Pros:
Super nice people and well organized.
Flat course.
VERY little traffic. Maybe 10 cars even though you are on 'open' roads.
Super good finisher stuff. Water/Gatoraide, banana's and stuff right at the finish area. Then off to a super nice lunch after taking a shower in the community center.
Really great people.
PRICE !!! I believe this is a fantastic value.
50 Staters can pick up S.D the next day (Swan Lake)

Down Side:
plain medal ... but so what!!!

This is a nice small town marathon that is very well organized. Just a couple hundred runners. The course is all open road through the Iowa country side with very small hills that aren't noticeable. However, there is no shade on the course, except when you pass a farmstead. 2012 was brutal year with full sun for the whole course and overall it affected a lot of people. The post race party is great also, with a coupon for a free breakfast or lunch in the community center. You can also grab a quick shower. This year, because of the hot temperatures, they also arranged for ice chips at several of the last aid stations which really helped. The do provide transportation back to the starting line, but you have to wait for a school bus to fill so depending on timing, it could be awhile. Overall nice event. The finishers award is a non dated medal, and the shirt was a nice tech shirt, but the screen printing on it is a little thick.

If you can make it to NW Iowa you must do this race. Organization was the best of any marathon or any size I have run. Great aid stations, GU at 10, 15, and 20 miles, Gatorade that was sufficiently watered down. Breakfast afterwards was great too.

I'd recommend driving to Marathon and taking the bus to the start line in Storm Lake. Probably not a first timer's marathon as you are on your own running past cornfields. Race is pretty flat with a few small rolling hills. Wonderful small town atmosphere.

My only complaint is that the finisher's medals were generic.

Was very impressed with this small town marathon. The course was fairly flat with rolling hills. The Richard Simmons water station made me laugh as did the jokes all the way up the hill preceding the station. I barely realized I was running uphill because I was so into the jokes on the signs! I ran by myself the entire way until I caught up to the half marathoners and enjoyed the encouragement from them! Other than wishing the wind was at my back, I wouldn't change a thing! I was able to get a PR and BQ time!

I ran this race strictly for the BQ potential with it's point to point and slightly flat course. We got lucky with the weather, 50 degrees, little wind and no sun which resulted in a PR/BQ. Con's- Update the website vs once a year and the map is a joke. The get me register wasn't open on the 9th of June as advertised. The fans were limited but very energetic.

This race is small but incredibly well organized. I was really impressed with the transportation, refreshments, and overall great attitude of everyone involved. All the aid station volunteers were wonderful and enthusiastic, and I loved the Richard Simmons themed aid station that was preceded by a mile or two of jokes posted along the roadside. (Since this coincided with one of the course's few hills, it made for good distraction!) This is NOT a race for anyone looking for cheering throngs (fans are few and VERY far between) or fine swag, and I found that the wide open fields and long vistas started to wear on me after a while, especially given the stiff headwind. BUT, the finish in Marathon made up for it, with a home-town carnival feel and fans in the stands to get you over the finish line. More impressive is that I finished past the 5 hour mark and there were still plenty of people there cheering!

Fantastic marathon. The weather was perfect - 50 degrees at the start and partly cloudy. A nice breeze kept me cool. The course had some gentle rollers but was pretty flat overall. The course is sparse, as others have noted, especially up front. I ran by myself for almost the entire race. I caught up to some of the half marathoners and that was a boost as I passed them along the way. Organization was great and all of the volunteers were very supportive. Pancakes at the end was a nice touch. The only real gripe was that the awards took a while. Otherwise I highly recommend this marathon. Of course, PR'ing by 10 minutes and improving my BQ time to the 10 minutes or more registration tier doesn't hurt, either.

Gentle rolling hills with pretty spectacular views throughout. Genuinely kind volunteers throughout. I PR'd and found my second BQ thanks to the weather and volunteers. Fantastic pre & post race meals.

If I were king for a day, I would have run this point-to-point marathon in the opposite direction. In this way, the sun and wind would have been at my back vice in my face and the course would have been mostly declining vice predominately inclining. I would call it Marathon-from-Marathon as there is already a Marathon-to-Marathon in Texas. Yes, I know there is history here. But, if we don't learn from history, we are bound to repeat it. Not me; not here again. And I would have at least put a date on an otherwise unimpressive finisher's medal. If you're running for quantity or wanting to combine with Swan Lake Marathon in Viborg, SD the next day to do a double, this race will work. However, I've got to believe that there are better marathons in Iowa than this.

This race is very well organized and the volunteers are among the friendliest you will find at any event. The course is through the cornfields of Iowa and there are not a great many spectators. The people who are there though are among the most friendly and genuine people you'll meet anywhere. I would recommend this race, especially for a first timer.