You can't go to a marathon with 195 in the full marathon in a small town and expect fans.
This marathon also doesn't have a lot of other things that you will find in huge marathons - crowds, impersonal treatment and long lines.
There is a plethora of volunteers, including National Guard members stopping traffic at major road crossing; a flat course with a variety of scenery and surfaces, and organizers who want to see every marathoner have a good experience.
Yes, the wind does blow in South Dakota. It's this flat land's version of hills. But the windy course keeps one from running into the wind for very long at one stretch.

Very well organized run with a nice shirt and medal. The course is very flat and winds throughout the city. Plenty of fluid stations and volunteers.

Like others, I was surprised by how many parks and trails there were. For family members not racing, the Children's museum is pretty good.

The one downside-and I realize this is something the organizer can't control-is that there was a strong headwind for a lot of the race. If you are not used to running in a lot of wind be prepared for a slower pace than usual. Also be aware that weather in the upper midwest at that time of year is fickle. It was in the 30s the morning of the race but temps were in the 90s two days later.

The post-race spread was nice. Althought the wind prevented me from getting the time I wanted, I'm glad I ran it and got to visit Brookings.

I agree with some of the other comments. Ran this run for my 18th State from U K and although not all that much to do in Brookings - went to Sioux Falls as a side trip - the place did grow on me. In many places few if any spectators, but the ones that were there were especially welcome. National Guard and State troppers also added a great veneer to the run. Overall I think it is worth the journey here to do it.

Nice course, but I agree with another review that for a small town they could have closed roads so as not to run on the sidwalks. A well put together race. Only negatives I have are that there were not enough porta-potties and the photograghy was terrible. I ran with my fiancee and the only pics of either one of us is during the start of the race and were not that good. I've ran much larger marathons where photographers got shots at different locations of the race and always at the finish. Big thumbs down for the photograghy.

Great race that was well organized. Very nice town with friendly people. I was amazed at the number of running trails and parks for a town this size. Having run a number or marathons, this one ranks right up there with the best of them. Nicks Hamburgers at the finish were a nice touch. Keep up the good work!

Having run Boston less than 4 weeks earlier, this was a refreshing change from a big city/event race. Organization was great, packet pick up was easy, parking on race day was plentiful, and getting to Brookings from Boulder CO was a snap. The weather was glorious, and the course was pretty good even with all the ups-and-downs and backs-and-forths through town. My ONLY complaint is the running on sidewalks. It seems that this is a small enough town that roads could be closed. The sidewalk section around mile 17-19 and at the end killed me, especially going up and down curbs. If the race could stay on the roads I would give this race 5 stars across the board.
As far as spectators - they were sporadic but VERY supportive and enthusiastic. I'm not too concerned about spectators so that was fine.
Top notch race. Next time I'll try to run it more rested!

I chose this race specifically because of all the positive comments left from previous years. They were all spot on. If youre looking for a great small town race and/or need to cross South Dakota off your list, this is the race for you. No one will try to convince you that its got the most breathtaking scenery in all the land, but it is a terrific town and theres enough variety on the course to keep it interesting.

Positives:
-About as flat a course as youll come across.
-Water stops came often and were plentiful.
-Volunteers were spectacular.
-This course is very spectator friendly  family members will have no problem maneuvering around town to get to any number of viewing areas.
-Best shirt Ive ever gotten, and a great medal too.
-Procrastinator that I am, I signed up about 3 weeks prior to the race and still had no problem at all finding a nice hotel room for a decent race.

Overall the RD and whole town itself did such a great job with this race. I cant think of a single negative thing to say. Thank you, Brookings!

After having just run a very large marathon 2 weeks prior, Brookings was a true breath of fresh air. Very different, and absolutely fun, charming, scenic, and challenging. I give 5 stars for everything, including spectators. Not that the streets were lined with them, but the ones who were there were awesome. So friendly, encouraging, and engaged. I've never seen a whole town so invested. Every yard was well manicured...every park groomed perfectly.. all the volunteers were smiling and so helpful. I came up to Brookings to get a MarathonManiac qualifying race..but I left with a grand experience in a wonderfully small package. This is a MUST-do marathon. Don't miss it.

This marathon was a great option for my 50 state marathon journey. Entry fee was a bargain, under $50 (early reg + 50 state discount)! Perks were nice- great technical zip long sleeved shirt was one of the nicer shirts especially given entry fee. Most importantly though, the race director and volunteers had a keen attention to details that really matter- aid stations, entry, logistics, travel information for out-of-towners, etc. Food at finish line was perfect and included some relatively 'famous' local fare. For a town the size of Brookings, I thought there were lots of spectators cheering us on. The shuttle running from the hotels was also a nice touch for out-of-towners. The marathon did have a half race and relay but neither group was overpowering to the marathon event at any point of the course. This was a great marathon not only for people looking to run in South Dakota, but for anyone who enjoys a great well- managed race with excellent community support. Nicely done!

This was my 23rd marathon, 22nd state. This was one of my favorite, if not my favorite. The weather was perfect. The course was layed out nice. They did not close streets so the only negative was that we ran on sidewalks and had to make sharp turns when turning corners. Lost some momemtum but I still ran a great race. The wait for the Nick's Hamburgers at the end was worth it! Great race. I will recommend it to others. If I was not a 50 stater, I would be back next year! If you are looking at running a South Dakota race, do this one!