This was my first trail marathon, and it kind of ruined road races for me, i loved it that much! Seamlessly organized, wonderful people, great homemade food along the course and at the finish. No spectators other than the volunteers at the aid stations (who were 100% supportive and friendly), some slightly startled anglers, and a couple of mountain bikers. The trail was rocky and rooty, full of twists and turns, but rarely hilly.

If you've been curious about trail races, try this one!

This is my 19th marathon, my first on a trail, and the best run of my life! Not for time, just for fun (you can only move so fast without getting injured out there). Single loop around a gorgeous and twisted single track trail. Mind is constantly engaged on staying upright (almost crashed 3 times), so time passes quickly. The event was very well organized, with showers available right next to the parking lot. Spectator rating is for quality, not quantitythere are not many places a spectator could stand on this course. Proximity to Lawrence, KS makes logistics easy, and pre-race evening enjoyable. And the magic of dirt: I'm not even sore! I will return for this run, and may be saying goodbye to road racing.

'Bad Ben' Holmes is fast becoming a legend of Race Directing in the MidWest, and this race is, in my opinion, his 'piece de resistance'. Fanstastic course, although I must admit, it was dry, and I've not run this course in the wet. Based on what I saw of it, I bet it isn't quite so friendly when it is wet and slippery!

Volunteers are superb, especially at 'Land's End' Aid Station. Organization is very good. Relaxed. Know what they're doing. All is good.

Course marking is excellent. If you got lost on this course, it was your own stupid fault. Although at one point running across the boulders along the lake shore, I hadn't seen any markings for a while, and figured I must have missed something - on the basis that surely, they wouldn't have us running on this goat track intentionally for so long! Bad assumption, as apparently the rock-hopping along the lake shoreline is a 'feature'!

Great race. Couldn't recommend it highly enough. My first time at the 40 mile distance, and whilst I'm in pain, I don't regret it.

Will do it again.

Great course - as technical as you can get. It's not as hard as Pike's Peak but it definitely has more rocks, stumps, turns, etc. - a great trail run. I got to scratch the female winner's ears. (This race allows you to run with your dogs.) Patty Jansen was the first human female finisher.

By far one of the most enjoyable of my 70+ marathons. And one of the most difficult/technical. The setting is exquisite (Clinton State Park) and the weather was perfect (50s and mostly sunny). The trail, however, is very technical in some parts and about 80% rock covered. Big rocks. On the other hand, it is a very flat course by trail standards. Definitely recommend this to trail enthusiasts because the RD is awesome, as are the experienced volunteers and very supportive spectators. Way to go, Kansas. Now, can someone tell me what "Rock Chalk" means?

For us road racers, trail running is a whole new experience that challenges you in many new ways. This was my first trail marathon. It was hosted by the Trail Nerds, a group of experienced ultra-runners led by Ben Holmes and his delightful fiance Sophia Wharton. The trails at Clinton Lake in Lawrence, KS are rooty, rocky, hilly, and sometimes muddy, making the run challenging and fun all at the same time. I saw deer, ducks on the lake, and even a raccoon while running, and I crossed several small streams. Quite a change of pace from staring into the abyss of long, open roads while running. Besides the scenery, the other reason that you need to get this on your list is the race itself. The Trail Nerds put on an excellent race. It is highly organized, well marked, and has aid stations manned with experienced ultra-runners who know what you need to finish the race. There are also unmanned aid stations on the trails for you to top off your water packs/bottles. The finish line had plenty of food and drink, and even ice-cold beer! And forget about using your Garmin to track your miles; mine was off by three miles due to the twisty hills and trees.

Seriously, fellow pavement pounders, consider getting off of the road at least once and try single-track trail running. You may not (okay, you won't) qualify for Boston, but you will have a lot of fun. Look for a Trail Nerds-sponsored event to ensure that you are being taken care of by people who really know what they are doing.

I was kind hoping for some mud like they had last year, but in hindsight I am glad there wasn't any or I am sure I would have gotten injured. This was a much more technical course than I had envisioned, with lots of rocks, roots, and hills. I somehow managed not to lose my footing on anything for the first 18 miles, but as I wore down it seemed like I couldn't go a few hundred yards without stumbling. The organization was very good, but my one complaint is that there were no mile markers... none... which is a surprise because they had flags everywhere to mark the course; why couldn't they write the mileage on some of them? I didn't bring a GPS because I thought it would be too wet and muddy. But it didn't seem to matter because others' GPS's were very inaccurate on the trail and under the trees. All in all, it is a nice, small race and I would recommend it for anyone wanting to get away from the big-city marathons and anyone adventurous enough to try a trail run.

I wish there were a marathon like this in every state. This is a runner's race: no big expo, prizes or bands. It's all about the joy of running - running through streams and mud, and over rocks and tree roots.

If you need thousands of other runners and lots of spectators, this is not the race for you.

If you are looking for a well-run, home-town-supported race, with fresh-baked cookies and hugs from the race organizers at the end, well... you're in luck.

I have never loved running a marathon so much.

My only complaint was that I couldn't get water out of the giant jugs left along the trail, but that was probably user fault. I would recommend testing it out before hitting the trail so that you don't waste time trying to adjust the nozzle, tip the jug, and all the rest in the middle of the run.

If I didn't refuse to repeat races, I'd be back for more next year.

In a word, muddy! This was a spectacularly dirty good time! This race was in conjunction with a 40-mile and a 100K, so it had the feel of an ultra race more so than most marathons. The race takes place in a state park near Lawrence, Kansas. I would consider this the wooded, hilly part of Kansas. I've run hillier marathons, but this course is not flat, and parts of the course are steep and technical, if only briefly. I ran roughly 20% slower than I would have run a normal city marathon. The course is probably 90% dirt single track trail, with very short sections on access roads and a cross-country-style romp through open fields to start the race (which was really smart, by the way, as it spread out the runners nicely before we got to the real single track). Some of the trail is pretty technical, particularly the bit around mile 10 (I think?) near the shore of the lake, but nothing too outrageous, coming from someone who lives in Colorado and trains on trails quite a bit (so you should probably take that with a grain of salt).

In 2010 the area had just received an abundance of rain, so the trails were particularly muddy, although it sounds like the trails are usually muddy this time of year. This was probably the defining characteristic of the race. Your shoes and socks are guaranteed to get soaked and filthy. I had mud caked all the way to my knees from splashing through the slop! In addition, there are several small stream crossings, and one rather large stream crossing (probably 40-feet wide and knee-deep) so even if the trail is dry, you will get wet. And watch out for low-hanging tree branches, and one or two tree hurdling opportunities await the steeplechaser inside of you. Combine the technical trail sections, the hills, and the mud, and the times are going to be pretty slow. But what fun we had!

The race director hosts a fun, friendly and competent event. There were only three aid stations for the entire course, but they were generously stocked and ably staffed with knowledgeable and helpful volunteers. The race requires you to bring your own hydration system, for obvious reasons. The race is marked with little flags, but it is marked very well. There are no mile markers and my GPS watch had trouble accurately marking through the thick trees and winding trails. So another bit of advice would be to try to study the landmarks on the map and figure out specific mile markers on-course rather than relying on your watch; it will only confuse you! We got very lucky with our race-day weather; it was cool (in the 50s probably?) and dry, with minimal bugs. Very good running conditions.

This was my 19th marathon, and I've run all sorts of races - from the big cities to the small towns to the mountains to the deserts - and I can't say I've ever had so much end-to-end fun as I had in Kansas! There are no spectators, but the trees will rustle their leaves in admiration as you pass by. I felt just like a kid, running around the forest in the mud. Oh, one last bit: I think it did sell out this year right before the race, so don't assume that you can sign up on the day of the race; they only accept 200 participants altogether.

The course is amazing and beautiful. Challenging but not at all intimidating. The volunteers are all experienced trail/ultra runners and they understand everything you're going through and are ready to help you with whatever you need. The weather is always interesting. One year it was perfectly sunny; this past year a bolt of lightning hit the ground 50 feet from where we were and we were in the middle of tornado sirens. But it was great, and safe, and very professional. I hate to tell too many people about it because it's such a treat to run and I want to keep it a secret! This is one race any serious runner/ultra runner can do while still having a really fun time out there.