I ran this race back in 2001. A fun deal. It is a shame that the race is gone.

I've been raving about this race for the last week, to both my running and non-running friends. Why? Because I'm a purist, and this lil race is about as basic as you can get for a marathon. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the bells and whistles of the big city marathons: the expo, pasta dinner, post-race festivities, etc. But it was real refreshing to cut out all the bull**** and just RUN.

I have to admit, though, I'm biased. How many times does one get to a marathon 10 minutes late, have a guy with a walkie-talkie radio call in 'Wait, we've got another one coming,' have another guy in a John Deere tractor pick you up, drive you to the start line, where you find out they delayed the race until you got there?! Believe me, it actually happened to me.

This is a marathon that separates the men from the boys (or women from the girls). If you don't mind fighting a 70 mph wind whipping across the cornfields, losing track of how many laps you've circled the reservoir (which is obscured by a gigantic levee), drinking gatorade straight out of the jug because they ran out of cups, or seeing the same farmer leaning against a trailer every lap, you deserve this race.

You may want to arrive a few minutes late just to see what happens!

My ratings for course, organization and spectators may suggest that I did not enjoy this marathon, but that is incorrect. It is a great marathon as long as you understand that it is a 'local' effort. When I sent in my race application and received a personal note back from the race director, I was very impressed. You'll never see that in the Chicago Marathon! It is a small, informal marathon, but that is not a bad thing. This marathon has a small-town feel. Kind of like Mayberry, NC. You expect to see Sheriff Taylor there.

The course consists of 10.5 laps on a hiking/biking trail. It is not scenic, but it gives runners 10.5 opportunities to see the few spectators who showed up for the race.

There were some organization problems, but the 2000 race was the first year. I'm confident that this will improve as the race directors gain experience.