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Marathon Details - Lake Lowell Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > ID > Nampa > Lake Lowell Marathon

Lake Lowell Marathon

Lake Lowell Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K, 5K

location icon Nampa, ID USA

calendar icon April 14, 2018

calendar icon http://www.lakelowellmarathon.com

Marathon Results

By Year: 2018   2017   2016   2015   2014   2013   2012   2011   Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

Gorgeous road race around Lake Lowell in Nampa, Idaho. Enjoy passing farms and fields while taking in the lovely views of the Owyhee Mountains in the distance as you breathe in the fresh air of the countryside. Rolling hills in first half. Flat and fast second half! Plenty of room for spectators and cheering fans and a great after-race party at the Lower Dam park complete with a local children's fiddle band and great food!

Contact Information

Name: Wayne Ebenroth
Address:
Phone Number:  208-389-8209
Email: Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (8)

Course Rating Course 3.1 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 3.8 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 2.4 
 
 
Number of comments: 8


 

D. M. from Wilmington DE (4/11/2016)
"Too much danger with traffic" (about: 2016)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Lake Lowell Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 1


I agree with several other commenters. The pluses are very cheap registration, huge medal and friendly organization. Minuses: despite bragging about flattest course in Idaho, it's still Idaho at 2,500 feet, which means a 10% oxygen deficit for flatlanders like me, plus there are some hills, including the last third of a mile to the finish. No cones or warning signs to keep traffic slowed down and sometimes pick-ups pulling trailers would go whizzing by at 60 mph. During the first half, we ran on the left side of the road facing traffic, but we had to stay on the right during the second half, with the speeding traffic coming up behind us. On a mile and a half bridge, this forced us to go on the gravel and pebbles shoulder. I was afraid of turning an ankle on that stuff and walked the entire length. The rest of the way back, we only had a narrow one foot wide strip of asphalt that wasn't part of the driving lane. Idaho is not a place to obtain a PR or a BQ, so choose a different option in that state.

 

K. B. from Toledo, Ohio (4/24/2015)
"Loved this race!" (about: 2015)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Lake Lowell Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


For a very small race, I thought it was extremely well organized. The course was beautiful with mountain views, peaceful farmlands, Lake Lowell, and a nature preserve. I enjoyed seeing the sun come up over the mountains when we first started the marathon, and my biggest thrill was seeing an eagle sitting on top of its nest! The course was well marked; however, the traffic is a problem. There are no spectators, but the volunteers were fabulous and more than made up for it! The medal was one of the nicest I've ever gotten.

 

T. S. from Idaho (4/12/2015)
"Fancy medals over runner safety?" (about: 2015)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Lake Lowell Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 2


I ran the marathon while a friend ran the half. We were disappointed. The race takes runners on a rural highway for the length of the race. There are no traffic cones, 'Race in Progress' signs, no volunteers at many of the intersections. I saw one runner nearly hit by a truck! All courses are out-and-back, and when the half marathon runners started mixing in with the 10k-ers, there were runners all over the road, with traffic also trying to weave in and out. No traffic cones or volunteers to be found. No volunteers at half turnaround and my buddy missed it. Water stops were not adequate. There were very fancy medals to be had I think in lieu of $$ spend on basic safety measures.

 

C. K. from Wisconsin (5/28/2014)
"Very Small Race" (about: 2014)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Lake Lowell Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 1


This is a very small race and I thought it might have grown from 2013, but that wasn't the case. I found the course disappointing and a bit boring, even had a tumbleweed cross my path! There was really only a short section where you can view Lake Lowell, otherwise it was out and back. With only 40+ runners, it got a little lonely out there. We had an extremely windy day which made it challenging. The last six miles or so were on a busy road which I didn't like at all. I was a little surprised that they didn't have a course marshal directing us to turnfortunately I saw the arrows on the road. I must say all the volunteers were extremely helpful and friendly at the aid stations and at the start/finish. There are some hills in the first/last section, otherwise it's fairly flat. If you like really small races, then this is the race for you. Finisher's medal and shirt were okay. Loved visiting Idahobeautiful state!

 

A. G. from ID (4/23/2014)
"Results take too long to post and are inaccurate" (about: 2013)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Lake Lowell Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 1


Overall, I was a little disappointed with this marathon. I knew it was a very small race, and that did not bother me. Considering you are in beautiful ID, the course is out-and-back and lacks scenery/variety - in other words very boring. There are a lot of times you are running straight for several miles, just to repeat it on the way back. The race director has a great sense of humor and is very responsive, which is fantastic, and the aid stations were good. However, it took over a week for them to post the correct results! They had some gender mix ups and timing issues, particularly with those who registered on the day of the race. Parking is a challenge, even for a small race. The shirt was bland, and lacked the date and year of the event! Shame on them for not including this! The medal was pretty good though. I heard that the prize swag was good and the local running store in Boise provided many of the prizes, which is nice.

 

Speedee McPhee from USA (5/11/2013)
"A nice little race" (about: 2013)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Lake Lowell Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 1


If I could describe this race in one word: pleasant.

If you're looking for a relatively flat course with minimal spectators, this is the one. Organization was decent. I appreciated the separate marathon start (8am) from the other races, even with less than 50 participants...no problem finding your pace to start! Aid stations were surprisingly numerous (water/gatorade and other goodies); the volunteers were great and appreciated. The course was mostly flat with a few slightly rolling hills at the start/end on the out and back course. You can run fast here. It is NOT closed to traffic, but the organizers did hire a flagging company for the narrower section of roadway over the dam. T-shirt and medal were nothing fancy. Post race food was good, but a little slow in coming.

Overall, there's very little to distinguish the race as truly 'memorable', but still a nice event.

 

S. A. from Idaho (5/24/2012)
"Great Marathon and Plan to Return" (about: 2012)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Lake Lowell Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


I only had one month to train for this marathon. Therefore, I went into it knowing that I would have to run it slowly and my only goal was to finish it non-stop and enjoy the experience. From that perspective, I would offer the following comments:

Course:
Rolling hills during the initial miles. None of these are particularly long or steep. Mile 3 offers a beautiful view of the valley and miles 4-8 are relatively flat with views of Lake Lowell. Miles 9-19 are absolutely flat and pass through peaceful farmland and countryside. Rolling hills and residential areas make up miles 20-25. The steepest hill of the course (mile 20) does not last long. You finish in a small park next to the lake.

Volunteers/Spectators:
The course is not closed. This means the road is open and family can find safe areas to wait and cheer. This was the first time my wife and I could share the experience during an actual marathon itself, as opposed to only at the finish. We will always have a great memory together. The volunteers were without exception enthusiastic, helpful, supportive and deserve a big thank you. There could be no marathon without them.

Organization:
The number of participants doubled between 2011 and 2012 and yet this marathon was well organized and executed.

Suggestions (NOT criticisms):
1) More port-a-potties needed at the staging (start) area. The one public bathroom at the park was not enough.

2) As the race continues to grow, more coned-off areas on the west side of the lake and especially during the final miles will be needed.

3) Finisher medal. I appreciated both the gold finish and the complete lack of advertising on it. Thank you very much.

4) T-shirt. The finishing and distribution of the t-shirt posed challenges this year. I know the race organizers will learn from the experiences of this year's race.

5) Keep the same start time of 8:00 a.m. I was grateful for the extra rest, to be able to park our car so close to the start and to not need to catch a bus on race morning.

Summary:
A great experience, enjoyed the course, well organized and a big thank you to all. I definitely plan to return.

 

Ryan Anderson from Boise, ID (6/6/2011)
"Beautiful well organized marathon" (about: 2011)

3 previous marathons | 1 Lake Lowell Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I ran the inaugural Lake Lowell Marathon and had a wonderful time. The first half of the course is hilly and challenging and the second half is more flat following farmland and lakeshore. The aid stations were well run and had everything that was advertised. The spectators were great, as the marathon grows so will the level of spectator support. I will definitely be running it next year after some proper rest this time.


 
 
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