I would echo everything Eric from Nebraska said (Go Cornhuskers) and add that the potato sack swag bag was epic. There weren't many fans on the course, but the ones there were great and the more desolate areas were peaceful and scenic.

First, I'd like to start with the negatives...

- (there were none!)

Now for the many positives...

- the people were so friendly
- the course was absolutely gorgeous
- heated buses (w/ toilets) at the start
- inexpensive/delicious pasta feed ($5 a person/$25 a family)
- free breakfast for runners
- Mesa Falls was breathtaking
- 4-5 choices of fluids at aid station
- the community was behind this marathon
- GU and fruit at every aid station
- plenty of food left at end of race
- Mile 14 was all it was touted to be!
- extraordinary Huckleberry Shakes
- unique wooden finisher medals


My favorite small town marathon, bar none!!! Kudos to the residents and race organizers of Ashton, Idaho! This Nebraskan was blown away.

I ran the marathon in 2012.

The pasta dinner, pre race breakfast, the bus ride to the start, the race, the volunteers...everything was perfect. This was a great event in every way. There are not may spectators out on this scenic run, but the ones out were great (it is a remote area). This is a great event!

This was a great marathon. I have decided to just list the most pertinent features of this marathon because one person's negatives are another's positives . . . .

-About 1/3 of this marathon is trail which I really enjoyed
- Aide stations were plentiful throughout
with water, gatorade, GU gel, powerbars, fruit and probably other cool stuff I didn't even see
-Port a Potties were adequate but not plentiful, but they had one every 3-4 miles and four at the beginning (but not a large race)
- Half marathoners start 2 hours after full marathoners, so all finish around the same time (could be plus or minus but I like running with the half marathoners)
- Great $5 dinner night before
- Great Free breakfast morning of
- 30 minute or so bus ride to start (nice buses!)
- Not a lot of schwag but not an expensive marathon
- T-shirts were polos which I liked but my girlfriend wasn't fond of
- Medal was small but nice and wooden which I liked (marathoners and halfers got the same one which I kind of like as well but I know others don't)
- Pizza and fruit at the end (fruit was kind of running low at the end)
- FREE Huckleberry shake at a local restaurant (IT WAS FANTASTIC! really hit the spot)
- Started 10 minutes late (I could care less, but this might bother some people . . . organizer was trying to be nice and allow people to get out of the restroom)
- Some significant hills around mile 17-22 which were a little tough that late in the race
- Also the last 5 miles are pretty much out in the plains of Idaho with no shade and a very hot sun beating down on you (probably no other way to design this one b/c it is nice to end in Ashton, but just beware)
- As a consolation multiple sprinklers to run through including the guy in his lawn-chair at mile 23 that really blasts you right in the face (literally) and back with water

- Overall great organization and Dave Jacobsen the race director was honestly the best race director I have ever had the pleasure of working with . . . refunded money when I inadvertently ordered 2 extra shirts and then let us register late for pre-race dinner.
Great race for the state of Idaho. Hometown feel, very friendly volunteers and fellow racers, small race feel (i.e. not super competitive but very fun!). Would recommend it to anyone. Only real negative for me was the last 5 miles (probably unavoidable and not a fault of course design)

A little late but I wanted to add my thanks for a wonderful race. Extremely well organized and supported. There were far more spectators than you could reasonably expect from this small town. The course was beautiful. I was especially pleased with the colors of the blue sky and yellow wheat fields after mile 19 or so. Got lucky with the weather; it was cool but not cold (except standing around pre-start). If you need a reason to go to this out-of-the-way spot: I combined the marathon with a trip to Yellowstone Park, which is about 100 miles away. P.S. There really was a bear; I drove the course the day before and saw it (a black bear) around mile 13 or so. Didn't see it while running.

Other positive comments mirror mine. Dave, the race director, does a great job and is a hands-on guy. He kept trying to get people out of the breakfast room and onto the buses. The start was supposed to be 6:30. It was a tougher course than indicated on the paper topo. The 9.5-mile gravel road chunks were large. I loved Mesa Falls and the rails to trails part by the river. The "hill" seemed long and was humbling. The rolly-polly hills after mile 21 were great on the legs. All volunteers were encouraging and course support abundant. Not many vehicles or spectators; my kind of race. Photographer wasn't around at the finish but I was a late arrival. The Huckleberry Shake at the Soda Fountain was sublime. The course was a challenge and definitely worth the effort. Ashton, Idaho is a hidden gem.

This was a delightful experience for me. I especially loved the trail run, which started past mile 13. The start on the gravel road was beautiful but a little rough on the feet. Also, the water stops were manned by wonderfully friendly people, but at the first, they seemed a bit over-whelmed. More volunteers are needed. An absolutely divine course for me. Running along Warm River with nothing but me and the squirrels and birds was spiritual. I was completely satisfied with the whole thing. You should try to run this one. Small but well done.

Plan to get up early because the buses leave at 5:15 a.m. for a 6:30 start. This year the temperature was cool, so it was a bit chilly on arrival at the starting line out in the middle of the Targhee National Forest. Oh, and a tip: instead of getting out of the bus to stand in line at the porta-potties, the buses have HEATED bathrooms in the back.

The first 9.5 miles are through the national forest on gravel roads. No major obstacles - supposedly there are bears in the woods, so caution is urged if a woodsie is imminent - but do watch your feet, as there are some golf ball sized stones. Past that, you run on pavement for the next 3.5 miles, net downhill about 200 feet, then join up with the half marathoners on a dirt trail for a net downhill about 400 feet before the big hill. This part is fast if you can avoid running into a half marathoner. Generally they are very polite and move to the right if you let them know you'd like to pass.

After leaving the dirt trail, you start the big hill. The elevation chart is deceptive - it looks like a nice, generally downhill run. But the hill at 17.5 goes a couple of miles and it's sneaky; it's about 300 feet over 2.5 miles and it lasts a long time. After you get to the top there are a couple of UPHILL rollers and you're thinking, hey, where's the downhill? But you already had the down hill so...

Actually, from 20 on, you have 300 feet of net downhill to the finish, so you can make up some time. Funny, though, to me it seemed flatter with downhill rollers but not generally downhill. Guess that's just the giddiness after 20.

And then you roll into town and through the balloons at the finish and, boy, is it the good life. Fresh pizza, chocolate milk, healthy stuff like bananas and chewy bars, PowerAde, everything a runner might desire (oops, no beer - local social considerations). The medal is made of wood with a salmon on one side and the Mesa Falls Marathon on the other - unique.

Great event - well organized, and smallish, with 209 marathoners this year. Far away, but southern Idaho is lovely and the falls are spectacular. The only thing I didn't like was the polo shirt, but then I'm kind of fashion impaired, so what can I say....

I have run close to 50 marathons, large and small, all over the country and found the Mesa Falls to be one of the best organized, most scenic small races so far. Dave, the Race Director, did an outstanding job of taking care of the runners. Great value for the money too. The $55 race fee gets you a free breakfast, nice shirt, medal, water/Gatorade stops every 2ish miles, and a free huckleberry shake. Don't expect many spectators though. You're running in rural hills. Friendly volunteers were great. Nice views of the Lower Mesa Falls. Only suggestion is to consider starting a little later. Waking up at 3:30 a.m. to be at the school at 4:30 a.m. was difficult.

I was very impressed with the organization and the value received. For the price, you receive a nice goody bag, quality polo-type shirt, luxury tour-style bus transportation to the start line, and a good run. The meeting at the school on race day gave a warm, dry place to wait with plenty of food and drink. The buses actually wait at the start line so you can sit on them to keep warm in the early morning chill, which is a great benefit. Free massages at the end, plenty of food and drink, and very friendly spectators along the way. It was a little tiring running on the dirt road the first 10 miles, but a good mix of surfaces to run on. Nice to run by the half-marathon start and get that added encouragement. The run by the falls was spectacular. It's a very small town but they put on a great marathon. One suggestion would be to have the street festival the night of the race, not the night before. More people might stay around and spend more of their money.