ran the 2011 Arkansas Marathon at Booneville. Not nearly enough water stops,,,first one was at Mile 4,,next one was at Mile 8!! Should have started an hour earler. Race entry fee was high,,$60 pre-registered,,$90 day of. Only 29 runners, but it was chip-timed which was a waste. I saw that last year there weren't enough water stops. Also the awards were downtown, so u had to drive down there to get them. No finishers medal. At least there were showers afterward.

This is the first time this race has been back in Booneville in 15 years! The race is put on by the city's chamber and needs some improvements. But has the potential to be very good, due to the enthusiasm of the organizers.

Pros: Great volunteers - very helpful
Showers at the finish
Quick awards
Course is very straightforward so you can't get lost
Nice awards
Good police support

Cons:
Not enough water stations. Organizers need to add at least two more water stops on the long out-and-back on Highway 10

Roads were open to traffic. Mid-morning and noonday traffic were free-flowing next to runners on the course.

Race started too late. Even in October it was near 80 degrees in Arkansas at midday. Not much shade and too few water stops made for potentially dangerous situations. Simply starting this race an hour earlier would help a LOT.

The long out-and-back on Highway 10 was very monotonous. But... it was easy to stay on the course.

Kind of hilly... but that's ok.

All in all, this race could be great because there are very hardworking, enthusiastic people putting it on. Good police support and support from fire stations of three different cities also helped with the traffic on the busy highway.

A few simple changes could make this a favorite local race for me, since I live in Little Rock.

I ran this as a training run for an upcoming fall marathon and was not disappointed. It's a pretty challenging course, although most of the steeper hills are short in length. The toughest parts for me included miles 9-11 (and 15-17, since it's an out-and-back course). Aid stations were plentiful, and Guardsmen helped direct traffic in areas that needed it.

I drove in from the St. Louis ares for this marathon to add Arkansas to my list of states run, and I was not disappointed. As promised, there were plenty of rolling hills. Many aid stations even had fruit, pretzels, corn chips, candy and more - quite a nice treat during the later miles. Very friendly organizing group and aid station volunteers. I even got an age bracket award - what large race can a five-hour-plus runner expect that? The t-shirt is nice, and the Arkansas-shaped finisher's medal is ingenious - and everything for only a $25 entry fee. I would gladly run a similar marathon in another state that I still need toward my goal of running in all 50. Great job.

I ran this marathon as a training run for the upcoming season and was not disappointed.

There were ample aid stations every two miles (some closer than two).

I suggest pairing up with another runner, otherwise it will be a long lonely run. I think about 40 people did the race today. I paired up with another runner and it made the miles fly by.

I heard that next year the marathon is moving from Benton to Little Rock.

I strongly recommend this race for those looking for a well organized marathon in September.

I have no complaints and only praise for this marathon.

If you like a hilly challenge, then this is the race for you. Be warned, your GPS will fade on you somewhere between the hills and trees. Miles 24 - 26 are a challenging, with a steep incline to finish out.

Good local support. The aid stations had good Gatorade and cold water along with the usual array of fruit and snacks.

I drove 2 hours from Memphis to run a marathon too hilly to be certified, and to cross the finish line to a leftover medal not even on a lanyard. The ROTC "helpers" had ravaged the food and beverages table by the time I came in, so there was nothing left to refuel with. There was a couple of snack/beverage stations through the course though. It's a lonely race with too many rural miles and hills. I'd recommend the Little Rock Half or full, and definitely the Memphis, St. Jude Marathon/half marathon for well run, well organized and supported races.

I wasn't sure what to expect in a small marathon (about 50 runners) but I was amazed at the organization, support and warmth of the director and staff. He even held the car keys for one of the runners! At the end, he also let me re-run the finish chute while he took photos of me with my Nikon. Now that is unique.

I've run 20 marathons and this is by far had the most ascent. But if you've done your hill work, you can do it. It is an out-and-back course through some truly beautiful rural settings. Two-lane asphalt road for 99% of the run. The course is not closed to traffic but few cars that did drive by gave plenty of room.

The finisher's medal is bronze and in the shape of the state of Arkansas, so if you're doing the 50 states, this one very clearly lets anyone know where you ran. Nice t-shirt, too.

Organizers said they want to keep this at 50 runners, and that makes it the best-kept secret out there.

By the way: If you are an out-of-state person like me, take the extra day and go see Little Rock, which is only 20 miles away from Benton. Clinton Museum, art museum, a real city trolley, the state capitol, and a submarine.

-Jim in Dallas

I can't say enough good things about this marathon. This was my 20th and I wanted to do Arkansas but I didn't want the hassle of Little Rock, nor the rather large medal that Little Rock has. This race has a nice T-shirt, a neat finisher's medal shaped like Arkansas, and nice award trophies if you are fortunate enough to win one.

I had seen the comments from previous years about route marking problems, but I found none of that. Instead I found a warm welcoming community of runners who put on a first-class marathon in jaw-dropping beautiful rural scenery. The race is very small and that seems intentional; they don't want much more than 50 runners for the marathon and that enables them to execute the event flawlessly. They had bunches of the local high school ROTC cadets along the route to clearly mark all turns and give help if needed.

After leaving the historic downtown area, the course becomes challenging because almost all of it snakes through rolling countryside lanes. Nice two-lane country roads, and the drivers were super considerate of the runners. Many honked their horns and hollered encouragement.

Let me emphasize "rolling." Collectively, this course has a LOT of inclines, like about 1,700'. No one hill is a ball-buster, but the course just rolls along and along. If all you have ever run is flat land, I'd suggest some hill work before you race this marathon.

The weather was 60-70 during the race but the thermal load was minimal because most of the course had a nice tree canopy to run under. Made the GPS beep a lot, but it was comfy running.

Aid stations are about every two miles and the volunteers (bless you all!) know what they're doing. Gatorade and H2O were plentiful and many had sweets, bananas, and other goodies. Maybe this is TMI but I had intestinal problems but I ran the race anyway. No porta-potties but the aid stations had plenty of paper towels and there were certainly plenty of dense tree lines and so it all worked.

I finished the race and was taking pictures of the other runners and finish line, and the race director asked if I'd like to re-run down the finish chute while he took pictures with my camera. Wow. tell me where else that would happen. Super nice people, super nice race.

NOTE: If you run this race and are out of state as I was, I suggest taking an extra day and drive 20 miles to see Little Rock. The state capitol building is neat, so is the Clinton Library, the trolley system and the USS Razorback submarine.

Jim
Cedar Hill, Texas (Dallas)

If you want a small marathon (about 40 in 2006), quiet roads, cows and horses, hills, and the chance to run by yourself, the Arkansas Marathon is for you. The course is challenging - hilly throughout. It's an out-and-back, so you get to tackle each hill twice! Volunteers offered well stocked aid stations and are most supportive. There are virtually no spectators, but cadets help with traffic/safety. The other runners are the best encouragement. Organization is impressive for such a small event. There were a few first-time marathoners in 2006; I would not recommend this as a first marathon due to the tough course and minimal cheering/folks to run with. Runners should note that the early start (6:30 a.m.) is in the dark.