Don't let the challenging elevation gain scare you away from this race. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Almost all on paved (a little gravel)trail - you hear the rushing water of the Spokane River below for at least 3/4 of the race. So peaceful! No headphones allowed so if you're a music junkie, this may not work for you. But I encourage you to try - in our ADD world, it was so inspiring to really appreciate the sights & sounds.

This is a small race that is extremely well organized & super aid station support. The high school sports teams all man the stations with the hopes of being voted best aid station to win money for their school sport, so they are super movitated & make it fun.

I also loved the option to pay extra for a race sweatshirt or to pay a minimal race entry fee ($35!) and not get the shirt. Wish all races would do that!

Having done well over 30 marathons and I give this one a 10!

RunnersWorld named MDI Marathon the "Most Scenic." I've run both and Spokane is every bit as scenic as MDI. Truly spectacular.

The course is not for the faint of heart. I think the prior reviews to the effect that "the course isn't too hard - I qualified for Boston" are subjective and anecdotal. The course is very challenging. Objectively.

The high school cheerleaders and cross-country teams that man the water stations were great. It's a shame that no one else in Spokane seems to know anything about the race. I was there from Friday to Monday and the local paper only had one short marathon story. It ran on Saturday. It was about the CHICAGO Marathon!! Good grief.

If you're looking for a small race with a beautiful and challenging course and don't need a lot of fan support, this one's for you. If you tend to bring your own cheering section, your friends and family will find it relatively easy to cheer you on at many spots along the way. Good luck!

The course is challenging with rolling hills. However, the beauty of the course is unmatched. Other than a few miles at the start and a bit at the end, you are either running in the woods or along beautiful vistas. You will not get bored running this course.

I grew up in Spokane, and as a runner and cyclist, I had run and biked pretty all of the course many times years ago. I remembered it being pretty, but the course was beautiful on race day. And I remember the hills, but they seemed smaller on race day (even Doomsday hill seemed tame). Like others have said, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for a PR, although I got one without planning to. The cross-country kids at the aid stations were awesome! Two minor pseudo-complaints: first, provide gels a bit more often at the aid stations from 15 on; and second, the finish was a bit chaotic, as I came running in hard, passing lots of halfers, and it didn't appear that the finish line folks were quite ready for me. I loved the chance to race on old training grounds. I highly recommend this marathon to others. BRRC is a top-notch club.

Everything was great, but we needed more port-a-potties.

I live here and did not expect such a great race. If you enjoy running in beautiful surroundings without throngs of people, then this your marathon. The course starts downtown and is moderately fast for the first 8 miles, hilly for the next 5 miles, gentle grades for 9 miles, deep uphill at mile 22, and finally a cruise to the finish. Most of the course is along the river, with very little traffic. The race officials are top-notch, and the water stations were well supported by local high school cross-country teams. True, this is a challenging course; however, I did get a PR here... conditions were ideal, and that always helps. If you need a WA marathon, make it this one... it's more affordable and beautiful than Seatle's. Thanks, BRRC!

One benefit of climbing hills is the view you get at the top, but there are a lot of hills to climb here. Perfect weather for the 2007 edition, about 40 degrees at the start, around 60 by noon. Some traffic and concrete on the course but a lot of it is on wide bike paths with no traffic; this club obviously knows how to put on a race. Proceeds from the race go to the cc teams that man the aid stations (water and gatorade) and they will make you smile regardless of how you feel. Doomsday Hill, the fourth noteworthy 'up' on the course, comes at Mile 22 and is a bear. A challenging course but one that brought me a sense of satisfaction upon completion. Great time of year to visit Spokane.

I just got back from running the 2007 version and had a very enjoyable time. I was not exactly sure what to expect, since I could not find topography of the course and it was challenging, but the previous comments are pretty accurate. While running it I thought I would write that it was not a course to run a PR, but I did (maybe it was the lower elevation). Overall, I would recommend the race as long as you don't need lots of fans lining the course or expect a huge goody bag (the finisher sweatshirts were very nice). The aid station competition was fun and gave you something to look forward to every 2 miles. Doomsday Hill was not as bad as I expected, but then again, I do a lot of hill training. This is a race I would do again. The only thing that would have helped would have been a few more volunteers after Doomsday Hill, as the course wound around and could have been confusing; luckily I was following a race veteran.

This was my first marathon. I live in Spokane and our training group did a lot of running on portions of the route. The course is a challenging one as the first 10 miles have a lot of hills. Miles 10-22 are flat until 'Doomsday Hill.' The last three miles are flat. High school cross country teams man the water stations. They actually have a contest for the best stations. Several of the teams were dressed up in costumes and their words of encouragement were most welcome. Finishers received a medal and a long sleeve sweatshirt. It was a great race. I finished my first marathon.

I was visiting grandson in Seattle, so I found this race on the 'net. Didn't see the fine print about the hills and 5 hr. finish till after I had registered. Was a bit scared, but when I picked up my number was told someone would be there when I finished and they had radio contact.

The trail was absolutely beautiful, peaceful and mostly quiet. Was very high above river at some points and then later it was quite nearby. Heard the cheering through the woods on the other side of the river. Aaah. There is someone else out here. Hills, mountainsides with houses perched on top and beautiful homes along the trail added to the interest. Never saw an animal, though. Was alone now as the group had split. Finally saw someone with long sleeved white shirt who would look back at me periodically. After reaching the top of the Doomsday Hill, I never saw that person again. But water and gatorade had been left on the curbside. It was now 5hrs. into the race. That's why you need the printed directions! There was a right turn at the next street taking you back into town. When I finally arrived at finish and asked, that person had not yet gotten in. Director was at finish line and gave me an apple she'd picked that morning. Other food was gone. It was now over an hour after their time limit, so I expected that. Apple was good and I was happy. OK. Just do it and your other races will be a piece of cake!

Oh, the teens that were at the stations were FANTASTIC. They were very high energy AND in different costumes at each location which was a very nice visual experience. I wear my name, so I heard it a lot. At one station, the girls formed a couple long arches for me to run under while they cheered and called my name. Later when they'd packed up and were driving down the road headed home, I was cheered as they passed.

Yea, it was tough, but my son got to see me start and finish. You'll be all smiles afterward and WA will be off your list of remaining states! Oh, you get your shirt AFTER you finish. It's a VERY NICE sweatshirt that you'd proudly wear.