This was my first marathon, and I loved it. It was hard, but I attribute that more to my lack of training than the race itself. True, there are two hills, the second of which comes late in the race, but they are nothing extreme.

The scenery was spectacular, with steep, grassy and rocky canyon walls above, and the river with some trees down below. I loved the solitude of the course, and the number of runners is perfect: enough so you don't feel alone, but there are only space issues during the first mile or two and then the pack dissipates.

The race was well organized, and the volunteers were great. There were enough crowds for me on this course. We got a lot of encouragement from them, and the little bit of music coming from a DJ at the top of the first hill around mile 16 and a few other boom boxes was perfect to add a sprinkle of sound to the pervasive silence.

The food at the pre- and post-race dinners was junk, but it was probably typical of these kinds of functions. I thought that the towns near the marathon were pretty boring places, but coming from Portland was a fantastic drive along the Columbia River.

If you are looking for a beautiful course and solitude, don't skip this one.

I now only run marathons that offer something of interest: great scenery, interesting city, relatives/friends nearby who I wish to visit, especially challenging courses, an area I have never seen before, etc. This one met nearly all of those possible requirements. The route was billed as scenic, and that was an understatement! I took my camera with me and spent so much time taking pictures that I ended up with a negative split as I finally forced myself to do more running the second half of the race. This is one race where you can blame the course for a poor time - not because of difficulty (thought the mile-long hill at around the 22 mile mark made things interesting) but because it is too beautiful. Coming from eastern Tennessee with its lush green hills, central Washington's pale green of sage brush and grass mixed with earth colors of the dry, treeless volcanic hills, overlooking the blue of the river seemed almost exotic. The cold temperature at the start soon rose to a comfortable coolness, and we were blessed with sunshine all race long. You couldn't have wanted a lovelier course and better weather.

The organization was very good. I especially appreciated that the buses supplied to take you to the start, or back to the start from the finish, were motor coaches with comfortable seats and lots of leg room rather than cramped school buses that many other marathons use. My only gripes with organization is that the post-race spread was disappointing, and that a volunteer at the packet pickup station in the Convention Center the day before the race gave me very bad information about the location of the finish line in relation to the convention center where I would park my car. Volunteers should be instructed to refer any questions that they have no sure knowledge about to someone who does have the answers.

While volunteers manning the aid stations were great, the race is not one that has much spectator support. But they would just get in the way of the scenery anyway!

While most out-of-towners seemed to drive from the Seattle area to the race, I flew in and out of Portland, OR so I could visit my son there. That route takes you along the fabulous Columbia River Gorge. Wondrous vistas of Mts. Hood, St. Helens, and Adams. Even a bit of Rainier.

If you want a race that is a feast for the eyes and soul, if not the stomach, you must do this one.

My most important goals in any race are to finish and to have fun. There is no way to do this race with all the Maniacs present and not have fun. It was a perfect day, with excellent running weather and beautiful scenery. At one point, I saw mountain sheep on the hillside across the river. I even made it up "the hill" this year without stopping!

My husband and I selected this race as our first marathon. We trained together for five months and finished just as we had planned. We did not have any trouble with the hill at mile 14... but we were a bit intimidated by the one at the 23 mile-point. We finished strong and I'm sure we will be back next year to do it again. The weather was perfect for running, and the volunteers were top notch! The hug at the end was pretty neat, too!

This is about as good as it gets. I would recommend this as a destination marathon. There were about 500 competitors, on a point-to-point course. It's only a marathon (there's no half, 10K, or kids' run).

This was my second time doing this race. I was on a day trip from the Puget Sound area, with my 16-year-old son serving as my driver. As such, I missed the dinner the night before, but everyone who was there said it was fabulous. The packet pickup is at the Days Inn, 100 yards off I-90 in Ellensburg (2 hours from Sea-Tac Airport). The starting line is 200 yards away; it's about as easy as can be.

The entire race was under clear skies, with minimal wind. The 8:00 temperature at Ellensburg was 32F, while the noon temperature in Yakima was 55F.

The first 5 miles meander through farms with the hills and mountains in the distance to keep you company. At the 5 mile-mark you enter the canyon. The highway follows the river as it twists and turns for the next 21 miles. Aside from volunteers (who were great), it is just you and the other racers for the last 21 miles (which I like). The hills of the canyon extend 1000-1500 feet above the race course. Near mile 25, Mt. Adams comes into view. The canyon opens up right at the finish line. It is a spectacular setting.

The hills near miles 15 and 18 were bigger than I remembered. The hill at mile 22 wasn't as bad as I remembered, but then I had planned on walking it all along. There were a few places where it would have been a good idea to stash an inner tube and float a portion in the river to cool off and rest, while still making forward progress (I think this is known as "cheating," plus the water is probably really cold).

Showers are a few miles from the finish line at the junior high, with shampoo, soap and towels provided!!!!

The only negative was that, due to avalanche control on Snoqualmie Pass, it took four extra hours to get back to the west side of the mountains.

I can't say enough great things about this race and I'll be back next year. Who knows, maybe in 2010 I'll run the mile 22-hill.

I have never finished a race and received a hug. But everyone gets one at this marathon. Very friendly atmosphere and a great time.

A fantastic run through an absolutely beautiful valley in central Washington. This is in the desert, so good weather is likely and the time of year means that it's not too hot yet. The course weaves around a few blocks amongst some farmland before entering the Yakima River Canyon. The paved surface is good and the road is closed to most traffic. Aid stations were located every 3 miles to start, but became more frequent in the second half. The camber of the road isn't always flat and it seemed to me that all of the right-handed turns were longer than the left-handed ones, so my right thigh took a worse beating than the left. There were two hills in the second half; the first one lasts for about half a mile and second is one and a half miles. Not terribly steep, but any hill after mile 20 is worth mentioning. There's a long, gradual downhill to the finish. I couldn't take advantage of it and pick up the pace this time around (on my first marathon) but I imagine that this would be really quite helpful for the slightly more experienced.

Organization was great and the shower facility was available afterward for no cost.

How's this for a fabulous amenity: transport to a local high school gym for post-race hot showers with soap, shampoo and towels provided. I've never felt so good within an hour of finishing any of my 83 marathons.

I ran the 2009 race and it was a fantastic experience. I PR'd on this course. The temperature was perfect for running, there was great support at the water stops (every 2 miles), and the port-a-potties along the route were very welcome. The course is a slight downhill, with 2 large hills during the second half of the race. There are few spectators, but that is to be expected for a race of this size. If you thrive off a crowd, this is not your race. However, if you love beautiful scenery, lots of space to run without people jostling your elbows, and cool but sunny weather conditions, then this is for you!

The Dolphins do it right and it's a runners marathon with all the fixings! From the pasta party Friday to the awards ceremony with another nice dinner! Oh yeah, there was a marathon in between too! A beautiful course, very peaceful and a bit challenging. Be trained. I had only run an 18 before this race and paid the price by the 2-mile incline at miles 21.

This marathon is so user-friendly, and you get a hug from the RD when you finish. Just a down-home, life-as-it-should-be kind of atmosphere the entire weekend. I will run this every year and I like the medals - just perfect for the event!

If Heaven has marathons, this is the closest thing to paradise you will find!