Friendly, rural, Mayberry-style marathon. I'm starting to like these smaller races more. They're more affordable, and they have a quaintness you don't get in the big guys. This one was on Saturday and raised proceeds for a local non-profit to fight crime. But Waushara County seems a quiet farm community, and a lot of the farmers are Amish, so... what crime?! There were only 70 participants for the full marathon, and it felt really weird standing in the front of the pack at the start. A local woman with a really sweet voice sang the national anthem. Then there was a nod to the Boston Marathon bombing victims. Also a Christian prayer, which was unusual, but I guess no big deal for Waushara County.

The course was on rural roads through piney woods, small ponds and marshes, farmland. The day was very hot, and some of the non-shady stretches proved grueling. Water, Gatorade and gel stops every two miles. At mile 22 a pickup truck glided close and a big hand held out a full bottle of cold water, which I really needed at that point. The finish area was at a barn at the county fairgrounds and featured hot shredded roast beef or turkey sandwiches, potato salad, corn, soda. Great long-sleeved tech shirt and finishers medal (the ribbon is prison-garb black-and-white stripes!).

The only drawbacks were minimal spectators and some lonely stretches of road. On the bright side, it's nice to occasionally run a peaceful race. I think I was the only out-of-stater, but I befriended some 'Wisconsonians' during the race - Mel, Bill, Andy, and Jessica - and they made it much more enjoyable than it otherwise might have been. Thanks to everyone for a pleasant time. Wisconsin's a beautiful state, so I plan to return once I conclude my 50-state quest!

Of my 9 marathons so far, this was definitely one of my favorites! Even though there were less than 50 full-marathon finishers, the volunteers at the aide stations were enthusiastic and wonderful (while standing in the rain) - what more can you ask for really??!
One-loop well-marked course with highly-visible personnel at all turns, Cytomax and Gu available frequently on the course, great swag (tech shirt, medal, water bottle and cinch-bag)... and a shiny new PR! It was a pretty great day!

I will be back! Thanks!!

This is a very well done event. It is a small event, but worth coming. AWESOME finish line food! So few marathons have good protein at the finish, so the succulent shredded hot beef and turkey sandwiches hit the spot. Nice aid stations, gu at most of them starting at mile 6 or so. Quality t-shirt, decent medal, beautiful Amish Countryside. The only complaint I would have would be the camber of the roads, but the roads were so quiet that this is the only race I've done that I felt very safe running toward the middle of the road.

If you love small marathons in rural settings you'll love this race. There are some nice small things that I really enjoyed about this race. Prior to the race several police and ems vehicles were there with sirens and lights flashing which I thought was a nice touch. One of the people who was going to run the marathon sang the national anthem, which I always think is cool. Course is entirely in the country and has what I would call rolling hills which are tough but not too tough. Nice to get out in the open country and enjoy all the smells good and bad. Even saw a few amish buggies go rolling by during the race! Course has 11ish water stations, I think each one of them had gu, gaterade and water. People and support staff at each of the stations were very encouraging and helpful!! Post race meal isn't amazing but is satisfactory. Weather was also just about perfect, if it hadn't rained. Bottomline, this is not Chicago or Boston, or New York but if you want a nice small race, where any proceeds go to a good cause I would recommend this race.

I ran this race as part of my quest to run a half marathon in all 50 states. What a wonderful race. The course was beautiful, well organized, aid stations every 3 miles, cool weather, mostly flat and well marked course.

The medal and tech shirt were very nice, especially since it is such a small race. The volunteers were so kind, supportive and thanked the runners for coming out. Heck, even the traffic control police officers would thank you for running.

The marathon leader even offered words of encouragement as he passed me on the course. Unheard of.

I highly recommend anyone considering this race to sign up and do it. It beats any large race hands down!

This is an ideal marathon for a PR and a 50-stater. Gentle, rolling hills; perfect weather; great organization; early start; 1-loop course; and small field. In addition, I got a great shirt, medal and hot meal afterward. The race director is right there to answer questions, volunteers were so friendly, and aid stations were well stocked (although there were only 8 stations). My advice: bring some of your own fuel, enjoy the scenery, and run this race.

The cool weather is great for a fast time. The course has some rolling parts, which help to vary your stride and speed to keep your legs fresh. Hills were never steep or long. The first two-thirds of the course runs through wind-breaking evergreen forests and the rest has some Amish farm areas. Green and beautiful with cranes calling. No spectators except hard-working, friendly folks at the stations. All miles marked with straw bales you can't miss. Only 8 rest stops, but it was 50 degrees and breezy, and most stops had energy gel, water, and sports drink. Very efficient organization, great meal, and awards were even given ahead of scheduled time. Only 36 marathoners, the little traffic and few spectators made it great to be able to focus and concentrate on the actual running of the race. No jostling or elbowing or worrying about speeding traffic - just a few horse droppings. This is not a mega-event marathon, but a great little race.

I ran the inaugural last year, and they did an awesome job on it. Great hot food after the race. Nice staff. A good, long, country run. Proceeds go to Crime Stoppers. Hopefully the weather is better this year. Anyway, this was a very cool marathon that I plan on returning to. Do some hill work, but it's not too bad.