Admittedly, I have a soft spot in my heart for this race. Partly, it's that I set an unexpected PR in the race, but mostly, it's that they were just so darned friendly.

The course is not a particularly exciting course, but in a North Dakota-y way, it's nice enough. It's mostly flat, but it features a fairly nasty hill that is done twice (two loops), affecting about a mile of the course one way. The payoff is a great view from the top, running around the campus of the College of Mary. The course is mostly asphalt bike path and road and was well-maintained and adequate for the number of runners.

The fan support was pretty good for a fairly small race, partly because there was also a half marathon, partly because of the marathon relay which put more people out on the course, partly because it's two loops, meaning less spread out, and partly because there seems to be a decent interest level in the race.

There were also too many aid stations to count - honestly the best aid support by number of stations I've ever seen. The stations help cheer on and I never felt pressure to get in more than a quick sip of fluids because I knew another aid station would come up quickly.

There was one major problem with the course design/execution. As we neared the halfway point, we approached an intersection where we were to head to the finish line area, pass through, loop around again to around mile 14 and approach the same intersection again, this time avoiding the finish line area and going another way. The signage was confusing to a brain-addled runner and the volunteers were not vocal about directing runners. Quite a few runners missed the proper turn, assuming the half marathoners headed to the finish line and the marathoners went the other way. I avoided the confusion by slowing and asking the otherwise silent volunteer. The female winner of the race was DQ'ed because she missed the loop, so this was a major snafu. I am confident they will correct this in the future. It was unfortunate for this year.

It's a small race, so not much of an expo, though the packet pickup was next to a great sporting goods store.

The start/finish area had a great number of bathrooms available. Post-race food was mostly wrapped store bought snacks (like pretzels and rice krispy bars), but adequate. There was a massage tent, which was nice.

For a race of this size, they're quite generous with awards.

All in all, it was a great experience for me. If you enjoy races of this size, you'll enjoy this race.

The course is difficult, the people at the water stops and along the route made the experience so much more enjoyable. Everyone was so friendly and helpful at check-in, recommending dinner suggestions, stuff to do and how to handle the hills. Really had a great weekend.

Let me start with a complaint to& Mother Nature. It was supposed to be a very scenic and flat course along the Missouri River. Then there was a Flood of almost biblical proportions! It was too late to cancel the race, and who wanted to cancel the race?!? So, we ended up doing two boring loops on bike path of a highway. With a killer hill. Twice. With the hurricane-strength wind into your face. Or at least it felt this way when I was climbing it the second time after grueling 18 miles. It was my 67th Marathon, I thought I saw it all, but this Marathon was one of the toughest I did.

Enough complaints! The volunteers were fantastic, the water stations were not even a plenty but rather too many, every few minutes apart. I felt bad declining kind offers of water and sport drinks from freezing volunteers. God bless them all!

Surprisingly, there were lots of spectators, many more than I expected, and they were cheering so energetically. We needed it on this course.

Overall, an excellent organization, a small but very friendly Marathon, and going back to an old course, it should be a terrific event.

A small marathon, less than 250, the bulk of the field was taken by the halfs and the relay. This was a new course, rerouted due to the flooding. Twice out and back with a 200' hill at the turnaround. Hardly any traffic cutting the course. Lots of 'Spiffy Biffs' and volunteers. The volunteers were on-point and genuinely helpful. The poor weather kept most spectators away. The race announcer kept up interesting patter throughout. I rather liked that there was no expo to wade through. Instead we picked up packets by first walking through Scheels Sport Store, plenty of opportunity to spend $$$. Kudos to the race director for a top quality event.

I ran the half marathon and, overall, this is a good race but no great shakes. The packet pickup is exactly that - a packet pickup; there's no expo of any kind. The weather was tricky, actually snowing the night before the race. However, race morning was clear with sunny skies but pretty cold. There was one area of the race that was unpaved and muddy and could have been a bit dangerous; however, there were volunteers alerting us of the possible slick spots. With that one exception, the course was pretty flat and easy to navigate through. The post-race food was minuscule from what I could see, but the medal is very nice as well as the tech shirt and cap. I stayed at the Best Western Ramkota, which has free shuttle service to and from the airport. The shuttle driver also drove several of us to the start line as well, even though it was only about 3-4 blocks away. However, Bismarck is not a large, exciting city and with the snow and sleet the night before, there just wasn't anything much to do. Perhaps Fargo provides more in the way of entertainment but if you are looking for a decent race to fulfill your North Dakota requirement, you won't be disappointed with this one. One suggestion I would make however is for the race director to consider moving this race up a few weeks to avoid the possibility of inclement weather on race day. We were fortunate this year that it missed by one day, but since it is Bismarck and by mid-September inclement weather is a strong possibility, moving it up a couple of weeks might be wise - just a suggestion. Other than that, a good job by all involved.

I did the half, and overall, this is a good race with some nice touches. As part of your packet, you get a very nice cap and long-sleeve tech shirt with the logo of the event on both. Also, the medal is quite nice and so are the people - very warm and friendly. I stayed at the Best Western Ramkota, which is across the street from the packet pickup, but to be a hotel listed on the website for lodging, they seemed somewhat disconnected from the race and requested that we check back with the front desk around 9:00 Saturday morning if we wanted a late checkout - impossible since we were in the thick of the run at that time. The post-race food could definitely be improved, but this race really does have everything it promises. The course is indeed flat and there are no surprises. The only change I would strongly suggest is perhaps moving the race up a few weeks because the night before the race, it actually snowed! Thankfully, it stopped without accumulating and we were able to have a nice, sunny day for the race although it was in the high 30's when we started. Since it is Bismarck and there is a decent chance that any precipitation could be snow or ice, moving it up a few weeks might be a wise. The Fargo race is bigger, but if you need a good North Dakota race on the road to running in all 50, I highly recommend Bismarck.

Nice, small race... nothing to complain about really. The course is fast and the volunteers were great!

Bismarck is a nice course, with very few hills, and the loop through the finish line at the start of the race was great. I got a high when the crowd was cheering as I ran by them. The start/finish of this out-and-back course was very pretty, and the trees in the park provide some nice shade. The rest of the course is a bit dull, but the water stations were plentiful on the course. Organization was smooth; I had no problems registering or picking up my packet.

The only real problem I had was that the "Gatorade" on the course had very little flavor, and that probably means very few carbs. We need that energy!

Congratulations to David Nash and the rest of the directors for a job well done. This was a charming marathon and well worth the trip. The course was flat and shady; what more could you ask for? The temperature was perfect for a marathon day.

The marathon was very small, but you never felt alone because it was an up-and-back course. We had just a short walk to and from the start and finish from our hotel. As race directors, we travel to other marathons to see what works. Although this marathon was small, it had a lot that worked well.

I certainly recommend this marathon.

As a race director myself, I found that the race director covered (or seemed to cover) every detail in this race, from checking in, to the finish line with so much food (especially the pizza :)). I loved the community support. The jacket for age group winners was great. The host hotel was nice and the staff (especially the shuttle drivers) were very friendly. If there was one negative, it was that the half-marathoners had to wait longer for the awards ceremony.

If you have a chance, check out Bismarck's features, like the capital, the Heritage Museum, and the Lewis & Clark steamboat ride down the Missouri River. In nearby Mandan, check out Fort Lincoln, from where Custer set out to Little Big Horn.

Finally, support the title sponsor - Kroll's Diner (note: if you register early, you get a $20 gift certificate for their restaurant). The day after the race I had the great pleasure of getting a two-for-one root beer float.