I have run 50+ marathons and this one was very well organized. Water stops were very well attended w/ice being supplied later in the race. Last 10 miles were high sun, very hot, not much shade. Ramada was great location, shirt nice as was medal. Good race for 50 staters. Only thing I would change is an earlier start, but I am sure that is a logistical nightmare. Buses to start were great, too. Loved this race, had a great time. Thanks to everyone involved.

Smaller marathons usually seem to get the small details right, and that's easy to say about the Casper, Wyoming, race. The organizers and volunteers made this race a memorable one for me. You could tell that for the 10th anniversary race, they've worked out the details and have figured out what works.

Pre-race pasta meal had ample supply of food. Small shuttle bus made multiple trips to starting line. Indoor convention center had plenty of space to warm up and stretch, with lots of early morning amenities if needed. Morning weather an ideal 60 degrees with a high sun. Plenty of water stops with Gatorade and GU. No need for much crowd control, but at the intersection where it was warranted, Casper PD was very supportive. Finish line at the host hotel makes logistics super easy. Post-race celebration a fantastic feast, with pizza, subs, fruit, cookies, crackers, bagels, and plenty of beverages to enjoy.

If there's anything I would would tweak, it's the course. If it's possible to run through downtown or more neighborhoods, I think that would give this race more of a Casper-feel. After a while, running along the paved river path got a tad monotonous. Seeing the rattlesnake at mile 15 was eye-opening. And the stretch around the golf course (mile 21-23) was much tougher than expected due to sneaky inclines and zero shade as temps rose to the low 80s.

Casper's not the easiest place to get to, especially from the east coast. The altitude and temperatures did their best to drain my legs, but it didn't sap my enthusiasm. Well done, everyone, and I'm glad I made the trip. Put this race on your calendar.

My husband and I had a wonderful experience at this race. All the volunteers were so welcoming, friendly and helpful. The race tee shirts and runner's bags are some of the nicest we've seen at any race, large or small. We loved the start - large indoor facility with food, drinks, restrooms, space to hang out/spread out/get ready. And what a great view of the city and surrounding area from up there! Just really nice and a great way to start off.

We appreciated all the aid stations - there were a ton of them! - which were well stocked with water, Gatoraid, Gu, fruit and ice. We enjoyed the variety of terrain and scenery on the race course, and particularly enjoyed the large pronghorn that leapt across the road around mile 5. And the finish line food - well, that was a special treat. We are both vegetarians, and more than once we've had the sad experience of having few or no meatless options available at the finish line. We were completely blown away by the vegetarian pizza, vegetarian sandwiches, and the most amazing selection of fresh fruit we've ever seen at a race, including raspberries and blueberries! On top of that was a huge selection of drinks. This was a first class event with small town charm and we highly recommend it.

The Casper Marathon was very well organized. The packet pick-up was open late the night before, which is especially helpful in the rather remote location. The shuttle to the start was easy. I didn't stay at the host hotel/finish line (Ramada), but it was on a block with several other hotels, which gave us great choices for nearby lodging. At the start, there was a plethora of pre-race snacks, plenty of bathroom access (plus, shelter, though that wasn't essentially with the calm weather).

The course was a little hillier than I expected. I couldn't find an elevation profile beforehand, so I should have scoped it out. A lot of the course is very flat, but the there are definitely some hills throughout. If the weather forecast is for heat in future years (as it was this year), definitely put on sunscreen and consider a hat. There's shade along the course, but also long stretches without any shade. If you're not accustomed to elevation, the hills could probably get to you. I live at the same elevation and found myself passing lower elevation folks on most of the uphills.

The post-race picnic was one of the best I've ever seen, with plenty of food, ranging from loads of fruit to pizza and beer. Also, Casper has some hidden gems for restaurants and things to do. We had a great pre-race meal at Dsasumo; the Oregon Trail historical sites in and around Casper were fun, too. All around, kudos to the wonderful and welcoming folks in Casper!

All I can say is, 1000 A+.

This is a great hometown marathon. The organization is great and the course is awesome. The course follows the river and is not on busy streets. Registration is easy and packet pickup is easy too. The shirts and metals are great and your bib even has your name on it! I really enjoyed this race and would recommend it.

I was very impressed with the organization of this small race - they did a great job across the board. Start was great with indoor location and gu, bagels and drinks available. Course was scenic along the river. The post race event was terrific - live band, cold beer, pizza, snacks, Gatorade, plenty of chairs to sit on. Almost everyone running this race was a Maniac or 50 stater, so lots of people to chat with during the race.

First - the coolest thing. At a local restaurant, a nice young couple with well-behaved children paid for our meal after we had chatted with them about running. What a nice community.

Now, the not so cool. We heard the host hotel was oversold. We arrived Friday and got a perfect room near the finish line and late checkout was no problem.

Shuttle bus line was crazy long. Didn't matter to me because I understand chip timing, but others were bummed that the half marathoners didn't let the full marathoners jump in line since the half started later. Two cute and polite children were riding the bus, maybe the driver's grand kids? No big deal but they did take up seats. We waited 30 minutes for the shuttle and arrived at the starting line at the official start time. The race director delayed the start a bit, so it turned out fine.

Shirts are ok, but don't have the year printed on them.

Lots of food at the post-race celebration. A nice change for my 4:45 minute finish time.

Can't say enough good things. I saw all the positive reviews previously and wondered how it could be so good.

Pros:
1. Pre race meal was great. It gave everyone a chance to meet other runners which I have not had the chance to do in previous marathons. Plenty of food and a very cheap price.
2. A place indoors to wait for the start of the marathon. That was priceless as it was a little cold in the morning and you got free coffee to give you a caffeine boost at the beginning of the race.
3. Great course design. Plenty of variety in this course. You run along the river, by a golf-course under trees, through neighborhoods, in the plains . . . everywhere. Kept it very interesting.
4. Good aide stations (one minus I will talk about later)
5. Great food at the end with plenty of it.
6. Very nice volunteers who I appreciated very much

Cons (only two real complaints one small, one large)
1. From mile about 18 to mile 23 or so (I kind of lost count) there was no water for the marathoners. We even crossed the half marathoner's area at about mile 20 and there was a water stand on their side and not ours. At mile about 22 there was a great volunteer that handed me a large water bottle, but there needs to be an aide station somewhere there and that was inexcusable on the organizers part. Practically medical necessity to put in an extra water station somewhere there. Surprised I didn't pass out from dehydration.
2. Minor complaint. Everyone was eating the food at the end including fans and families of the half marathoners. Luckily there was plenty of food for all, but come on. The marathoners and half marathoners paid for that food with our entry fees. I can't tell you how many spectators I saw getting huge plates of food and I know there were more marathoners that had not crossed the finish line yet.

Overall great marathon I would recommend. Two complaints that I think they could easily fix. Good marathon if you want to cross off Wyoming.

Excellent small marathon. Course was interesting and challenging but fair. Volunteers were great! Thanks! Post race fruit, pizza, and drinks the best of any marathon I've run.