I'm glad I did this race. It had a lot of positives going for it, including some great desert scenery for quite a bit of it. But it also had some glaring problems.

The Good:

First 18 miles of the course is very nice, a pleasant run through the desert, a lot of it with views of the Shiprock, but one can get alone pretty quickly, expected in a smaller marathon. The aid stations were excellent, well-stocked, friendly folks, one of the best things a good marathon needs. The community really seems to support this race. A great deal of the participants are relay racers, and they were exciting to see, and passing the exchange points, even as a full marathoner this was exciting. Great energy, great cheering at these exchanges. Post race food was pretty good, and chocolate milk, the elixir of life after a marathon, was plentiful. Showers at the end were great to have.

A huge tip of the hat to all the wonderful volunteers that made this race possible!

The not quite so good:

Outside of the aid stations/relay exchanges, there aren't really any people on the course until you get to the last 6 miles, where the fans are sporadic, and at which point race just isn't pleasant. Occasionally a person with a truck would pull off on a side road and blare a song, so that was kinda nice.

The expo was uneventful, small, and not really about running at all, but you done run a race because by its expo.

The transportation and parking logistics were a nightmare. The buses barely arrived at the start in time to squeeze in one last pre-battle evacuation before the gun went off (I was on the middle bus, not the end). I barely had 2 minutes to stretch - I should have just stretched and crossed the start at my leisure. Sucked.

The last six miles are touted as a gentle downhill, but it hardly seemed that way, and running along a smoggy boring highway in otherwise beautiful Navajo country wasn't exactly ideal. Still the aid stations were fantastic.

After the finish, there was the absolute worst parking exit situation I've seen in years. Awful. Reprehensible lack of planning. Some people were probably stuck for a half an hour or more (tiny town, small race) just trying to get to daylight - it was worse than a Stones concert at a big arena. No idea what this was all about.

The absolute worst thing about this race is the end when you turn off the highway onto a sandy patch of land, then finish off on a pitted surface that somebody calls a road. It's like your race grinds to halt for the last quarter mile. Awful. Please reroute to something sensible. There is no way to finish this race strong. While I think it's possible for many to PR on this course, you'd better have it well in the bag before the last quarter mile.

I would recommend this race to friends, as I liked a lot of it (despite the negatives). There were genuinely nice, friendly, warm-hearted people involved - and the energy of the relay racers was just awesome. I just want to let runners know what they're getting into.

The hardest part of this marathon was finding the packet pickup 'expo' location. I read the website info but could not comprehend where the Dine College South Campus was located. I drove around Shiprock to the various school locations I saw signage to without success. I finally came upon a painted sign at the Hwy 491/64 intersection for the 'Expo'. If you are driving there from Farmington; the best directions would be to turn right at the stop light after you cross the San Juan river in Shiprock.

On to the actual event. Packet pickup was flawless. They had run out of size small long sleeve tech shirts and the medium size was huge.

The tasty spaghetti dinner of meat spaghetti sauce, garlic toast, drink and dessert cost $7.

Parking at the college and buses to the marathon and 1st. relay leg start went smoothly.

The course starts on a gradual incline along the Red Rock Highway. There were a couple of longer inclines along the way but nothing steep. The altitude can be tough on flatlanders at the 6000' start. The rock formations, including Shiprock, along the Red Rock Highway are amazing. The course was closed to most traffic until you returned to Hwy 491 to head into town. The last hot 6 miles were a gradual decline and one lane of the highway was closed.

The RD definitely has runner safety as a major priority. The police and medical presence all along the marathon route was prolific. I can't recall the number of times a female police officer, on a bike, rode by and checked in with me to verify I was doing okay. I was hot and sweating and I can only imagine how uncomfortable she was in full uniform dress wearing her tactical vest. All of the volunteers at the aid stations were cheerful and supportive and did a great job.

The weather was hot later in the race but there was a slight headwind on the Red Rock Highway.

The local people were very nice and helpful and friendly. The relay race is the big draw for this event compared to the number of participants in the Marathon. It was great to see so many younger people running the relay and having a good time.

This was a well organized event and a marathon I would do again. My criteria is small venue and scenic and Shiprock definitely qualifies. The proceeds benefit the Navajoyes program for the young residents of Shiprock.

I was born and raised most of my life in Shiprock. Coming back and running my first marathon was a memorable experience.
The course was challenging for me. I would like to pace myself better next time, and train for rolling hils.
I met a lot of good people during the run. Words of encouragement from the crowds and fellow runners help.
After the race my wife and I went down to the market and enjoyed roast mutton and navajo burgers. The people of Shiprock are wonderful. I can't wait for next years race.

This was a great event. The course is very scenic and well supported. I would definitely recommend this event. Only downside is that there are no hotels in Shiprock(had to stay in Farmington which is 30 miles away).

It was not an easy marathon for me, it was too hot very early, the elevation was a big problem for me and I ran too fast at the beginning, so I did my worst performance in a marathon.
BUT... Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this day in a wonderful land, with very nice people along the road, and it was a surprise for me at first ....and as a unique French man on this marathon, I came back with wonderful Navajo pottery (Thank you once more).
For me, there is nothing to change, everything is OK (I ran 28 marathons- and very big ones- before this one).
No doubt for me I will go again in Shiprock to run this wonderful marathon in 'Dinetah'.

I ran this race unfamiliar with the landscape and scenery, and expected it to be generally desolate. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the first 14 miles or so to be very scenic and was wishing I'd brought a camera.

There are few fans in this very rural area, yet they are gathered heavily at the finish line to welcome you in. The organization of the race was the most impressive feature. This included keeping a long line of porta-potties at the start. These were moved continuously throughout the race to accommodate all runners as the race progressed. The start line was again set up at the half marathon start following the marathon/relay gun, and the buses transported relay participants every five miles promptly. Good eats at the finish, and the Navajo Nation provides a warm, wonderful welcome as you cross.

Volunteers are set up for aid stations every two miles, and once every mile after the 20th. It did warm up after the third hour, but was by no means unbearable. I would recommend this race to 50-States members or anyone wishing to experience first-class treatment on a point-to-point course.

At the start of the race the staff announced that they encouraged people to let them know what could be improved. My suggestion is to regrade the course to lower the whole thing by several thousand feet, down to where there might be a little more oxygen for lowlanders like me. Then again, maybe I was the only person that had any difficulty in that department.

Other than that I wouldn't change anything about it - not the uphills, not the downhills, not the scenery, not the people (either the fellow runners or the volunteers). Shiprock seems to be one of those rare places where the residents understand that a race can be a community event, with a lot of local participation in the events. One highway completely closed, another with a lane closed, and still not a single irate driver - only honks and waves of support. The aid stations were better than advertised; the patient volunteers were happy to repeatedly fill my water bottle on what turned out to be a hot day, at least by the time I got done.

My thanks to the people of the Shiprock area for hosting a wonderful small race. And to the lady I walked with for a portion of the home stretch, I know your grandmother is very proud of you.

I have done the Shiprock Marathon for the past five years (the half in 2007 and 2008, and the full from 2009-2011). I am a local so I may be biased but this marathon is one of my favorites. I do several marathons a year and the majority of them have thousands of runners in urban areas. This marathon is low-key, laid-back, majestic, and breathtaking. The support staff is excellent, and since it is not a huge race, you don't have a lot of runner traffic to contend with. I would highly recommend this race to anyone who enjoys a scenic race! Also awards (Navajo pots or plates) are given to the top 3 male and females in the different age categories for the full half and relay.

This was my first ever full marathon; I have run a few half marathons before. First the positives: Beautiful course. The volunteers were great and there was plenty of water/Gatorade/oranges/bananas along the way. I loved the big rocks in the desert. Negatives: First, there are large cracks in the road that you really have to watch out for. I hurt my toe in one canyon-like crack at about mile 7. Also, the last 6.2 miles along the highway weren't my favorite. But, again, the first 20 miles were great. It was a lonely marathon after about mile 5 when the small crowd had spread out. I didn't mind, but for those who need bells and whistles for a marathon, this one isn't for you. Overall, I had a good time, but I probably wouldn't do it again.

This marathon was one of the best organized marathons I have run, especially for its small size. The aid areas were every two miles as advertised and the volunteers were great supporters. Most of the stops not only offered Gatorade and water, but also bananas and oranges, as well as gel at one or two stops. The first 20 miles were on a desert highway that was closed to traffic, so it was understandable that there was not a lot of fan support. But the relay runners and support crews were great. I thought the medal was very nice. The shirt was a nice, long-sleeve shirt. It was not a tech shirt, but that was ok considering the low entry fee. The low number of runners was nice for a change, because you did not need to weave in and out of slower-paced runners for the first few miles (as you need to do in most races). I would really recommend this race.