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Apr 28, 2024

Mesa Falls Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.7

Organization 4.9

Spectators 3.2

Number of comments: 56 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

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S. F. from United States (8/30/2010) "One of the best small-town marathons" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mesa Falls Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I have run close to 50 marathons, large and small, all over the country and found the Mesa Falls to be one of the best organized, most scenic small races so far. Dave, the Race Director, did an outstanding job of taking care of the runners. Great value for the money too. The $55 race fee gets you a free breakfast, nice shirt, medal, water/Gatorade stops every 2ish miles, and a free huckleberry shake. Don't expect many spectators though. You're running in rural hills. Friendly volunteers were great. Nice views of the Lower Mesa Falls. Only suggestion is to consider starting a little later. Waking up at 3:30 a.m. to be at the school at 4:30 a.m. was difficult.
D. S. from Newport, MI (8/30/2010) "Great Organization" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Mesa Falls Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very impressed with the organization and the value received. For the price, you receive a nice goody bag, quality polo-type shirt, luxury tour-style bus transportation to the start line, and a good run. The meeting at the school on race day gave a warm, dry place to wait with plenty of food and drink. The buses actually wait at the start line so you can sit on them to keep warm in the early morning chill, which is a great benefit. Free massages at the end, plenty of food and drink, and very friendly spectators along the way. It was a little tiring running on the dirt road the first 10 miles, but a good mix of surfaces to run on. Nice to run by the half-marathon start and get that added encouragement. The run by the falls was spectacular. It's a very small town but they put on a great marathon. One suggestion would be to have the street festival the night of the race, not the night before. More people might stay around and spend more of their money.
M. M. from Pennsylvania, USA (8/31/2009) "A Must-Run Marathon" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Mesa Falls Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 5th marathon, and I must say, it has now raised the bar for top-quality races. I didn't know what to expect considering that the race town has a population of roughly 1,200 people (and no traffic lights on the main road). It was a great feeling, however, to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy the beautiful countryside. The first 9 miles were very scenic, especially when out of nowhere, cattle came running across the path in front of me. This, along with watching a Bald Eagle floating gracefully overhead, made me appreciate nature more than ever. Starting at 6:30 a.m. is ideal, especially during the mid-summer months. The cool temperatures (45-50 degrees) at the start of the race made you enjoy every mile up until mile markers 23-26 when the temperatures got a little warmer. But by this point, you've entered a small village where people, extraordinary people I might add, had their lawn sprinklers pointing out into the road to enable the runners to cool down. And this helped a great deal. My hat's off to Race Director Dave from Dave's Jubilee Foods. It was much appreciated that my wife and I were able to stay with a local during the two nights we were in town. We enjoyed being shown around town and taking a ride on the course the evening before. This, along with the many "freebies" provided (dinner, breakfast, nice polo shirt, beautiful wood-carved race medal, etc.) were very much appreciated.
W. B. from Maryland (8/25/2009) "Great, small marathon" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mesa Falls Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This year's race was on a day when the temperature reached 91F in Ashton, the hottest race they've ever had, but nothing could really detract from a really special race. It was my tenth marathon finish and just terrific from start to finish. For $55 I got the race, including transportation to the start, breakfast, food at the end (plus the wonderful huckleberry milkshake), a nice wooden medal, a polo shirt, and a great, friendly organization. For $5 more there was the pasta dinner. The course is varied and interesting. The first 9.5 miles on the dirt road are a bit dusty, and then it turns onto the blacktop for 4 miles or so, with a slight detour to see the falls. Then it goes onto a wonderful trail run down to the bottom of the course, and you can hear and see the Warm River as you run. The organizers had to chase bears off this stretch starting at the aptly named Bear Gulch. Then you start the climb, and it's steep. This three mile stretch is hard, but when you reach the top at 20, it's downhill to the finish. Living at sea level, I felt the altitude; but that may be just me. I dialed back my expectations and just had a great run. What spectators there were were enthusiastic, and in the last miles when it got hot they had sprinklers out and they even offered to spray you with water! Much appreciated. For a 231-finisher marathon, they gave five-year, three-deep age-group prizes. Very generous. I can't say enough good things about this race.
m. s. from Mansfield, TX (8/23/2009) "A great race" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mesa Falls Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This is a great race, with a small-town atmosphere. The town turns out for a "fall festival," which is held at the race finish. Great scenery and an awesome view of the lower Mesa Falls, which is on the course route. There's one big incline from approximately mile 17 - 20, which was a challenge. Great volunteer support and aid stations. The only negative I found was the ho-hum expo/pasta dinner, where they ran out of pasta (but cooked more). Put this one on your have-to-do list.
J. M. from Golden, CO (8/23/2009) "I love running in the dark." (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mesa Falls Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 6th marathon, and now my 2nd favorite after the Equinox in Fairbanks. The organization was flawless, and the people were SO friendly. There's plenty to choose from at all of the water stops. It was a hot day, so a big "thank you" to the little boy who sprayed me down around mile 22/23. It's not an easy course, as I thought it would be. The heat and the three-mile climb destroyed my time, but what the heck, it was worth it. Thanks to Rachel for driving me up for the early start. I ran the first 40 minutes in the dark, and I LOVED IT. It was scary, but exhilarating. A big thanks to the Ashton folks for the constant support throughout the run - the little boy hanging out of the van while ringing the bell, the two women in the pickup with the barking dogs in the back camper, and everyone else. And the finisher's medal is great; I loved the carved wood.
Robin Harbage from Chagrin Falls, OH (9/5/2008) "Great race with exceptional organization." (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mesa Falls Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I was blown away by the quality of the organization, the friendliness of the staff and volunteers, and the scenery on the course. This is a small-town marathon with heart. Not many supporters on the course, unless you count the coyotes we heard yipping at daybreak, but the water stations were well run and everyone was very helpful. Just enough runners to have a little company without any crowding on the trail portion. I'll certainly do this again and I've only run one marathon twice out of 31 so far.
D. N. from Houston, USA (8/24/2008) "The one to run in Idaho" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mesa Falls Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As several have already said, this marathon is well worth the travel. It was my 49th marathon. Great pasta dinner, they had breakfast/coffee/bathrooms at the school, and the post-race spread had it all. Great views of Lower Mesa Falls and Snake River. I decided to stay at Yellowstone B & B, about 10 miles outside of town towards Cave Falls, and I was rewarded with scenery, solitude, and hospitality from Doug and Jill, the proprietors. I played the golf course across the road the day before. I had rainbow trout and twice-baked potato at the famous Trails Inn in Ashton. There's not much better than that Huckleberry milkshake afterward.
J. P. from the flatlands of the midwest (8/28/2007) "Outstanding marathon" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mesa Falls Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 30th state and marathon. One of the most organized marathons I have participated in. Transportation was flawless and the driver was friendly. The volunteers did a fantastic job running water stops, putting on a super race morning breakfast and the free huckleberry milkshake for the finishers at the downtown drugstore was just great. We stayed at the Ashton Inn which was more than accommodating, gave us a late check-out without any of the usual big city hassles and begging. It's the place to stay when running this race. The course isn't that easy. The only reason the spectator rating is low is that the course doesn't lend itself to crowds. The race is about the natural beauty of the course. It's mainly a trail run with views that can't be missed because you'll not see this kind of scenery anywhere else. The miles between 17-20 are a tough uphill climb but really who cares? Run this race. You won't be disappointed; the people who put this race on know how to do it. Huge "thank you's" to everybody in Ashton. What a great time we had.
Maynard Narvin from Utah (10/4/2006) "Nearly perfect!" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mesa Falls Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This race just about has it all. Sure it's small. Yes, you're running on some pretty isolated dirt roads. And therein lies the appeal. Very well organized and supported. My only complaint, if you can call it that, is the finisher's medals: I'd fork over a bit more in registration fees for something a bit more substantial.

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