I had a fantastic time at this race, and would still definitely run it again in the future despite this year's pre-race snafu (which I hear has never happened before at this race, and that they'll likely learn from and improve next year) of letting people still register on the race day up until the time when the race was scheduled to start. While it was rather inconvenient to have to wait after warming up and assuming we'd be off to a 7 a.m. start, I can't say that I blame them, either, for wanting to register as many people as they could, given our current economy. The weather was picture perfect (cool but not cold, no wind, partly cloudy) and the Olathe Marathon was recently canceled, so I think that may have had something to do with the high number of same-day entrants.

I think it would be wise of them to either cut registration off very early the morning of the race, or require that all registration be completed the night before so that the race starts on time. For what it's worth, the race director did acknowledge and apologize with sincerity for the delay just before the start, and thanked us for our patience. They knew things could have gone more smoothly, but I am sure that they'll make changes and improvements at next year's race.

This course was not quite as flat and fast as USATF would have you believe, though it's definitely not monstrously hilly, either. You roll gently uphill on the way out along paved country roads, with an approximately two-mile tree-lined and curvy loop through a park. What goes up must come down, so the gently rolling route moves slightly downhill on the way back, giving runner good potential to evenly or negative split the course if they pace it right.

Though you're better off going to a mega-marathon if you want wall to wall crowds, the aid station volunteers on this otherwise quiet course were enthusiastic and very supportive of runners. I read reviews that described this course as "boring," but if you enjoy running in relative quiet, being able to hear chirping birds or being able to chat easily with fellow runners on the course without dodging people right and left, this might be the race for you. They really put the personal touch on this event, from the pasta dinner to pancake breakfast and generally welcoming atmosphere of the Abilene community.

One more tiny request would be to provide a tech shirt instead of cotton tee shirt (or provide a "no shirt" option for those who don't want or need another tee shirt). That way, I could wear it on runs where other runners might see and ask about this great little marathon. Though I will be running Boston next April, I would definitely love to run the Eisenhower again at a later date.

I had a blast with this marathon! The welcome signs on the lawns and banners on the stores made me feel right at home. The course was very much like what I trained on - long, rolling, country roads - and they closed the highway for us. The park we ran through was cool. Great organization, with lots of help at the water stops. Thank you very much.

If you're looking for a great, small, well organized race, then this is it. While Kansas is hardly flat, I would also not consider this to be rolling hills. They are more like long, slow inclines and declines, but nothing bad and a good course to set a PR, or a good choice for a first marathon. Organization was top-notch and attention to detail was much appreciated. You can tell that the organization tries hard. It shows.

One great thing about a small race is that parking is ample and close. If you crave lots and lots of wildly cheering spectators, then you might want to look elsewhere; however, the spectators that are there offer plenty of support. Minor glitch with a 25-minute late start; however, since the weather was perfect this year, it was no big deal, as we finished easily in cool weather. While some may find running in the middle of the prairie boring, I found it really pretty compared to some of the big-city marathons that always seem to run through the slums for at least a couple of miles. Having the road TOTALLY closed to traffic is fantastic! And having the race broadcast on the internet so that you're family at home can follow along is a major perk for such a small race.

This was a great effort by the community in supporting the race. The course is mostly run on country roads with rolling hills, but it does pass through a park. There was a great pasta dinner and post-race meal afterward. Volunteers and community members were very friendly.

This was my first Eisenhower, but definitely not my last! The details of this were excellent. The packet had a course map, spectator map, and a very detailed explanation of the event (including where GU would be, and that a bridge may be slippery, etc.). Because of the details of the packet, I felt so comfortable with what I was getting into the next morning.

There was plenty of food and drink prior, indoor bathrooms, and we hung out in the dining area to keep warm while waiting for the race to begin. The food after included pancakes and sausage, as well as bananas, oranges, and cereal.

The course was great. All paved, through a park and then onto a closed highway. There were aid stations every mile with water, PowerAde, AND SNACKS!! A couple of stations had GU and a few had bottled water as well. The snacks were bite-sized granola bars, bananas, oranges, and yogurt-coated granola.

The medals were nice. The awards were given out throughout the morning, so people didn't have to wait around.

The areas to improve: packet pick-up was slow - must be more efficient in the future. The start was delayed due to late registrants. Please don't allow same-day registration in the future.

The weather was perfect, the staffing was great, and the whole event was wonderful!

I had high hopes for this event after reading so many positive reviews, but I'm sad to say that I was disappointed. I was expecting a rather boring course and a lack of spectators, but what caught me off guard was how poorly organized some aspects were. It started with somewhat unorganized parking. They should have had a person directing vehicles where to go as the parking lot filled up so that they didn't block in other cars (like they did). And the packet pickup was just the biggest disaster I have ever seen. You had to get your packet, bib, and timing chip at three separate tables. There were no structured lines, the room was too small to handle everyone, and the whole process moved way too slow. I also heard reports of people getting the wrong bib or chip. They realized that not all of the runners would even have their stuff picked up by race time, so they had to push back the start by almost 30 minutes.

Course support was great, as advertised, but I had my fuel belt, so the aid stations just served as cheering sections for me, which was nice. I definitely wouldn't call the course flat, but there were no steep hills.
The awards ceremonies were also late and somewhat disorganized. It was still a great experience for me because the weather was fantastic and it was my first marathon - and a BQ to boot! I won't return next year though.

The whole town seemed to welcome us with open arms. The packet pick up was very easy; however, there were a couple of glitches with pasta party tickets not being in packets. That was easily resolved though. The pasta dinner was very good, with seconds offered. The race started about 30 minutes late due to the number of last-minute registrations. The volunteers and the whole town were very friendly. The course was an out-and-back, and the middle section of the out-and-back was a bit boring, but the part through the park was nice. Pretty much no spectators on the course, but I didn't mind that. Lots of water, PowerAde, and fruit out on the course. I received an enthusiastic welcome at the finish line from the few spectators there. After finishing, a delicious pancake and sausage breakfast was provided. I would recommend this race.

This is a tiny marathon, and I put four stars for spectators because considering its size, there was always somebody along the course. Wonderful support with water and food every mile, nice volunteers, people on horseback riding the second part of the route, and wonderful Kansas scenery with plains and fields, farmhouses and windmills. What more could you want? I was most impressed with the organization. There was a great pasta dinner and a hot after-race breakfast, and one could tell there was much work and dedication put into this race. Cute town, too. As far as I'm concerned, a perfect Kansas race. I can't think of a thing that needed improvement. And out-and-back races are comforting when you're out in the boonies; you see other runners more.

This was my first marathon and overall it was a great experience! The course was flat with a good mix of open road and time in a park. The race got a late start because registration was unorganized, but other than that, it was good. Aid stations were well placed and workers were very helpful. There were few spectators throughout the race, but most of the race was out in the country. I would recommend the race and plan on running it again!

I ran the EM in 2005 and they had everything running like a well oiled machine. This year, not so much.

The main issue was that they started the race 25 minutes late. To me, this makes it clear that the organizers cannot be runners themselves. They don't understand that the race start time is SACRED and the basis for how we plan up to 24 hours in advance. For me, it dictates when I eat the night before, when I go to bed, what time I get up, when I get to the race, when I eat breakfast, when I begin stretching, etc. That all gets thrown off with a late start. And for a race that's been around for this long, it really is inexcusable.

The other thing that irks me is that the late start impacted how much time I had between when I finished and when I had to leave to drive back home. Instead of an hour, I had only 30 minutes. Therefore, I couldn't stick around for the awards. And they want $5 to mail out an age-group award!!

They could really benefit from hiring a runner as a consultant to help them manage some of these finer points.