I don't like yellow bus rides, but thank you It would be cool to have an ultra from the school up to the start and back down. That would take care of the yellow bus. (Smile) I enjoyed the marathon. I will return.

I came from PA and found the race to be scenic, well organized with cheerful volunteers handing out water and powerade. This is a small marathon with very little spectators but everything else was top notch. I would recommend it to any runner who plans to run a marathon in Montana.

I ran the half this year, but have previously run the full twice and the half 3 times and the 10k once. I'm the DS whose '05 comments are on the last page of these comments, and I'm writing again to say the organizers have done a great job of improving steadily, such that anyone who runs this, and doesn't expect Boston or Chicago amenities, will likely be quite pleased overall.

Not that it's perfect: there's still the potential for scorching heat (tho the past 3 yrs temps have been perfect to cold), and if you depend on spectators for a boost, go elsewhere. Plus, you need to warn your quads that this is almost all downhill, and odds are you'll get a boost from the prevailing nw (tail)winds. Best of all, great strides have been made in packet pick-up, busses, and finish line organization, especially the food and bag retrieval. And I have yet to get better designed tech shirts, year after year, than this race. So if you want a small marathon in gorgeous scenery, this could be the one for you.

I ran this marathon to meet my 50 state quest. It was my 126 marathon and my 37th state. Everyone was so accommodating: from the lady who did the early start for us; then stayed with us; flashing lights until daybreak; to Clarise, a food table voluntar at the finish line; who gave me a ride to my hotel. In between these wonderful women at the start and finish, the race was well laid out; organized; and user friendly! I have done so many marathons that I think that I can say that Montana was marvelous!

Fast course super finishing experience.Did not notice the poota potties at Molt. No signs and its dark. Lined up for 1 holer in the community hall.Drop off bags could be better organized at finish area just a mess of bags. This marathon has great potential for tourism in the area if you work out a couple small details.

I met a guy at the finish who had finished his first-ever marathon and walked him over to the volunteers, who forgot to give him his medal... which was identical to the half medal. I think marathon finishers should receive something better than what the halfers get.

Loved this event!
My husband ran the marathon and I ran the half. The race director and her committee and the volunteers did a wonderful job in making sure that all the participants in all of the 2010 events had a great experience. The course was scenic and well-marked, and the volunteers were friendly and cheerful. The RD even brought the packets to the host hotel for those of us that chose not to have a rental car.

Even the weather cooperated this year. The day was cool and sunny at the start, some fog rolled in to keep the route scenic and the temperatures down, and then the sun came out to finish with a pleasantly warm day. It was about 40F at the start and about 70F and sunny down at Daylis Stadium when my husband finished.

We would definitely recommend this event to anyone that likes small marathons with pretty rural scenery and friendly, happy volunteers.

This was my 20th marathon and the route was wonderful.

Pros:
Great scenery.
Friendly volunteers (when they were paying attention).
Great location for a finish, as it finished inside the stadium.
Local police and volunteers were directing traffic in town, which definitely helped, since no roads were closed to traffic.

Cons:
They said there would be gels at the water stations, but there weren't any in the later stations.
No snacks of any variety at the finish line.
The website lacks information (for example, that the start will be cold (2C) and that we should keep our warm clothes until just before the race start as we will want them in the community centre and while standing in line for the porta potties).
No information on how many people were entered.
No timers at all on the course - you are totally on your own when it comes to timing.

A few more years and they may have all the small details worked out. A great marathon route, really!!

Pros:
-Great volunteers! Water stop volunteers called out drinks when I was 100 feet away.
-Great volunteers! Traffic controllers ensured my day would not end due to a lack of safety.
-Great volunteers! Knowing they were the only spectators, they were full of positive energy and inspirational. Seriously, there was a group of guys near mile 21 that were screaming at me to run up the hill to the turn! They were awesome and necessary at that point of the race.
-Spectacular scenery. While the first 10+ miles were tough (see Cons below), the views define Big Sky Country: Deer crossing the route at sunrise, cows mooing, horses running their ranch lines. Spectacular.

Cons:
-The first 10 miles are all uphill. Approximately 250' of elevation gain (25 stories) to open the day.
-Miles 10-13 are all downhill. Steep downhill. Approx 700' of elevation loss in less than 3 miles. No treat. By mile 14 you will know where each muscle in your "quad" is and how well they were trained.
-A kind of cheap finishing medal.
-No spectators and/or community support (beyond the great volunteers!).

While I shouldn't list the course profile as a con because the numbers are posted and I knew them going in, it still was a bummer! It's a small race. I heard that there were 230 entrants, with close to 160 finishing. It was a hard day with poor weather playing too significant a role, but that's how it goes sometimes. Not the RDs fault. Some of the DNFs may have been due to the dynamics of the first 14 miles, and altitude could have played a role too. I live at 700' and I think the altitude played a role in my performance (as did the weather). All in all, a great, small event run by great people. Congrats to the organizers and volunteers. I only wish the people of Billings could embrace it and get on board.

I enjoyed the entire race. The rain didn't help matters, but it was much better than the 90-degree temps on Saturday.

The course was very well organized and the aid stations were first-class.

I enjoyed the course, and the other runners were very supportive!