Very low key - - no goodie bag, no real expo, no spectators, etc...
Started late, as people were still getting there. I hear that half started way late. Anyone considering this marathon in the future - remember to get there early. Shuttles were sold out, also, some shuttles were getting there late as well.
Water stations were ok, although there was a considerable dry spot, probably good 4 miles when the marathoners go to the turn-around spot. What made it worse is the sun and the wind.
As previously mentioned, the medal was the same for half and full.
Scenic? I guess the out and back part is, the rest is just farmland, so not terribly scenic. I guess there is some uniqueness to this race - how often do you wait inside the barn waiting for the start (cold morning).
It was nice to see that organizers tried to recycle everything. But, that's Oregon. You know what else is Oregon? Micro-brews, but no adult beverages to be found at the finish area. Also, not much in terms of the food, but the strawberry shortcake was a nice touch.

Weather was good and flat scenic island running with car traffic problems at the start but fairly good volunteer/aid station operation with one HUGE exception!

At the full/half split there was absolutely NO signage showing which way to go and, at least when I came through, the Course Marshal there was totally distracted and making no effort whatsoever to direct us although I started yelling for directions about 200 yards back. Finally, lacking any response I started to drift right and for the third time yelled for directions and still got nothing from the CM; however, a nearby police officer directed me to the full (left).

I know at least one Full who ended up at the finish line after 13.1 miles and have reason to believe there were more. I also personally saw numerous Half runners on the Full course. Must have been a bit of a shock for them! All of this would have been avoided with simple signage at the split.

Come on, organizers, I am a former RD myself and that is such a fundamental oversight it's hard to believe! Also, have no idea what the problem was with the course Marshal but it was a fiasco at the split from everything I could see.

This is a low key event held entirely on Sauvie Island. The course, as the name implies, is quite flat and scenic. There are plenty of aid stations and very enthusiastic volunteers. The traffic getting to the island is very challenging, but having the shuttles available and encouraging carpooling helps to eleviate this somewhat.

My only criticism is the price ($100 late registration). Yes, the big events command even higher fees, but they are not what I would classify as no frills events. Registration did not include a shirt ($15 for cotton T) nor the shuttle ($8). There were no awards (runners received a shared finisher's medallion for both the half and the full) and nothing for the participants at the finish but water and shortcake).

As a former race director, I applaud the job done by the race organizers in terms of safety (plenty of water along the way) and accuracy (mile markers were right on). A bit more swag would have gone a long ways towards making this race feel like a top class local event.

This was a great race if you like small races (about 400 marathoners). If you prefer crowds cheering you on the entire time, this is not your race. With that said, I loved it. Pretty course, mostly flat, a few small rolling hills. Weather was great, except for a serious headwind on an out and back portion. Organization gets 4 stars because they started about 10 minutes late and are still working out the kinks of traffic to the start, but I showed up early and had no problems. The spectators that were out there were great, there just aren't many at all. This doesn't bother me, but might to some people. Overall I loved it, set a PR and my first BQ!

Nice cool Northwest morning. 52 at the start, 70 at the finish. Great weather, which is normal for this time of year.
HOWEVER,
How LAME is it to have a marathon on the 4th of July and NOT have the National Anthem. REALLY?
Started 12 minutes late, so many of the 1/2 marathoners thought it was their start and got going also. Bad idea !!! Not sure what happened to them, but some figured it out between mile 4 and 6, and we were NOT on the same course at that point.
Water stops were fine. Not good. FINE.
Strawberry shortcake at the finish was very good. Other than that, green bananas and water. REALLY?

Medal is real nice, but the same one for full and 1/2 marathoners. REALLY?

WARNING. Get there an hour early. Traffic is a MESS. Not the organizers fault. But be warned, it's a one lane road to an island. GET IT ??? Plan to get there early and relax in your car.

If it flat. It is fast. It could use some better organization.

Enjoy.

is writing about the Portland marathon that is run in Portland in October. NOT the one on Sauvie's Island on July 4th.

This was my fist time running Portland and I was excited because I kept hearing how beautiful the course was. I guess if you like running through the warehouse district it was super scenic. Other than the bridges we ran over I didn't think it was very exciting at all. The race organization was great and they did a nice job of staging runners by speed. The expo was so-so. It was in the parking garage of a hotel and seem a hap-hazard. Not that I would let that stop you from running; I'm just noting it. Spectator support was pretty good. There were a lot of people in the first 10 miles or so then groups at certain locations and spots where there was no one to be seen. Pretty typical, I guess. I was surprised that when we ran through the Adidas campus no one was there! WTF Adidas? Don't you guys make running gear? Support the sport. Maybe all of you were running; In which case I forgive you. The swag was really good. Two shirts, a cool medal, a coin, flowers, a tree and good food. If I lived closer I'd probably run it again, but I have seen more scenic courses.

I signed up for this race as part of my quest to run a marathon in all 50 states. I could not have picked a better race in Oregon. The course was relatively flat with some small hills, and the aid stations were well staffed. The course is not easy for spectators unless they are on a bicycle because of road closures on the island. I would definitely run this race again.

I came here to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and I'm glad to say I made it! The course does have some rolling parts, but was quite fast. I actually prefer some roll to prevent monotony. There was a bit of a headwind at a few points along the course, but not a big deal. Beyond that, the weather was about 55 degrees at the start, and maybe in the low 70's at the finish. Pretty much perfect!

The course was beautiful, with rolling farmland, some snowcapped peaks, and various livestock (ostriches!) along the way. I live in the city, so I found the setting quite peaceful and felt supremely focused until I hit the wall. BTW, I hit it hard, but that wasn't the race's fault.

I started up front, so the one lane going out didn't seem like a big deal to me, but perhaps the organizers could reverse the direction of the course to prevent congestion as late arriving 1/2 marathoners sat in traffic watching us run by. For people complaining about traffic getting there, the organizers had about 1000 warnings that there would be traffic, so I don't know what else they can do.

I am ambivalent about the fact that after the out-and-back section from about mile 5-17.5 (don't remember exactly) the marathoners rejoined the course that was quite full of half marathon walkers. On the one hand, it was kind of annoying to have to weave through groups of walkers when I was running on fumes of fumes. On the other hand, many walkers cheered for me, which made up for the lack of spectators on the course.

Finally, to the 1/2 marathoner who gave me a fuel belt bottle full of Cytomax as I my hamstrings had locked up from dehydration/carb depletion around mile 25: YOU ARE THE BEST! Thank you so much for the kind gesture! Once I started running again and attempted to hand the bottle back, she just yelled, 'just throw it at me and go!' You have some good karma coming your way!

Course ok after mile 1.5. Only ~500 marathoners, but bad 1st mile squeezing through a single lane (other side was lineup of cars trying to get parked for half marathon). The few spectators were pleasant, but this rural race is not about spectators! Good race overall, but I doubt I'll be back. I just can't deal with 30+ minutes to go the last 3 miles to the parking lot before the race!