My wife and I did the marathon this year and had a blast. I started running road races in the mid 70s and this had that nice friendly retro feel to it. It is a great small town marathon. Since it is small you will spend a lot of time by yourself in the woods which we enjoyed greatly. I can't say enough about how enjoyable this race was. It features rough trails; plenty of roots, rocks and hills but that is more than compensated for by the beautiful scenery. As far as the extras go the aid stations had the essentials, the non technical long sleeve shirt was great, would have liked to have a medal that was specific to the marathon but something's you give up for a small marathon like this. If you are tired of large marathons and are looking for a well run race in beautiful country I would check this one out.

Walker Marathon is hidden jem. Small town, well organized, established. challenging course of road and trails thru the woods. Enjoy the beauty of woods.

This is Northern Minnesota at its best! I have run Big Sur and the beauty of the natural scenery here is a very close second. I am not a trail runner but the trails were challenging and fun. It took a bit more concentration to plant your foot on level ground. The miles went by fast because of the varied terrain. One moment roads, then paved bike trails, off onto woodland trails, etc. The variety kept the run interesting and made the miles fly by. The water stop fans were great and cheerful. The small nature of this run allowed my wife and kids to occasionally meet me and even drive with me for a short distance - unlike the large races like Twin Cities where one can't even get close to the finish line. I get tired or technical running shirts many races now hand out so the cotton long-sleeve shirt was a treat and the showers provided a blessing. In short the solitude, beauty, variety and great heart of the people who make this race happen means that this should be on every runner's life list to do once - if not every year!

This is an absolutely beautiful course. The fall foliage and lake vistas were breathtaking. The course/trail was well marked. Plenty of water stops. All of the volunteers, police, and EMTs provided an invaluable service to the runners. The shirts and medals were nice too. Overall, this was a very well organized event.

Beautiful scenery... beautiful scenery... friendly, helpful staff and volunteers... a well done marathon! The trail is rugged, but beautiful and well marked. The race director is committed to this marathon and most accommodating of the participants. There aren't a lot of spectators because of the isolated trails, but those at the aid stations make up for it! I really enjoyed this marathon and recommend it to anyone. Thanks to all who made this a great experience!

As others have said, this is a tough course through a beautiful area. The second half is tougher than the first, so be careful. Plenty of aid stations, even out in the middle of the woods.

The organizers are great. Nice wind shirts - and ice cream bars at the finish. We even had a wine and cheese party afterwards.

I cannot say anything bad about this race. The organization and amenities are first-rate. The course has a little bit of everything, paved bike paths, city streets, rural roads, and about 13 miles on a heavily wooded convoluted rustic nature trail. The trail and hazards are well marked. Expect to slow down during trail portion. For those looking for less of a challenge, I would recommend the two-person relay or half marathon.

Special thanks for allowing an early (7 a.m.) start for a few of us! The course was well marked and the volunteers were terrific. There was no chance of getting lost.

I am not a fan of hills or trails, but I knew that this had both going in. This is definitely the race for those who love that terrain and the solitude!

Beautiful finisher's medal, and quality, embroidered wind-shirt.

The course mixes hiking trails, bike paths, unpaved country roads, and a few miles around Lake May and Leech Lake in Walker itself. The mix and the rolling terrain in lake country keep things scenic, interesting and quite challenging.

The marathon organizers do a super job. They did their very best to make this both fun and very special with embroidered windshirts, door prize giveaways (of trolls), and warm showers at the finish. In addition, they painstakingly marked the hazards on the trail sections and had traffic stops for the road crossings even with a relatively small field.

It almost goes without saying but the cheering section at a trail marathon is few and far between. You will find fans though where you need them as you climb that last hill to the finish.

Mostly trails, new course in 2003. Was quite chilly (42 degrees F). Nice wind-shirts instead of t-shirts. Trolls will soon become your friends in Walker.