I hesitate to only give a 3 rating for spectators, because I loved the ones that were there; it's just that there were not very many. The Brookings Optimist Club was fantastic. The course was great, flat and broken up because it went all around the town. It made the distance less intimidating. My family could see me on almost every part of the route, they had plenty of support, and we had fantastic weather all around. After running some of the larger marathons, this one was particularly enjoyable.

I would like to thanks Matt Bien and his crew of friendly volunteers for the support, putting on a great marathon and waiting for us who had a bad day and struggled through the last 10 miles. As a result I managed to qualify for the 50 States Marathon Club.

I would have to rate this as one of nicest small marathons that I've ever run - it was a great route.

I enjoyed this marathon. The volunteers and spectators were very nice. About every 5 miles or so, I would get a sense of deja vu as it seemed I was running toward the elevator again! Lots of back and forth through the town - 2 miles east, then a half-mile south, and then 2 miles west, and then do it over again!

Liked the small-town atmosphere, and the friendly staff and people!

My first time in South Dakota and I really enjoyed this race. It was small but very well organized, and the volunteer support was great. And I don't think runners should expect food on the course. Bring everything you might need except water.

A wide variety of running surfaces: asphalt, concrete, gravel, dirt, grass... and I wasn't expecting a couple of water crossings! I liked the bike path segments best. The loop around the 3M fields was lovely.

The volunteers were plentiful, enthusiastic, and very friendly. I appreciated their staying out there for all of us, even the slow runners.

And for runners picking up packets the night before, do make sure to get to the campus early enough to visit the ice cream shop at the Dairy Bar. The university makes its own ice cream. MMMMMMMMM.

A nice race, and well worth running if you are looking to check South Dakota off your list!

If you want to run a marathon, do this one. The course is pleasant, except for the sidewalks and curbs, but that is necessary to avoid traffic. Enough volunteers and aid along the course. Nice finish and frendly throughout.

I loved this race. I have never seen so many volunteers at a single event. The shirts and medals were terrific. The one improvement: food on the course. The half marathoners got nothing; I took gel at mile 17, but fruit would have been appreciated.

The course was unique. It was flat, but it also included a trek trough grassy fields, dirt roads and a path under a water tower. Very innovative course. The volunteers made sure you didn't get lost! Best race shirt I have received to date.

No vistas, no huge medals, no big crowds. This is the real deal - a well organized race with hundreds of volunteers who, when you thank them, thank you back for running. I can make a wrong turn on an out-and-back, so I really, REALLY appreciate every single volunteer at every one of the many turns patiently directing us along the entire course.

I hope the RD takes the comments here to the Mayor and Chamber of Commerce, as this event is wonderful PR for the town. I love this race. I've run over 100 marathons, and done the 50 states. Now, I just do ones that intrigue me. I only repeat those that were truly something special. This is a special race.

The relay teams keep the course populated and the small touches - relayers wear a bib on their back, so marathoners know they are not in competition with them. Things like that clearly illustrate the runner focus of the RD. You run through neighborhoods, in the McCrory Gardens, and along the 3M path with lovely, blooming, fragrant trees. It's a lovely course.

The RD really listens to comments - the shirt for this year is a huge improvement, one of the best I've gotten from any race. My one suggestion is to have a healthy carb alternative to the hamburger for those of us not so into meat (e.g., Billings has loaves of great bread that you can slice and pots of honey, peanut butter, etc. to make sandwiches; Casper has Subway sandwiches).

As a lady of a certain age, I love how they focus on the AG tables - while I was 24th female, I was 3rd female overall with the tables. And I qualified for Boston. Thank you, Brookings!

A flat, fast course with plenty of scenery and even more volunteers. The course was well marked and a plethora of volunteers kept runners heading the right direction as the course wound through Brookings on what proved to be a sunny spring morning.

Don't expect fans lining the route, but the volunteers and supporters of other runners were encouraging.

While it's a growing marathon, it is still relatively small. But the experience was first-class, from the high-tech, long-sleeve shirts to the announcement of the runners as they reached the finish line.

The finish line was at the city park, so there is a nice place for children to play while waiting for dad or mom to reach the end.

The 2010 edition of the Brookings Marathon could not have been better - great weather, and a fast, flat course through nice neighborhoods and parks. Well organized race and a great post-race party. Definitely a no-frills race, and definitely a must-do!