I'd agree with other comments that it isn't 'flat' from around 7 through the halfway point. I can't remember much of a flat section between those miles, although I have run more difficult courses. The volunteers were AWESOME, though - thanks so much! I would have been disappointed if I had run the half and received only the event shirt (seems that only full finishers got a tech shirt?)- the event shirt had a pretty feminine design. Thanks to Garmin for hosting the event and bringing in the speakers. I very much enjoyed the Oz theme, and would recommend it if you don't have big city race expectations. Pasta dinner was one of the best I've had, and certainly the best value.

I ran this race as my Kansas race and for the most part enjoyed the experience. The race plays up the Wizard of Oz-Kansas connection and that creates a fun atmosphere. There's a Hot air balloon at the start, many runners wore Oz related costumes and one of the aid stops late in the race just outdid themselves w/ costumes and scenery.

Garmin is the title sponsor and the race begins and ends in their parking lot and the expo is held there. Parking for the expo was challenging. I saw many cars driving around trying to find empty spots. Well there was a lot around back with plenty of spots. Garmin should spring for some signage because this lot was not apparent from the front. The expo was fairly modest but it was nice hearing Desi Davilla speak!

Pre-race there were plenty of port-a-potties. I do like the stress free logistics of smaller races (700 marathoners) like this.

Lots of folks have commented on the 'hilly' course. I'm not sure I would call the race hilly but its not 'flat and fast' either. I admit I was expecting Kansas plains but I'm very glad I looked at the elevation chart the night before. The miles 6-13 had quite a few hills. Knowing that ahead of time really helped.

There were plenty of aid stops and the gatorade flavor changed from stop to stop. Always a nice touch. The gatorade was a little watered down and each stop was organized differently. Every stop should be identical so late in a race runners know what to expect when they are fatigued (Houston marathon does this better than anyone).

Miles 15-25 are on a paved bike path. This was the most scenic part of the race (the early miles are pretty boring). There is a long out and back (15-22) which can be a little mentally taxing. There's the standard problem of races on public trails when pedestrians are sharing the road with racers. Often these folks are resentful of runners. Other than that the section along here was nice.

After the race they were out of mylar blankets when I finished (4:34 and still almost 300 folks on the course) and I couldn't find the finishers shirt. I assumed they ran out until I just read the previous comment about trying to find his. A runner who's just run 26 miles shouldn't have to search high and low for post race items! The medals were handed out right at the finish (we didn't have to search for these) and they were real nice. This year's medal had a tin man theme (they change it up every year).

I stayed LaQuinta which was about 2 miles away, gave me a late check out, offered shuttle service to the race and had no minimum stay. An ideal host hotel!

This was my 14th marathon and the most disappointing. The biggest disappointment is that the course was changed from prior years and while advertised as flat it was very hilly for the first half.

Pros: Nice Medal, Friendly Volunteers, Adequate Aid Stations, Reasonably Priced

Cons: Not flat and fast as advertised, little Garmin presence (no time clocks or splits on the course), Gatorade appeared to be watered down, hard to find port a potties on second half

Glad to have Kansas completed but would not recommend race to others.

I chose Land of Oz because I am working on the 50 states and was hoping somewhere in Kansas I could find an OZ themed race. I haven't run a full marathon for a couple years due to an injury so I was viewing this as more of a confidence builder to get me back into it. This was a great race! The volunteers were wonderful, everything was well organized, and it was the perfect size-not too many people but you were never alone on the course. My only suggestion would be to have the elevation gain noted somewhere. I searched and searched and never found it. The course was advertised as flat and fast but I wouldn't necessarily agree. But, it was a nice course and I PR'd! I would highly recommend this race. The finish line was one of the better finish line parties I have attended. Lots of spectators who stuck around for everyone-not leaving until the last runner crossed the finish line.

The course changed for 2013 but the website description didn't. They replaced the loop around the mall and industrial park with hills and main roads. Good aid station support, well marked, and people to run with even if you want to run fast. Was a little disappointed with the unexpected grade of the hills but I should have done my homework. Swag was fine but you have to find the finisher tent to get your stuff. Could do slightly better with communication.

I am pursuing the 50 states and chose this marathon for Kansas because so many other Marathon Maniacs were going to be there. I wouldn't rave about the race but it was a decent choice for Kansas.

Pros:
-plenty of aid stations
-nice to have running celebrities speak at the expo (Scott Jurek, Desi Davila, and Josh Cox)
-nice personalized print-out of your results at the finish area
-excellent traffic control; police were great
-adequate food at finish; nice chicken sandwiches!
-waited for the slower finishers at the finish line
-plenty of hotels in the area (I stayed one mile away at La Quinta which was great)
-race committee member made and displayed banners welcoming the Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics
-race committee member wandered around post-race area asking those of us who finished in the back of the pack if we got our finisher's shirt and if we needed anything; nice touch
-not many spectators but those who were there were awesome
-received an email that day with my race results

Areas for improvement:
-race description on web site was misleading. Called it 'flat and fast' and said rolling hills started at mile 9. There were plenty of hills in the entire first half of the race. I've run 28 marathons and this was in top 10 hilliest. Drive the course beforehand if you can because you can't trust their description. (though you can't drive the trail, but really no significant hills there)
-timing mats were a tripping hazard (be careful); they still use chips on your shoe that must be returned
-expo and finish area not well-marked. (for example, difficult to figure out where baggage check was).
-I ran alone for at least a mile on the path in the woods and didn't see any course markings (somewhere between miles 21 and 23). It was a little unsettling as I didn't know if I was off course.
-advertised that chocolate milk would be available at the finish but nearly impossible to find
-I didn't see many photographers on the course so if you like to buy marathon photos (like me) you might be out of luck
-expo is small (not necessarily an area for improvement, but don't come expecting a big expo). And it's outside so if the weather is bad it would be tough.

I didn't love the course as it was not flat as advertised and it wasn't all that interesting. But overall the organization was good. The weather was good for me (30s at start, high 40s at finish) but I think those from warmer climates were freezing. Would I recommend this race? Well, I wouldn't say it's a 'must run' race but it would be a fine choice.

Plenty of parking at the expo/race start, which is always a plus. Lots of water/gatorade stops and they even changed the gatorade flavors at each stop.

The downside, is the swag & post race food/refreshments. When the sponsors name is biggest thing on the medal & shirt, that is nuts. The theme is great, and they really could do so much better on the shirt & medal (which only had a small mention of the half marathon on the back). As for food, bananas, water, small cups of chocolate milk. It was chilly out, and they didn't offer mylar blankets either.

With regards to the actual race, my comments relate to the Half Marathon. The best part of the race was running on the paved trails thru the park. Too bad they couldn't have had you on this for more of the race.

While overall the race was enjoyable, they still have room for improvement.

I picked this course for a spring marathon for several reasons, the biggest of which was that it was advertised as 'flat and fast' with a few 'gentle rolling hills'.

Positives: 1) Small-medium size race w/ easy access to port-a-potties, food, drop-bags, etc and other pre/post race activities that require long lines at bigger races 2) Nice participant/finisher shirts and medal 3) Start/finish in same location, 4) scenic course that showcased the area well, 5) encouraging, friendly volunteers, 6) adequate aid stations, 7) decent post-race food, 8) good price, no-frills race

Main negative: advertised as 'flat and fast' when it is quite hilly!

An elevation map is provided, and I noted the course was not truly pancake flat, however, the map did not seem to do justice to the sheer amount of significant hills along this course, especially miles 8-14. That's a significant portion of the course, still early on, that you need to train for and factor in for pacing unless you want to blow through large amounts energy in the first half.

The second half on the bike trail is quite scenic, but it twists a bit and has a few short, but steep climbs. Do not lose sight of the fact that the last 6ish miles of the course are a net uphill as well, even if it is slight each mile. If you run through the early hills too fast, this could make these last 6-8 miles even tougher than usual as I found out the hard way.

Overall I felt it was a good, solid race, the main complaint again was in how it was advertised. If you are coming from an area that is truly pancake flat, you need to incorporate some hills into your training!

I would recommend this course to anyone looking for a well-run and scenic marathon in KS, but I would have a hard time calling this a truly 'fast' course. All that to say, BQ's and PR's were attained with proper training and race planning! Just know that elevation map if you are going after a time goal!!

Thank you Garmin/City of Olathe for the hard work on a fun and scenic course. Weather was nice and cool with lots of great volunteers as well!

I first ran this half marathon in 2008 when the runners were moved by bus to the start line and it finished downtown. The 2012 race was so much better than 2008, the expo was easy but could use more free stuff. The race having the start and finish line in same location was wonderful. There was plenty of parking and close to start line. The route was easy and not too many hills at all. The route through the 'Great mall' was just boring but rest of route was OK. The last 2 miles were flat and great for the runners to finish strong. The finishing area was congested with non-runners. The race is a wonderful small half marathon with small crowds. A good confidence half and full marathons for runners. The shirt was good and the finisher medal was awesome. They promise the 2013 will be better than 2012. I will run it again.

This was a fall back from my fall back race. I wasn't able to run OKC this year, due to a scheduling problem, so my next choice was the Eisenhower Marathon in Abilene, but the weather got crazy (NOAA issued a 'severe threat of damage and death' warning), so i though it better i stayed home with my family that weekend.

So I fell back to this one, and i'm glad it worked out this way. The weather was as close to perfect as possible and the organization was really nice!

The course isn't all that interesting, (strip mall the first couple of miles, neighborhoods and then the out and back bikepath/fitness trail), but pleasant enough. The fitness trail is small 5 foot-ish rolling hills which probably won't show up on Map My Run or your Garmin. Fairly fast course, but a lot of turns and it's narrow in spots.

There wasn't just a TON of spectators, but the support was very good for a race this size. The aid stations were well placed and the folks were friendly.

Post-race celebration was good. It wasn't a buffet, and i really couldn't eat the barbecue chicken after finishing, but i'm sure it was good. there was a beer tent with free beer for the runners, and a massage tent, but it was crowded.

The medal and finisher shirt was nice and i would definitely recommend this race. I thought the organization was really good.