The city of Abilene puts on a nice marathon with friendly volunteers. But the course is nothing special and was a bit confusing to negotiate- I witnessed several runners that definitely went the wrong way on the second marathon loop. I even had to stop and ask course marshalls if I was going in the right direction. Mileage signs also added to the confusion by being nonexistent in some cases. Otherwise the expo, breakfast/dinner, and starting lines are all conveniently located with ample parking available... and the post-race pancakes were awesome. If running fifty states this isn't a bad Kansas option, but definitely not the best marathon to run because of the boring course.

What a fun day in Abilene, Kansas! Everything was perfect - organized, aid stations, great volunteers, packet, parking, finishers pancakes, super nice people, and the weather! I usually don't like doing 2 lap events but didn't mind here since it was a beautiful and relaxing course.

Very enjoyable course and race. Especilly liked the miles through the park. I will admit 4 times over the same course gets monotonous, but the course was well marked and well staffed. The Big City venues have their own flavor and draw, but in my opinion you just can't beat these small town races with easy access, inexpensive accommodations and lots of local flavor. I would recommend this event for anyone qualifying for Boston, wanting a pr, or just wanting a friendly atmosphere in which to run. It is a flat, reasonably fast course.

It's a great marathon that is well organized by a very nice group of people but the changes they made for 2013 were definitely for the worse. The full marathon runners had to run the course twice, the new loop added in at the beginning of the course made it seem like you were seeing the same scenery for almost the entire race, and there was no mile marker at mile 1, 11, or 13. Thought they dropped the ball on this one, I've run this several times before and the course and organization was great, but I would think twice about running it again after my experience this year.

A very enjoyable and well-done small marathon. The organizers did a great job and the support on the course and at the water stations. The few spectators on the course were very supportive. Strongly recommend for a Kansas marathon.

My 25th marathon, and I loved it.

Pros
- Easy to get to packet pickup, easy to park on race-day.
- I enjoyed the Eisenhower museum, a bit of a history buff.
- Food & snacks before and after the race were great: I'd never tried pancakes after a full, and I liked it.

Cons:
- The rolling hills didn't get to me much, but combined with the headwinds in the beginning, you could burn yourself out if you pushed it early.
- I stayed in Wichita, which was probably a mistake (2 hour drive each way). Getting a hotel closer means booking one earlier than I did.

Everyone was so nice and welcoming. The volunteers seemed to enjoy themselves! The mile marker/hydration stations were tops! Very well done for fueling the runners. The spaghetti dinner and the breakfast were just wonderful. The only thing that was a snag for me was not being told my chip was not in my race packet!! Panic at 10pm. Thank you June for calming me down. You rock. Thank you all. Kansas is great except for the tornados that night!!!

First, the volunteers are fantastic! The Pasta meal was excellent.. The food, fruit, water electrolytes were abundant.

The course is well marked. The course is closed so traffic not an issue.

For most of the race other than other marathoners and volunteers there are no other people... you are running with open fields on both sides... you can see a long way... The rolling hills are gentle, but there are a lot of them and some of them seem to go on forever... We had very high winds in your face for about the first 8 miles then about 8 miles of 90 degree winds and the rest on you back... The winds were strong enough and gusting enough so that effected balance at times.

While the course officially closed after 6 hours meaning the roads were opened to traffic the state police escorted those still on the course the race organizers and volunteers were at the finish line to welcome all finishers and present them with finishers medal.

This is just about my favorite marathon of my 36. Small and fun. While hotel space is lacking (worth the short drive to a neighboring town), the race is fantastic. The pasta party is a must, not only because dining options are so limited in this small town, but because the Knights of Columbus put on a class act with their service.

I felt like I was amongst family with this group. Midwest hospitality is no joke here.

The crowds may have been thin due to this race being held in farm country, but the spectators were very enthusiastic.

Rolling hills the whole way were not too bad, even for this Florida girl. Well marked course with adequate water, etc.

I chose this race as a Boston qualifier and to check Kansas off my state list. Prooved to be a great choice. I comfortably qualified, as did many that I met after the race.

If you go, poke around the Eisenhower museum afterward. There's not much else to do anyway, and it is quite interesting.

I like small town runs and this was no dissapointment. The people were so friendly though not many out on the course except the water tables because it ran out into the country. I lot of nice touches, the 'Yeehaw' start, the homemade pasta dinner in the local church, the free pancake breakfast post-run, the horseback patrol checking on us. The course had more hills than I thought it would, but it is was run in the Flint Hills region of the state so I should have guessed. This was a well organized run, nice town and we got to spend a day in the Eisenhower Memorial/Library/Museum at a reduced rate.