race I almost decided to pass right through. This is it? It's just rocks and dirt! Decided to hang in anyway, despite the boring scenery and course.

It was a peaceful run, I appreciated that, and the aid stations were great - every 3 miles and with so few runners, never crowded. The race medal was a disappointing, generic Envirosports badge with no reference to the race itself.

Probably wouldn't do it again, but for peace and solitude, it's definitely the right race.

Course was everything I expected. Fantastic scenery, great weather. However, Envirosports, the race organizer, really dropped the ball. There were no restroom facilities at the start/finish line, and although I registered months ago, I never received a t-shirt (promised they would mail within two weeks) and the finisher's medal was a generic Envirosports finisher medal that didn't even have the race name. This was my first experience with one of their races. Based upon this race it will also be my last experience.

I went to this race expecting a slow time, but had PR and qualified for Boston again. Yes, there are a couple of hills at the end, but they're not bad. Race day was probably low 40s, not a cloud in the sky, absolutely perfect conditions. The scenery is spectacular, from the salt flats to the 11,000-ft snowcapped peaks on the west side of the valley.

I can definitely recommend this race, just be sure to carry water or be able to drink a lot at the rest stops and keep running. The only spectators you will see are a few family members at the end. The 8AM start was a few hundred yards from our hotel, and we enjoyed the steakhouse at the Furnace Creek Ranch, as well as the spring-fed pool afterwards.

One more thing - to me this is a 5-star race, I am happy running alone. The star rating you see on this comment is less than 5 purely due to the 'spectators' rating. Course and organization were excellent.

As others have said, the course is not flat, but generally downhill going out, and uphill coming back. Also, you are required to run with traffic, which on occasion seemed cause for concern. But, Death Valley is stunning, and is the real reason to run this race.

Death Valley is also very isolated, so don't go expecting a choice of restaurants, or fans along the course. There aren't going to be either! You can expect one of the most unique places on earth though, and if that is what you want, you will enjoy this race.

As previous reviewers have mentioned, there are some rolling hills so it's not the flat PR course you might hope. And unfortunately, the hills are mostly on the way back! Still, it's worth the endless, desolate drive and inconveniences of being in the middle of nowhere, for several reasons.

First, the course is truly breathtaking in its natural beauty. Having never been to DV before, I had no idea it was so spectacular. I truly felt inspired by the landscape, by being out there in the midst of a stark natural environment that is so forbidding, yet so stunning in its loveliness.

Second, if, like me, you've never run a marathon without thousands of crammed runners and throngs of fans lining the course, it's a new experience to run a race with so few participants and spectators. It was nice to start out without the typical crush, without having to pick my way around 6 walkers linked arm-in-arm who started in the fast corral. It also made me dig down deep to find those inner reserves to push forward when I got to mile 18 and found myself all alone, with no one to cheer me on but the buzzards and crows (who were eyeing me hungrily... did they sense something??).

Third, there was this wonderful connection with the other participants I haven't experienced before. As there were virtually no spectators beyong the start, the best support that I got along the course was from the other runners! Given what a pain it is just to get there, it seemed everyone there was a serious runner, and there was a strong sense of camaraderie from the outset. Along the way I struck up conversations with many more runners than I ever have in a mega-race like LA. And when I felt myself approaching the dreaded 'wall', some lone runner would come up beside me and encourage me. I found myself doing the same for others.

Finally, if you are a pretty decent runner but nowhere near fast enough to ever actually win anything, this is a great opportunity to actually maybe WIN something! I ended up fifth in my division (W 40-44), coming within a few minutes of actually placing! I certainly have no hopes of doing that in any of the other marathons I typically run in.

Okay, now for some... um... negative feedback. First, while I realize this was out of the control of the organizers, it was really bad timing that the Furnace Creek Ranch's only real restaurant, the steakhouse, was closed for renovations. That left as the sole option for sustenance the 49'er Cafe, which had a rather limited menu of not-very-good food. And given that, besides one fine-dining establishment up the road, that was the ONLY place to eat within hours (and I'm not exaggerating), with a ranch filled to the brim with runners and their families/friends, the wait for a booth could get mighty long. This was particularly troublesome after the marathon, when I absolultely HAVE to have some food. By the time I got seated and had food in front of me, I felt nauseous and ready to faint. Oh, and they take full advantage of the situation by charging exorbitant prices for their cheap food.

The workers did keep reminding me that I could always drive up to the 4-star Inn a mile up the road, but their only restaurant is a fancy-dancy affair at which you need reservations, and cannot wear jeans! Had I known this, perhaps I would have brought something other than jeans and my running clothes. But even so, who wants to go fine-dining after running 26.2 miles? All I wanted was a BLT!

The food thing was also a problem for the many people who didn't get up there until late. This should have been anticipated, given that the race was on a Sat. morning, and it's so many hours from civilization, so naturally many people are going to leave after work and get up there late on Friday.

I might suggest that next year the organizers give some thought to the food issue -- perhaps have a carbo-load buffet in the saloon that goes late into the evening? A post-race lunch set up in a tent on the grounds? I would happily pay extra for these services, as when I'm running a marathon, the last thing I want to have to worry about is getting food, either before or after.

On a more pleasant note, I truly enjoyed the enthusiasm of the organizers, and the little awards ceremony in the saloon that night was lots of fun. I do hope that this event continues... if it does, I will run it again. And next year, maybe I'll win my division. It could happen!

-LeeAnne from Thousand Oaks