This event has a full, half, 50 and 100 milers, and 10K all starting on the same morning. The location is breathtakingly lovely and completely unexpected this close to Las Vegas. Course is tough  uphill climb to the turnaround, with the exception of a steep downhill into a wash at 5 miles, and what goes down is going to have to climb up again at mile 21. While this resembles a trail race because it's out in the wilderness and there are few if any spectators, this is all on pavement, mostly aggregate and concrete. The road IS open to traffic, be aware. Also if you are doing one of the longer races (I was in the 50 miler) be aware that some of the water stops set up for the marathoners will close down by the middle of the day.

Carry plenty of water. Slather on the sunscreen. If you are doing the 50 or 100, suggest a flashlight and reflective gear if there's any chance you will still be on the road after dusk. And keep a sharp eye out for snakes. I spent some time running in the middle of the road after meeting up with a good sized rattlesnake who wasn't happy to have runners invading his turf.

Scaly spectators aside, this is a good race and I would recommend it for someone looking for a small, friendly event. Because of the ultra components there is a very generous time cutoff (32 hours!), so a marathon walker could enter this without worrying about time limits.

This was the most difficult marathon - mentally and physically - I've ever done! The wonder of running in this canyon is worth it. Because it is out of the way, there were few spectators, but the volunteers were great. It is an excellent race and I recommend it to others. Be prepared for hills, and weather extremes, but do it.

My wife and I chose this to be our first marathon without looking at the course map. In a way, I'm almost glad we didn't, because we would have missed a great experience.

The course is beautiful, with a few gradual inclines and one killer climb around mile 22. Extremely well-organized with tons of water stations along the way to keep you going.

Not many spectators, but having the course open to both 50- and 100-mile ultra marathoners was awesome. It really put into perspective what we were trying to do!

Great marathon; highly recommended!

This was by far my most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. The course is the most beautiful route I have ever run. There is not a portion of this race that did not have a breathtaking vista. It is a very difficult course. If the grade and hills weren't enough, I only previously ran around sea level. This is not a complaint, because I traveled two thousand miles to challenge myself. I gave the "Spectators" a mediocre rating because there were no spectators. Personally, I enjoyed that, as the other runners and volunteers were all I needed, but some people may not do well without crowd support.

I ran this marathon on April 11, 2010, having run two marathons before it. I was planning to shave a couple of minutes off of my last time, which was 3:50:50. But with the tough course of this race, and having had an upset stomach on the day of the race, my time ended up exceeding 4 hours.

But I had a lot of fun after my stomach settled down, and the return trip of the course was much easier, with spectacular weather and snowy peaks.

Joyce, the organizer, and all of the volunteers did an excellent job
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It was a good day after all, and if I get a chance to run it again, I will never hesitate to do so.

Blue skies!!

- MA

Joyce does an awesome job organizing this race. It's a fantastic course. I never expected such awesome high desert just outside of Vegas. Lots of aid stations and very friendly volunteers. It was a challenging course, especially the hill at mile 20 (approximately 2000 feet of elevation gain). If you pace yourself, it's a very rewarding run. Breakfast at the end was a nice touch. If you are looking for a smaller but well organized race, try one of Calico's events.

Thank you, Joyce, for putting on such a terrific marathon. I knew there wouldn't be many spectators but the aid stations were exceptional and the volunteers were quite welcoming! The baked ziti at the finish line was an awesome touch. This was my 25th state and what a fantastic run for this occasion.

I have run 12 previous marathons but this one was the most rewarding because it was the most difficult. The early climbs, the high altitude, the light snow, and the winds culminating with the monster climb at the end made this a monster of a marathon. However, the beautiful scenery at the top of the hill at Mile 2 overlooking the entire valley, the nice volunteers and the satisfaction of overcoming a challenging course made this quite a worthwhile marathon to run. I will definitely try to be back next year!

I ran the half. This was a tough course, but it was beautiful, so most of the time you didn't mind all of the hills. My only real complaint is the size of the women's shirts. I got the larger size, as recommended, but it still is too small. Maybe that's something to look at for next year.

This was my first ultramarathon, but having done multiple marathons, I could fully appreciate the great effort put into organizing this race. It seems Joyce thought of everything...a wonderfully scenic course, well spaced bathroom breaks, and aid stations stocked with all kinds of food & drinks. It was by far, the best organized ultra/marathon I have ever run and I will be looking forward to running as many events of hers as I can in the future. I should also give kudos to the extremely helpful volunteers I found at all stages of the race (but especially at mile 11/20). They filled water bottles & pumped us full of food, all with plenty of encouragement and smiles.
Other great things about the race were the well designed running t-shirts that all participants received as well as the the prizes for the winners(flowers, a vase, electrolyte powder, T-shirts & powergels). The prizes were original & all very useful, unlike the usual trophies & medals. Finally, I really liked the ability to have a 'drop bag' that I could access at miles 11 & 20.
My only complaint would be the HEED drink at the water stations. I don't know about the other runners, but I could not handle the taste of it and didn't drink any the entire race. Any flavor of Gatorade, powerade, etc would be preferable.