I first saw this race early in the year on MarathonGuide.com, and I thought about running it, as I knew I would be moving to the Pacific Northwest. As I relocated from NYC to Seattle, I drove through CDA, and I then knew I had to run it.

With that said, I had a great weekend in CDA, but it was much warmer than I think we all anticipated. While I have never been one to need excessive amounts of water or sports drink, I needed it that day, and the stops were way too spread out - especially toward the end. I have never been so happy to drink water around mile 25 in my life. The stretch between 23-25 (approximately) was a LONG one for me.

I did enjoy the race, and while I didn't stick around for the aftermath, I imagine it was typical of a small event. I would recommend the race to a fellow runner.

Thanks for great parking, organization and friendliness.

Perhaps the broken toe of a couple of weeks back dampened the experience a bit, but the beautiful weather and surroundings did not. I normally do not prefer out-and-back courses, but this was OK due to the lovely area. It was relatively flat, with two long hills with mild grading. The long-sleeve, modern-fabric T-shirt featured a great design, but the medal is a bit sub-standard. There was plenty of parking, porta-johns and refreshments for the start. Package pickup and the race start were well organized. The water stops were a little too far apart for the heat of this particular race, and for awhile the sports drink came in little, shot-sized cups, so you had to stop and get more liquids. There were few spectators, and not much food at the end (but enough). Great race to combine with the whitewater rafting, biking and hiking in the area. It's not necessary to stay at the host hotel, as there are many alternatives fewer than five minutes away, in areas with more local amenities. The fact that it's only a half-hour from the Spokane airport made for easy travel.

This is a race for those who love views and don't like big crowds. Very laid back and scenic. Weather was great with perhaps 200-300 marathon runners. I'm a waddler who should have done the early start. I recommend that if you finish in 5 hours or longer. It can be lonely otherwise.

There is one big hill at mile 12, and coming back at it at mile 15+. It can take a lot out of you if you're not well trained. Water stops also could have been a bit more frequent, but that was probably noticeable only because it was a warm day.

Few spectators, but the volunteers were friendly and helpful. It's a nice city to hang in for the Memorial Day Weekend. I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a nice race vacation.

Great area, wtih top-notch scenery. It would be hard to find a prettier run. I had a few long inclines/declines on essentially an out-and-back course, but it's worth it to keep close to the lake. The elevation didn't seem to be enough to impact performance. Weather was about perfect for non-running, and okay for a marathon.

* Very well marked and guided course.
* Plenty of well-stocked, well-manned water stops.
* Nice folks.
* As this was a smaller run in a less-populated area, there were not as many fans, but they kept moving ahead of their runners at small distances on bikes and in cars to cheer them along the course.
* As the host/registration site, the Hampton Inn wasn't very inviting with their "KEEP OUT OF OUR BATHROOMS!" and "KEEP OUT OF OUR EATING AREA!" signs.
* When I asked about a bag check, I was told that no one had asked about that before. She offered to keep my stuff in her van for me.
* Medals were a bit small; no finisher's shirt; no beer. The first two I'll write off as it being a smaller race, but no beer?

Did I say that this is a beautiful area?

This was another well done marathon in a great location. I enjoyed seeing all the triathletes training during my trip. I had some decent food and met some very nice people. Just what you'd expect from a good, smaller race.

The new course (I have never run the old course) is a nice route. The course was well marked and there were tons of volunteers. I'd have expected more spectators, this being such an outdoor recreational area, but I don't need them.

There was not much food after the race, but there was a great host hotel. They had a band at the finish. The medal is so-so. The race shirt was a nice, high-tech, long-sleeve shirt. A very small, simple expo... there was Hammer Gel given out at just about all of the rest stops, and HEED was the drink. They also had lots of fruit and very good rest stops, especially for a smaller race.

I'd recommend this race to any real runner. It's not a big event, but it's a nice run on a good course. There were only a couple of bumps on the course, so it was a course on which you can run a decent time and enjoy yourself.

The course was beautiful in this race.

Okay, well I know that I am posting my review of the race late, but after doing several other marathons and reading all the other comments, I want to clear up the experience for those thinking of the 2009 race. First of all, it is not a twice-out-and-back course; it is an out-and-back course (13.1 miles there and 13.1 back). I think that is misleading in the other comments. Second of all, I train on this course all year since I live here, and there are two average hills on the way there; however, then you go downhill into a flat stretch on the way back. No biggie. The area is beautiful, and most courses you find will be either some form of out-and-back or some sort of back-tracking (the old course I thought was very similar). I thought the overall course was a great place to set a PR.

The latest news is that the course will be different next year: you will not have to do that one and a half miles around at the finish that everyone is complaining about. There are new paved trails extending through Riverstone that they are going to add into the beginning of the race so that when you enter Riverstone at the end, you finish. I think that will be nice. There was GU every two miles after the halfway point; I have yet to do a marathon that offers it that much. I love this course, the weather was good, and there are nice, long-sleeve, Dri-Fit shirts, medals, and hats for the marathon finishers. Also, I think the Riverstone start is a great place for afterward, with the new restaurants, shopping, and scenery. A lot has been completed down there since last year. I will be there next year for sure. Hope to see you there!!!!

I liked the out-and-back course, most of which was along the water. True, it also curved through some neighborhoods, but I liked the variety. The only real hill is 1/2 a mile long on the upside, and 1 and 1/2 miles down, but then you turn around and run it in the other direction. It wasn't too bad. Perfect weather, almost no spectator support, but plenty of aid stations. The course wasn't certified this year, which was really frustrating. If the one hill (run twice) doesn't bother you, this is a fairly fast course.

Beautiful scenery, friendly folks, good organization! You can't go wrong with this marathon. I have already recommended it to friends. The course was well marked... lots of little turns and turnarounds, but you can't get lost! There were marks on the course and volunteers at every turn. There is a hill around the midpoint, but it's doable! The town is beautiful, with good food to be had! I enjoyed this marathon experience! Thanks!

This was my first half marathon. It was a great experience! The weather was great, and the course was really good too. The scenery is beautiful! It was nice that they announce your name and city when you cross the finish line. The water/Gatorade stations were good. At the end of the race, there were cut-up oranges and bananas, and for fluids, water and Gatorade. I also liked that the course was pretty flat.