Positives:
1. Beautiful course.
2. Small field (201 finishers 2013)
3. Great weather (cold start, pleasant finish)
4. Excellent organization.
4a. Free morning bus shuttle from finish to start line.
4b. Bag drop at start.
4c. Quick to post results and respond to emails.

Negatives:
1. Rather hilly. One mile downhill at 2mi that is steady, so not too tough (but be ready). Several uphills around 11-12mi - not terrible (but be ready). Steep downhill at about 13mi. One steady 1.3mi uphill at 16mi, and back down for 17mi. Many very short but steep momentum buster hills during 24-26mi (I wasn't ready).
2. No chip timing. Not a big deal but it can take 10-20 seconds to cross start.
3. Water stops for first half are each over 3 miles apart. Lack of vehicle access determine this - so you can carry or double drink at each.

Overall a great experience.

Beautiful setting for a marathon. Bus ride up to the start above the dam at Lake Shasta for the point to point race. Try to hold back on the start. Just about 3.5 down hill at the start. The course follows a paved bike/walking trail. Drink plenty at the aid stations as there is some distance between them. 14 - 15 tought uphill section. Finish at Sundial Bridge was awesome. Little to no fan support, but the views make up for that. Very nice small race!

This was my very first marathon. I have nothing to compare it to but what a beautiful run. The scenery the whole way was beautiful. Starting downhill you definitely need to watch your speed. The first 4 miles are downhill. The next 5 are flat and then you slowly start to climb. The next 5 miles have lots of inclines and a few declines. By the time you get to 16 miles, it's flat. A couple of little rolling hills around 19 to 21. After that, all flat. Great ending on the sun dial bridge. We got lucky with the weather because in January you never know.

The organizers of this event are to be congratulated for putting on such a well-organized event. Fabulous scenery, a smooth course (challenging hills midway, but the beautiful surroundings helped cope with them), and despite my fears, perfect weather! Wonderful support stations along the way, and nice refreshments at the end. I've done almost 150 marathons, and this ranks up there with the best of them (although as a January event, good weather like this year is not guaranteed)!

All details taken care of. Very scenic run along Shasta Dam, and then along the Sacramento River with a beautiful finish on the Sundial Bridge, with snow-covered mountains in the distance. Weather was perfect. Fewer stars for lack of spectators, but I was running for the scenery. At the finish, the pies and soup were heavenly.

I walk, so I am out there 5-plus hours. Organization waned towards the end - around mile 18, when you make the turn for the second loop, I was directed down the wrong path. I commented to a gentleman I was passing on how hilly it was. He said it was a little hilly but we only have a couple of miles to go. I said I had 7 to go according to my watch. He said you must have gone the wrong way back at the split. I said, "OH SHOOT," or something like that; and turned around and went back. It was foggy, so it was hard to see much of the scenery the first couple of hours. The website discribes the course accurately. The rail grade is a gradual up-slope, with a hilly section from mile 11 to 15. After that it is fairly flat. Great volunteer support at the aid stations. The runners friends and family in attendance were enthusiastic. The weather wasn't great, but only Mother Nature can control that. The glass surface across the Sundial Bridge was slick. It was a small venue, with no traffic and great scenery - my kind of race. Oh, the long-sleeve tech shirt - convict orange - and finisher's medals were nice.

The course starts off downhill, so watch your downhill speed. Very well organized!!

Great job, SWEAT Running Club! The new course is a lot harder but well worth it. This is my 5th time running Redding and I can say that it's getting better each year. The only problem was the heat; it was pretty toasty for January. This is one of the best January marathons in California.

Ran in '08 and this can't be beat for beauty. Start and finish areas are nothing short of spectacular. Hats off to the SWEAT folks for assembling a first-rate event.

I decided last-minute to drive from Reno to Redding and signed up "fleet feet" the night before. The people there were very helpful with any questions the last minute registrants had (they also had race day registration - very rare for a marathon). I took one of three shuttles from the finish to the beautiful Sundial Bridge to Shasta Dam. The visitor center was open to let the runners stay out of the cold and wind until the 8 a.m. start.

The course heads straight downhill for 2 miles after crossing the dam, although this section was not as quad-shattering as I'd feared. We then hit a gravel/dirt trail that was not quite as fast as advertised, but the start and the river valley were beautiful! After a few small to medium hills on town roads, we'd eventually hit trail again while getting back down to the river, crossed the ribbon bridge, did a "roller coaster" along the rolling hills of the American River Trail (paved), a quick loop, and then back the same way we came. After mile 20, we were on a paved trail heading towards the Sundial Bridge with a quick 1.8-mile loop before crossing the bridge to finish. The last 5 miles were the flattest part of the course, but unfortunately for me, I couldn't take advantage as I'd run out of gas by this point (due to the roller coaster section). Although I wouldn't describe the course as fast, I was less than two minutes slower than my previous (flatter) marathon in Santa Clarita, and this race had none of the organizational issues that one had!

Everyone at the finish was great. They had plenty of (good) food, bikes (which I used to loosen up), therapists to help us stretch and give massages, and an awards booth (where they continuously announced the winners instead of having to wait hours for people to finish!). I had an award shirt and mug in hand 10-15 minutes after crossing the line.

Overall, it was a great, small race.... The course was marked very well, with volunteers at every turn. There were almost no spectators, but with the good-looking scenery, you won't notice as much. Highly recommended for a small off-season marathon.