Love this marathon and everyone involved in its organization. A snafu at the 'Y' intersection after the turnaround of the full sent me and another runner 1 mile out of our way...who's the jokester that turned the arrow around?
I give everything about this race 5 stars as it deserves nothing less nor do the people that provide their time and energy.

Laura does an A-1 job with this event and I love the new shirts that say, "I'm Tough Enough," as that says it all! You will definitely be proud of yourself when you cross the finish line.

What a cool race. After about four modestly interesting miles, the fun begins with a several-mile, non-stop climb on a dirt road up a mountain. Then you go down the other side, turn around and come back. It may not sound so great, but it was unusually fun, both because of the the great challenge and pure pleasure of running through the beautiful Arizona pine forest. For a while you run along a creek; in some spots you get grand sweeping views. It took a huge effort to run every step of the way, but I did it; for a lot of folks, walking was a necessity on the two massive uphills. The long downhill finish was invigorating, and the town of Prescott is just a cool, charming little place. Not the typical marathon, and I say that fondly. This is one of my favorites.

Great marathon! This was only my second marathon and it was not as hard as I thought it was going be! The people who run this marathon are runners for the pure joy of the sport! The competitiveness of most races is checked at the door and most people are just there to finish.

Because the marathon takes place on 8 miles of paved street and 18 miles of dirt road, I would say no to trail shoes. There is no single track, and the road is graded, so trail shoes would just slow you down.

The town of Prescott is beautiful, but it was apparent that very few of the townsfolk knew the race was taking place, which is sad because I think this could be a great destination marathon.

Overall, awesome, and I would do it again for sure!

I had done my homework, so knew exactly what to expect from this course. It did not disappoint! It is a wonderful, small-town, somewhat primitive race.

Internet-listed hotels filled up 2 weeks prior to the event, but when I got into town at 4:00 p.m. the night before, all the cheap hotels right in town still had Vacancy signs. I ended up paying $55 for a no-frills but totally adequate room within walking distance of the start line.

Packet pick-up was simple, volunteers were friendly and helpful. Prescott is a beautiful small town. No expo, so buy your GU before you come to town.

The race offers a 5 a.m. start in addition to the official 6 a.m. start. I did this, and it gave me a great psychological boost to be passing so many people on the return trip.

STILL no Porta-potties on the course, except for one at Mile 3 or so that I think was actually there for road workers. Or perhaps there were more and I just didn't see them.

There were adequate aid stations, well-manned and well-stocked, not as many as I'm used to seeing in a race. (9 instead of the usual 13 or so.) I carried my own Gatorade bottle and stashed it halfway, then picked it up on the return.

The course was very challenging, but, to me at least, the downhills made up for those brutal uphills. I flew down them and was feeling no pain in the last 9 miles, VERY unusual for me in a marathon. The beauty of the course was enough to distract me, maybe. Also, we were blessed with perfect weather  40 or so at the start line, high 60's at the finish.

Finish line festivities were awesome, food was fantastic. I can't say enough good things about Prescott  what a nice little town!

If you've done your hill training, go for it. I got a time of 4:37, my slowest ever, but I am proud of it  that's a heck of a course.

An event that is staged and promised as advertised. This is not your ordinary marathon and deservedly lives up to the title as one of America's top-5 toughest marathons. Elevation and hills from start to finish. Beautiful scenery and blue skies. Very peaceful and miles away from all the trappings of urban races.

Packet pick-up is easy. The race starts on time. Friendly and simple water/Gatorade stops, no clocks but requisite mile markers, and a home-town festival atmosphere at the end. Close-by hotels are scarce; book early. Race is priced very low. Most everyone had to walk in a few of the steepest areas; it's that tough, especially with the high 7000 feet-plus in elevation. No matter - a friendly, "We're all in this together" sort of vibe. It's a challenge, but it is doable, and you'll live to tell about it - and probably will make other marathons seem a lot less challenging from now on.

Commenting on the half. Respect this course and adjust your mindset when entering this race. It's a challenge almost from the beginning, but you are rewarded for perseverance if you can get to the turnaround in good shape. It's almost completely up, up, up with a few downslopes along the way. You'll see a lot of walking up the inclines, but you can make up for that on the return trip - you'll scream down those hills and end up with a fairly good time.

There is a half, full, 5K and 10K - enough participants to make for camaraderie during and after the race. Friendly water/Gatorade stops, mile markers (but no race clocks), and the road is opened to light traffic. Weather can be an issue; this year, cool and some wind gusts - this race has had rain, snow, high temps - it's May in northern AZ, so anything is possible. Packet pick-up is easy, friendly, and simple. Race morning has free Starbucks, bananas, easy bag-drop, restrooms close by, and the race(s) start on time. Post-race, there are several food giveaways, awards ceremony is nearby, and loads of people hanging out at Town Square. A great way to see a more peaceful AZ from years gone by. Many hotels nearby and down the road about 6-8 miles out; book early.

Overall, a great experience without huge mobs. Don't expect a PR - elevation starts at 5200+ and goes to 7000 - but it's a great personal challenge when you're looking for something simple that still has all the amenities that a race requires.

Imagine my delight at finding a marathon in Prescott, Arizona, since my wife has relatives in that town. I traveled down from Salt Lake for a fun experience. Being able to wait in the hotel was my first positive experience, instead of standing around freezing for an hour after a bus ride waiting for the race to start, like we do in Utah. The shirt would definitely get a 5-star rating - more unique than any I have ever seen. The course was well designed but tough, with lots of ascents, and even rolling hills on top of the elevation increase. There were adequate rest stops and drinks. The halfway point was on the side of the road and not well marked, and I watched two other runners run right past it while I was getting ready to start again. One of them got 25 or 30 yards past before he got stopped.

The 'little bit primitive' comment came from my experience at the halfway point, where another runner asked where the bathroom was. He was told to 'go out in the trees, dig a hole, and cover it up.' Surely in the 21st century we should be past this kind of thing. There could have been a few more bathrooms, or at least 1 at the halfway point. I think the only one I saw was at mile 1. I have run 13 marathons in the past 3 years and have certainly never seen that happen before. Definitely a no-star rating on the bathrooms, which takes my organization rating from 5 stars down to 3.

There was a lot of very positive support from spectators for a small race; I was greatly encouraged by them. It still amazes me that people will come out and stand for hours and cheer for people running a marathon. Also great support and food at the end. I walked more during this one than most, but it's harder than any of the other ones I've done. I added almost a half hour to my average time. If you're looking for a hard but fun marathon, try this one. If you do, you'd better bring your own toilet paper!

Ran the half marathon six times, and one full marathon.

I have run the full marathon 4 times and the half once. All races I have enjoyed immensely. If you love pine trees, no traffic, hills, and great views, you will love this race. To finish this race is truly a PR.