I had high hopes for this race, and I was disappointed. First, except for the 2-3 miles, you really couldn't see the gorgeous waterfront of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Second, that last stretch of trail was very rocky - borderline technical - not something that I like to see near the end of a marathon. Third, there were a few steep hills. One involved a nasty switchback, again coming near the end of the race. Finally, mile markers were inconsistent - half and full markers were alongside each other, which is obviously wrong.

On the positive side, the course support was good, and the finish line support was outstanding for a small race. I also liked the room where we waited for the start.

I agree with all the positive comments. A beautiful course with beautiful weather. I'm from the South, so the higher than normal temp was still relatively cool. Aid stations were awesome with very enthusiastic volunteers! Loved the medal and the shirt is awesome! Only negative for me was the ankle Velcro timing chip...never could get it adjusted and chewed up my ankle pretty good - saw a lot of runners messing with theirs as well. Would be great to change to a shoe tag. All in all, an outstanding race...would definitely run it again!

I was looking for a race in early June and was planning on the Rock and Roll marathon San Diego, but looked at other races that same weekend and looked closely at NODM. As I get older and run more races (over 30 marathons and half marathons) I find that I enjoy the smaller races vs. the large events. I'm glad I selected NODM over San Diego. The Olympic Peninsula is a great place to visit and you need to plan on staying a few days before or after the race.

I decided to stay at the Red Lion (host hotel) and it provided an excellent base for the first couple of days of our trip. The expo is at the hotel, the finish line is at the hotel and the bus to the started picked up a block away. There are some great restaurants within walking distance (Kokopelli Grill, Bella Italia, Michaels). Since I used the race package we received a couple of bottles of water and energy bars at check in.

The expo was small as I expected and was very efficient. It only took me 5-10 minutes to pick up my number and take a quick look at the running gear. We signed up for the pasta dinner and it was one of the best I have attended. They say you can walk to the dinner at Sons of Italy but it was over 11 blocks away, so we drove and enjoyed the food and live entertainment.

Race day (half marathon for me)&the race doesnt start until 9:00 and the sun comes up around 5:00, so when you add in east coast time for me I was up in plenty of time for the race. The buses leave at 6:30 and I decided to walk over at about 7:00. A bus was waiting and I was at the start line rather quickly. The half start area is a soccer field and there are correct that there isn't any shelter. It was a sunny and warm day with temps around 70 at race time, so I walked across the street and waited in the shade vs. the full sun of the soccer field. It would have been easy to have someone drop you off at the start much closer to race time instead of the bus.

The half marathon&the first 4 miles were very flat and in the sun so it was a little warm. The early 180 was very congested, but they state that clearly on the website. Around mile 4 is where the first hill arrives. I expected it to be really steep, but didn't find it to be any worse than where I run in Atlanta. It is a short and steep descent and climb, but not too bad. The next 3 miles I would describe as rolling and you are in the shade most of the time. In mile 7 is where climb number two happens. This one is steep and there were 2-3 cutbacks going down the hill and then a steep climb back up. This hill was hard and I decided to walk most of the uphill. After that you have a nice downhill to the ocean and the rest of the course (well almost the rest) is on the water. You do have to make a run around a dusty industrial area, but return to the ocean with about a mile to go.

The finish area was very festive with lots of good music and food, and it was easy to find my wife. The medal was nice and the people were friendly. There were lots of aid stations along the course and they were communicated very clearly on the race packet information.

I would have preferred the race starting earlier than 9:00, but the weather on race day was much better than normal with sunny skies. Other than that I have no complaints about the race at all.

I don't want to repeat some of the 2010 comments (which were also true for the 2011 race), but what a wonderful race, course, views, and funky characters on the race course. I made a new friend and simply had a great weekend. Great organization. I would definitely do this one again once I finish the 50 states. Totally awesome race shirt.

Who would have thought that a heat wave would inconveniently land on June 5th this year? Wow, was it ever hot on Marathon Day. As a Northwest runner, this seriously affected my 'fun' during the beautiful NODM. Nevertheless, I appreciated that this is a fantastically well organized race, full of friendly people and stunning scenery. The finisher's medal is lovely. There's plenty of support along the way. But do not be fooled: if you run competitively, DO be prepared for hills. If someone says to you that this race is mostly flat (as a few said to me), you're talking to either someone with Superman strength or someone who plans to run slo-o-owly. I'm telling you, there are hills, and they are mostly toward the painful end. This is the first race in which I have EVER walked for a few brief moments. Still, it's a lovely race and well worth running. And surely you will have cooler weather than we did in 2011.

This marathon was exactly what I hoped for. It was a small race (339 finishers) run partly on roads and partly on very scenic trails (paved). There are some tough hills between 27-33km (17-20 miles), but they are relatively short and steep so you don't have to lose much time on them if you can power up them instead of walking. In 2011 the weather was pretty hot (>20C, 70F) and I think that was a big factor for many people which is why the results were slower than in previous years.

As many other people have said the race is very well organized, tons of aid stations, and lots people out cheering on the runners. It is a small race though, so be prepared to run most of the race alone as I did. The second half of the course was great because there were lots of people walking the race (either the full marathon or the half), so it certainly didn't feel like I was running alone. At one or two aid stations there was someone offering to soak runners in cool water, which was a nice treat on a hot day.

Although the website says to stay in Port Angeles (where the finish is), I chose to stay in Sequim and it was great. My hotel was 5 minutes from the start line which worked out perfectly since I had family there to check out of the hotel and drive the course to see me at various points along the route. And there are free showers available at the YMCA after the race too.

The finish line area is a bit congested for spectators, but there is a large area beyond the finish with tons of food and live music. They even provided ice creams too which was great on such a hot day.

Overall this was probably the best racing experience I've had, and I definitely recommend it to others.

I am trying to run all 50 states (this was 19 with a couple repeated, including Boston) and this was my race for Washington. What a great choice! I had thought about doing another Rock 'n' Roll, since Seattle would be in a few weeks.

I just read that cranky comment and definitely agree that the 2 hills at 16 and 20 were killers. I would give the course a 4.5 if offered and a 5 without those hills. So train for them, bank some time, or just walk up like I did. And Boston is famous for its hills, as is Big Sur and others. No, it is not a pancake-flat course, although probably 80% of it is.

The course was mostly excellent and sometimes amazing. You are bused efficiently to the start and can wait inside (take that NYC and Boston) in a nice building with plenty of bathrooms and fluids until you walk a block to the start.

The weather was perfect: 52 or so, overcast, not that humid, light wind (no rain in a very rainy area). And it never got over that, and the sun only came out briefly.

It is a small race (400 finishers), and even though I always line up a little back, it only took me 7 seconds to cross. The first loop around the town went quickly in our pace group and is well managed. Then you head onto a smooth, well-paved bike path with firm footing that goes by horses, farms, wooded areas, across two rivers on beautiful bridges, on ridges, and yes, down and up those two monsters that are STEEP but short, followed by a few rollers, a downhill at around 22, and flat and along a strait of the ocean (with a small hill at around 24 by the little detour) and a finish line where they announce your name. Then a sweet older lady takes your arm and guides you to the chip remover. Awww.... Then you are there at a nice finishing area with massages for only $15. And times were posted on the wall immediately and constantly updated. Then the half finishing award ceremony began. I chose not to wait to get my AG for the full and we left to go to our car - oh, that was maybe a block away where we parked, free.

And the whole area is gorgeous. Before, you can explore the Olympic National Park with its mountains and rain forest, the ocean, fish, see lavender farms, and a lot of other great things.

Tip: If you like looking at beautiful, hand-blown glass, drive to Tacoma and see their Glass Museum's display of Dale Chihuly and others' pieces, especially the Bridge of Glass. I first saw his work at the Las Vegas Marathon - it's the ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel and is not to be missed.

Tip: Stay at the Domaine Madeleine on the water near mile 16 of the race, where you can look out and see Victoria, chill out, eat one of the best breakfasts of your life, and be coddled by the innkeeper.

Tip: Eat at Bellas Italian Restaurant to carbo load. Good food and the place where Edward took Bella on their first date, not that I know anything about Twilight. If you are really into that, you can drive out to Forks, or just duck into their souvenir store across the street.

I wish I could live in that area or Seattle In the summer.

All in all, this was a great race in a great place. And I still BQ'd, so it can be done.

The only negative was that the mile markers were off, but who looks at those?

Fantastic job, NODM!

I saw no hills on this course - slopes, yes, some of which were stiff enough to make me walk in the latter part of the race, but they were quite moderate compared to the Seattle Marathon. What makes this course different is the amount of time spent on woodland trails. Personally I am not keen to run in the country; a country mile is indeed psychologically longer than a city mile. Just as I was approaching burnout, I got to the shore and that bucked up my morale. The sound of the waves was a real treat. I am grateful the course was one-way so I did not have to repeat any of it. Sure, it was not easy, but running a marathon never is.

As for the shirt, I loved it. I am so sick of white shirts that a bold, yellow one -with a zipper, a collar and no advertising- was most welcome. Food at the finish was not that tempting (I may have hallucinating but I think I saw hot dogs being served), and the host hotel, the Red Lion, was very expensive (though very convenient). In all, this marathon has a good vibe about it and is worth trying once.

This was my 7th marathon and one of the most well supported. Hats off to the organizers who did such an awesome job. I definitely would run it again.

I ran the inaugural race in 2003 and again in 2010. In that seven-year span, the course has been changed and improved somewhat. There are parts of the course that are jaw-droppingly beautiful, but these are also the most difficult sections. The last 20 miles of the race are on the North Olympic Discovery Trail, a mostly paved multi-use pathway that follows an old railroad right of way. The first 16 miles of the race are fast and flat; but watch out, you're about to have your butt kicked. The hard parts come when the trail drops sharply to cross footbridges over several creeks, followed by a very steep ascents on the other side. These occur in miles 16-20. After that comes a nice downhill to about sea-level, with the remainder of the course along the Strait of Juan de Fucca, with a view of Canada across the water. There is one problematic half-mile stretch beginning at mile 24.5 when the course skirts around the perimeter of an old mill site. Here the pavement ends and you are running on dirt and rocks. Lots of rocks. My feet were already hurting by this point and I wished I had worn my trail shoes. Then at mile 25 the pavement resumes and it is a nice flat run to the finish.

This is a small race, and it sells out, so register early. There are also a half marathon, a 10K and a 5K. The race in 2010 was sponsored by a physical therapy company, and as long as they are sponsors I would recommend signing up for the post-race massage.