I came across this race by surfing the Internet. Glad I found it. My first 50 K race and thus first ultramarathon. A small race with half marathon, full marathon, 50 K, and 100 K, starting at different times. I had a very positive experience - race day bib pickup, friendly runners, weather behaved (thank goodness), route was marked, and fluid stations were well stocked - although need to take bottled water along since 5 K fluid stations is a long distance between each other. Great hoodie! Finishing food was good - pizza. Medal was a bit small, though. Overall, 5 out of 5 :-)

Running the 50K on this course was simply the most awesome run that I have ever done, not to mention that it was also my first ultra. The course is absolutely beautiful, as it takes you along the foot paths and alongside the Niagara River straight up to the falls and back to Niagara on the Lake. Gorgeous!

A small race which appeared to be well organized on the day, and the aid stations were well stocked with refreshments and volunteers. However, for such a small race it seemed a bit odd to me that the organizers and volunteers were not more friendly. But who knows, maybe it was me!

Overall, it was a very good experience and I definitely recommend it.

I ran the 50k in Niagara, I had a wonderful experince in this event. I now understand more about Ultra running, this was my first 50k, I will be back next year to run the 50k with intent on running the 100k in 2014. I will be recommending this event to all interested...Loved the sweatshirt..

What a beautiful course and friendly atmosphere. The volunteers were very efficient and supportive and the spectators, although not numerous along the course, were certainly very encouraging.

We had pleasant temperature at the start. It got a little warm later in the race, but still something that I could handle without too much problem. The light breeze from Lake Ontario certainly helped.

The course is breathtaking, all along the river trail, on pavement. Very, very pleasant. It is mostly flat, with the exception of a one mile long incline around mile 7. Most of it is shaded though, so it did not take too much energy out of me for the rest of the race. Running down the hill on the return portion, at mile 19, was great fun!

The after-race party was very nice, in the local park. Niagara-on-the-lake is a gem and I am so happy that we decided to make a mini-holiday out of this race. So much to see and do in the area! Plan on staying at least 3 days, you won't regret it.

Great hoddie and lots of food offered to runners. For the price, this race is a bargain. I will be back next year!

This was my 3rd consecutive year of running this race. The weather this year was nearly ideal, with dry cool air for most of the morning. Even with nice weather it is important for runners to carry water- 5K is too long to wait to hydrate for any distance greater than a half. I really appreciate that every K is marked, although surprisingly some runners claim they never saw the markings. The results were posted by the time I got home that evening, a pleasant surprise. See you next year!

This is a smaller race but it's well organized. They have Tim hortins coffee and Timbits at start. Great sweatshirt for doing the race. Course is mostly along the path beside the Niagara parkway. Very scenic. Good food afterwards.
For a smaller race it's very well organized.
I did the 1/2 marathon and it does an out and back with no hill.

I took on the Ultra Challenge after running a number of "midlife crisis" marathons over the past few years. This was definitely a great race to run. We drove up from Buffalo race morning, and registration was a breeze, with lots of pre-race snacks (Timbits - yum). At the start of the race I felt as if I was joining a small group of new friends for a Sunday run - very friendly and low-key. The course was great, and most intersections were monitored to alert traffic to the runners. The big hill was tough, in both directions, and the course does have a definite uphill slope on the outbound leg, as you are running upstream. Only the 50K gives you the opportunity to turn around at the falls, which was definitely the highpoint of the run. By the time I reached there it was becoming a bit crowded with tourists, which required the runners to detour around the occasional crowd. Aid stations were adequate and provided the necessities, and maybe a bit more. All were well staffed by friendly and helpful staff. I carry a liter of fluid with me that filled in the seemingly long stretches between stations. I didn't pay much attention to the distance markers, so being marked in KM didn't bother me, but thanks to whoever made the "1 mile to go" marker; it was a welcome sight. I was a late finisher, at 6:41, but there was still plenty of food left - very unusual. A very challenging and satisfying run. Seriously considering running again in 2011.

The day of the run was hot and humid - 25C at the start promised much higher temperature at the finish line. Indeed, it was close to 30C at noon, which exhausted most runners, especially me.

The run was organized very professionally in all respects: efficient start, the course was marked well, stations were supplied with everything except cold beer, the course was spectacular with very few spectators, and finally, there was a loud and friendly crowd at the finish line.

For the first time in my life, I finished the run on soft grass. Nice experience.

Hoping for one of those Canadian cold fronts - didn't happen (and wouldn't you know, it was 47 with a high of 52 in Anchorage, my second choice).

It was 67 degrees at the start, and sunny; and it went to 84 on the day. There was some uphill going out (wasn't really hilly - mostly one hill). Pretty much a bike path with awesome scenery (Niagara River, power plants, the cityscape in the distance near the turn) - a lot of shade but a lot of not-shade too.

The course was marked in kilometers so my split-band was basically useless; also, no clock except at the finish (there was a lady with a clipboard writing down bib numbers and shouting out the minutes at the turn - old school there) and my stopwatch steamed out from the humidity. The good part was that everyone complaining about how hot it was in Celsius, so I had no idea what the actual temperature was anyway.

The race volunteers were generous with water but I would have liked more stations toward the end. Having free showers at the community center near the finish was nice.

I felt it was a pretty well run race, with bananas, fruit and other food along the course. Little in the way of spectators and no music/bands, but they had kegs at the finish, so there.

This was my first marathon and it was a great experience. The heat was brutal that day, but the volunteers worked hard to keep us all hydrated. The course was very easy to follow; it was clearly marked with pink flags and yellow duct tape. The volunteers were extremely friendly and supportive. The aid stations were great; every 5K, there was water, Gatorade, bananas, cookies, chips, HEED, etc. The views of the gorge were spectacular. Although there wasn't a lot of fan support, the fans who were there really cheered us on. I will definitely run this course again in the future.