Loved this event! I loved the surface; yes maybe it slows you down a little but that's more than negated by two factors:

1. The course has a very gradual down hill of 500 feet spread over 16 miles. You won't even notice you're going down hill, but you do and it for sure helped.

2. The course has all of 4 turns. There's no worrying about tangents; you turn onto the trail right after the first mile and stay straight on it for the next 24 miles or so. It means that when the course gets certified it can be a lot closer to being truly 26.2 miles and not much more.

The town of Ashland revolves around this marathon and a festival for the weekend; it's wonderful to be a part of it. When I rate the spectators 5 star that's with the caveat that this is a small town marathon run on a trail so of course between aid stations there are few if any spectators. But the aid stations were well manned with plenty of hydration and cheers.

We stayed at the Best Western which allowed us to walk to the expo, bus pick up on race morning, and back from the finish line. It's a great old quaint hotel.

Pros: Asland is a beautiful town with very hospitable people. Great accomadations. Pre-race packet pickup is a breeze. Pre-race pasta dinner was good. Bus trip to start line was warm and efficient. Start area had lots of port-o-potties and last mimute fluids and some race needs. Lots of port-o-potties on the course. Blues and Brew Fest was great.

Cons: Running surface was soft and loose. It was suppose to have been rolled, watered and brushed in some areas. I found that most runners ended up running in line to try to stay on the firmest footing one could find. It got to be tiring with the loose gravel. I found the trail to be a lot softer than I was lead to believe on the website. The tailwind was not very noticable with all the surrounding trees. The wind actually was a head wind in some places. Although the shirt and medal are very nice there is no distintion between the marathon and Half-marathon finishers. Would like more to drink at finish than water, power aid, and chocolate milk.

This was my first Whistlestop Marathon and an overall good experience
Pros: Overall downhill course, beautiful countryside, Nice medal/shirt, very enthusiastic fans every 1-2 miles -awesome!, running surface was less jarring than pavement. Aid stations were better than most marathon aid stations a few had much-appreciated food (fruit, cookies, pretzels, gel). We weren't able to make it to the pasta feed/fish boil the night before, but that sounds like an inviting touch.

Cons: Running surface was Soft gravel/sand, which made it a steady leg-fatiguing effort to find a decent part of the road to run on. My hip flexors were pretty shot after a while, due to lifting my knees higher than usual. It was a cold dry race with a strong tailwind, which was great, but we got pretty dehydrated and low on electrolytes and there was little electrolyte replacement at the finish - salty broth soup would have been nice. Also, heat in the civic center might have helped too.

Overall, this was a fast course, especially with the strong tailwind, but probably isn't normally a PR course, but a pretty quick race. I am glad I ran it and recommend it to trail runners and nature lovers.

Well organized from start to finish. Course was sand and gravel.. Unfortunatly mostly sand! There was only about a 1 foot wide path (pounded down by the runners ahead of me) that you could really run on so it was single file follow the leader pretty much the whole way. Passing was very difficult.

The Whistlestop is a pretty fun race. There was a very limited expo, but plenty of food at the pre-race meal. There are shuttles to the race start, which was really exciting. Some people complained about the course surface, but I personally thought it was fine. It's another railroad grade race - so pretty level. Shirt was very nice. I was a little disappointed with the lack of a massage at the end (they had them available for an extra cost, but I didn't bring money with me). This was my 9th marathon and, overall, I had a good deal of fun.

I ran this race in 2007 and loved everything about it. In particular, I thought the running surface was pretty consistent and there always seemed to be enough firmness to maintain good toe-off. I ran a 3:08 that year and it was a PR for me at the time.

Not this year (2010). The first 7 miles had been over-layed with road base stone, which was awfully loose and difficult to run on if you are a fast runner. Miles 7 through 17 were not much better, with many stretches of loose gravel. Lots of hunting for somewhere to run among the group I ran with. Very frustrating, but only if you are competitive and looking for a PR.

If you're in it just to run it and have fun, it would probably not be that bothersome and you may find the surface forgiving, which it certainly is. I just don't think the course is fast enough for those who seek that elusive Boston qualifier or their next PR.

Having said all of this, it is a very well organized race. The pre- and post-race activities are first rate, and although the crowds are sparse, they remain quite enthusiastic. It's also a great area to visit if you can find lodging. We rented a cottage in Bayfield, about 30 minutes north of Ashland.

So, a well organized small-town race set against spectacular fall colors over a really crappy gravel surface - at least for those seeking speed. I will not run it again - at least until I'm old and slow and without a care in the world.

I'm a newbie runner and this was my 2nd 1/2 marathon. I was expecting a slightly faster time considering the flat surface; I can only attribute my slower time to the sandy surface.

But it was still faster than my first 1/2 marathon 2 months ago, which was paved BUT HILLY. I'll take flat and sandy any day! At least the course was consistent throughout, which helped me keep a pretty steady pace, and I was able to turn it on at the end when we reached town. Add to that the beautiful scenery, friendly runners and volunteers - and a festival to boot - and you've got one swell race!

I really liked this race for the wonderful folks who came out to help - there were a good number of water stops staffed by very helpful people, some of them dressed up themselves. The shirt is great too! The course was definitely softer than I anticipated, but I enjoy running on trails.

I'm disappointed with this race. The course surface was soft and sandy, with some stones. I was constantly moving back and forth in search of a firmer surface in order to get good traction. It was like running 26.2 miles on a beach. Definitely not a race for a PR or BQ. Also, runners for the half marathon received the same finisher shirt and medal as the runners for the marathon. So most of the field just ran the half marathon. There was no additional or separate recognition for marathoners. Only 650 marathoners. Calves and feet were very sore and cramped from running the soft course. After-party celebration blues and beerfest was excellent and a lot of fun. Very few motels or hotels in the area. Rooms were very expensive: $ 145.00/night at a Super 8? The town was very supportive, and there was good turnout. But I probably will not return.

I was very happy to have chosen the Whistlestop for my first marathon. The experience was pure joy. I felt well cared for all weekend and well rewarded with my shirt and medal. The $8 fee to engrave the medal is also a nice option.

The volunteer staff were amazing. There were so many adults and children helping with the Friday night dinner and offering water along the course that I could want for nothing. PowerAde, gel and bananas were also offered. Regular cheering and water stations kept my spirits up too.

The course is beautiful this time of year. It is also correctly advertised as easy-on-the-knees with the gravel bed. That said, some parts of the course were pretty much on loose rock and not packed down.