This was a well organized race. The volunteers and runner support along the course were excellent. I loved the course with its variety of paved and unpaved trails. The goody bags were awesome! If you are looking for a fun, low-key, no frills race, this is it. I would definitely go back!!

A great course, especially the wooded trail section. I expected few spectators in this smaller town, but was touched when people got out of their cars to cheer us on! This was like an excellent training run with tactical support: water/powerade every two miles and gu as advertised. And everyone was downright nice, and the amenities (showers available after) and swag (a beef log!) were fun and fab. But really, it was about the peopleboth the townsfolk and the runners who come to this race are great. Thanks so much to the guys who let me draft behind them in the wind!

Despite the wet and blustery weather, this is a sweet marathon. A very accommodating start with 6, 7 & 8am starts to help slow guys like me. Locals at every water stop were very friendly. The park and river trails are beautiful! And the hot shower and towel at the finish, which was included, was very welcome. If you have not run Iowa, make this your destination next fall.

The best part of this marathon is the organization and volunteer support. All aid stations were well stocked and manned with motivated and cheerful parents and children of the school. They were awesome. The course was more trail than I expected. They actually painted all the exposed roots and rocks for 4 miles of trail with white paint -very helpful. With only 88 marathoners it was nice to not see miles of open road ahead. While the spectators that were on the course were energetic and a mental boost to this runner, many runners might find spectator support lacking.

Great course and support!

If you're looking to race on a variety of surfaces- streets, highways, gravel, crushed rock and trail- you should try Mason City. The spaghetti dinner was fine and we got a nice long-sleeved technical shirt and Fox River running socks, which are made nearby. They're great socks. The course is pretty flat, but the three or four miles of trails required me to concentrate on my footing, so I couldn't zone out. Not a lot of runners or crowd support, but the volunteers were enthusiastic and they had plenty of gel and drinks. This is a hidden gem. It's an easy drive from the Twin Cities or the Omaha area.

I loved this race. I wanted to do a small race not all on pavement and this one sprang up in my search. My aged legs don't do well on all pavement so this race offered many surfaces from gravel roads to dirt paths with roots and rocks, to bike paths to town streets. Mason City is a wonderful town with great support and friendly spectators.
I actually tossed my jacket to someone at mile 10 and it was waiting for me at the finish line!
It was nice that the different races (half marathon, 10K, 5K) had different starts. And with the Music Man Square open we could sit around, use a real bathroom and converse with other racers. No crowds, super weather and lots to do in the town on my days of vacation.
With a $6 spaghetti feed the night before and a great goodie bag with a nice long sleeved shirt, I would do this again if I am ever in the area.

This marathon is entirely underated and once more people discover it, it will become a much bigger event. Mason City has all the small town charm you could want. The run is in October with cooler temps, and fall foliage at it's peak. The course is very flat with a net elevation gain of 100 ft. With only 100 marathoners, and a wide open street to start the race on there are no crowds to get in your way and it is a certified Boston Qualifier. I don't know what else you could want! The course varies from asphalt on the street to a gravel road to scenic trails, and while the gravel is a bit of a bummer, it passes pretty quickly and is at the beginning of the marathon and not at the end. As a small marathon there is not a lot of crowd support, but I had several out there cheering for me, and is was very easy for them to get from place to place so I saw them in at least 6 different locations along the route. The race director does a great job, and as an added perk, just in case it is a rainy day, the Music Man Museum across from the start is open so you can use real bathrooms and stay out of the cooler weather until just before the start. Again, as someone who has run 78 marathons, I really don't believe you could ask for too much more. I plan to come back when I am in BQ shape and go for it in Mason City!

I loved the attention to detail the race director had for this race. Pins were already attached to the race bibs and names and numbers were already written on the drop bags. There was GU at three spots and water and Poweraid every two miles. We were able to wait for the start inside with real toilets. All key intersections were staffed to ensure safe crossing and all other spots were well marked. The half marathon started an hour later, so we didn't run into walls of slower runners near the finish. What a treat. This is a very small race, so the specators were sparse, but the scenery was wonderful. You run on paved and gravel country roads in the early miles and then on to dirt trails. It seems like you're the only one out there at times. The last part is through town, but mostly along the river on roads and trails. The waterstops were well organized and the course was difficult but fair. The gravel roads and the dirt trails got to me, but I still had a blast.

This was my 10th marathon. My first in Iowa. I knew it was going to be small and worried that I would have to use my MP3 player and run most of it alone but the smallness of the race was also part of the charm. The goodie bags were full of great surprises, the tshirts were very nice, and the medal was nice too. Don't kid yourself - it wasn't a boring IOWA road full of corn - there were trails, gravel, roots, roads, etc. Lots of variety. I think the race was so small that I was able to meet other runners. Loved the start aread - indoors, warm and no porta potties. REAL bathrooms. Loved stretching and visiting beforehand. Not many spectators but I do not really need them. Great awards ceremony afterwards because I got an age group award! nice finish line and showers.