Holy smokes! I've run some very hilly courses and this might take the cake as most challenging. Definitely not what I'd call 'rolling hills'....more like continuous uphills that never ever end! I've never been in a marathon where MANY speedier runners (easily the first 30 runners during this race) started walking by the 7 mile mark. That was a shock....but attests to the difficulty of the course.

Moving on from the hilliness, the course itself was GORGEOUS. I was constantly amazed at the beauty surrounding all of us as we grunted through 26.2miles. I have always joked that I'm a 'marathon snob...I only run pretty courses.' This marathon did not fail in that regard!

We also lucked out in regards to the weatherupper 50s/low 60s; had it been hotter, the finishing times would have been much worse.

I would recommend a water stations at every one of the final 6 miles of the marathon. It's paramount to have water at that point in a marathon. I'd also strongly recommend LOTS of water at the finish line. I crossed the line and there was no water. That was very bizarre. Granted the power bars/gels were plentiful but water definitely should be at the finish line in addition to the gatorade that was supplied.

If you're up for a challenge...DO THIS COURSE! If you don't mind a crappy finishing time...DO THIS COURSE. If you hate hills and are hoping to PR, avoid this course.

Oh and thank you for allowing a friend to pick up my race packet as my flight got in very late! Not many races will allow someone other than the runner to pick up the race packet. I appreciated not having the hassle of trying to obtain that on race morning.

Overall, I really loved it. Could not have asked for a prettier course!

This was my 10th marathon I knew the course was hilly and tough. We drove the marathon route the night before so I knew what to expect. This was the most beautiful marathon I have run so far. Very well organized water stations every two miles. The course was well marked easy to follow. I had made a map of the course but did not need it. The packet pick up was easy to find and get to.
Pro: Beautiful peaceful course. The horse in the pasture that winneyed at me at mile 17 made me laugh. The guy on the hill about mile 18 handing out glasses of water from his house and cheering us on awsome. Loved this event everything about it was perfect. Loved the challenge of this event. It is a hilly tough course but worth every moment of my time.
I was shocked to find out i was first in my age group and my time was one of my best hills and all
Con If you are looking for a flat course or a lot of spectators cheering this is probably not the place
Congradulations to the event organizers this is an amazing wonderful race. I would highly recommend it

So if you're from a mountainous part of the country - and by 'mountainous,' I mean living on top of a mountain - then the terrain here probably qualifies as 'rolling hills.' If you're not, then prepare yourself to run uphill continuously for 10-20 minutes at a time throughout the event. Running uphill is at least 50% of the race, and the slope isn't 'rolling' at all. It goes up, it turns in one direction, you turn with it, it turns again, you curse yourself for participating, and it continues to go upwards.

Many of the people who finished this event after the 4:30 mark were just plain angry. Bear in mind that several people who finished in 4:00-4:30 won awards in their age groups for time. Don't do this one as a BQ.

The aid stations seemed to operate on a leapfrog system. Two of my aid stations never appeared. I ended up receiving water from a local homeowner who set up a table at the top of one of the 'hills' because, as he said, 'There's no way I would run this without water.' Bless that man.

If you're good with repetitive, seemingly-interminable uphill running after mile 20, then you'll appreciate this as a fine, challenging event. If you're like the rest of us, stay far away.

I was nervous about running this event because I knew it would be more challenging than any I had done to that point. Indeed it was! However, it quickly became my favorite. The course has low traffic, was well marked and had beautiful scenery. The Adventure Geeks team and organization was superb and the cost was low (with great t-shirts and medals). I plan to make this marathon an annual regular for me!

I ran the half-marathon in 2012 and really enjoyed every aspect about it. The aid-stations were at perfect locations and the people working them were very happy to see all of the runners. I actually won the race and was very excited to receive my unique award. This was my fourth half-marathon and by far the toughest course. Know what you are getting into when you sign up for the mountain marathon. The course is beautiful so at least you have something to look at while you are grinding out the last few miles. I hope to be back to defend my title and see this wonderful event grow. Great race, great organizers, great volunteers.

Learned that whenever you see the words: mountain and marathon together, you should read hard marathon. That being said, I really enjoyed this race. Like they say, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger! We ran hills up and down and all around in the beautiful forest that surrounds the King's Mountain Revolutionary War Battlefield.

80 degrees no problem. We were in the cool shade 90% of the time. I drove part of the course early that morning. They were putting up 1-2- and sometimes 3 of those little signs telling you when to turn. Volunteers were sparse, but they had prepared the tables for us to grab a water or Gatorade as we passed by. Had to have spotted the race director half a dozen times as he cruised by making sure all was well. You probably won't get that Boston Qualifier on this one, but if the 70 year old guy who finished after me can do, so can you!

This is a really low-key but superbly organized race. The course is challenging, but ultra-scenic, with stellar support. My prediction is that the field will double in size next year.

Definitely not a big city, big expo, big, usually useless, goodie bag race like LA, NY, Chicago, etc, but I loved it. The Race Directors did an awesome job. Lots of rolling hills on back country roads. Refreshments were available exactly as described. Water every two miles and gatorade every four miles.
I traveled from Los Angeles and had family in the area to stay with so I can't comment on the lodging situation.
While perhaps not the first choice as a Boston Qualifier, this race really has the makings of a high profle marathon. It reminded me a great deal of the Hatfield McCoy Marathon for any of you who may have run that race.

This race was just tough enough, superb environment, 40% gravel 10% concrete the rest on excellent blacktop, with an exceptional organization and friendliness, I will be back next year ! One little advice if you need refueling, bring your own gels ! (water and Gatorade were abundant and well located on the course)

Hats off to Kristen & Jefferson (my new Facebook friend!!) for organizing a unique & challenging marathon & half marathon in my birth state of SC!! I really loved the shirts, the award glasses, the scenery...nice to see blooms after a tough New England winter!! Very few spectators but the ones that were out were terrific & the volunteers were excellent!! Granted I did the half, but I drove the entire course, & what a great job they did organizing this last year...& geez how it grew!! Afterward, we drove over to the King's Mountain National Military Park (the course goes through both the State Park & the NMP) & walked the 1.5 mile hilly battlefield trail...very well worth the visit!! Great event if you're not hung up on your times!! I ran with my camera & have an awesome slide show.