Famous Idaho Potato Marathon - Race Reviews

I just ran this marathon for number 42 and I have to say it was really great. The weather was perfect and the route was beautiful and pretty flat for all the hills surrounding the race. I think there were fewer than 200 marathoners but the support overall was great, even for a slower runner like myself. They still had a handful of folks cheering at the finish and still had potatoes to eat with all the fixings. The race organizers were very accommodating throughout and even went out of their way when I wanted to exchange my shirt afterwards. I would highly recommend this race.

I wasn't looking forward to this race because it seemed like more of a half marathon course and then it had to be changed last minute due to the high level of the river (from all the snow last winter). I was pleasantly surprised by the organization and enjoyability of the course. There were plenty of aid stations- I didn't need to carry my own water, and much of the run was in the shade during the later part of the morning. The medal was kinda chintzy. But it was a good run in all.

This is a really nice small race in a beautiful place. Idaho features generally low humidity, cooler temps at the start, and a relatively forgiving 2000+ feet above sea level - fairly easy for a mountain locale. The scenery - especially the first six miles - is wonderful. After that, you get river views along the greenbelt and a bit of neighborhood running. It's pretty flat all the way, and with the early start and cool starting temps, it's a nice 26.2. This race is well-organized with a small expo (really just your packet pick-up and you're out of there), good shuttles to the start line, and a nice little post race party. The baked potato bar is a nice touch. Aid stations are VERY well stocked, and the power bar options are extremely generous. Lots of gels and bars available along the way. As others have mentioned, we started with a rather large field since marathon and half marathon start at the same time. For the first half, it's easy to follow the trail with the pack. Once the bulk of runners peel off for the half finish, the marathoners continue onwards. The path is fairly easy to follow along the river, with white chalk arrows on the pathway at most points. After mile 14, other marathoners are sparse along the trail ... it's not until a short out and back portion (mile 17 - 22) that it's possible to see more racers. Regardless, with all the twists and turns, it was easy to miss a guidance arrow or a mile marker if not watching carefully. The course is not closed, which is not a problem until the end of the race. I was running along the path, but it was really full of people celebrating, walking away from the party, etc. Suddenly, things seemed to be thinning out, but I could not see a finish line. Knowing I was close to the end, I asked someone if I was still headed the right direction ... nope, I had missed a 90 degree turn, hidden by the throngs of people milling about in the midst of the home stretch. No big deal - I was not going for a speed record or anything, but still a little annoying when you're tired. Very few spectators for this race, which is not a problem for me, but might be difficult for those expecting big race support. It's a good one to have music or podcasts or a buddy for company. Bottom line: I sure did like this marathon ... and it's a great value that benefits the local YMCA. Medal this year was very nice.

The course for both the marathon and half-marathon starts at Sandy Park. This little beach and picnic area sits at the base of a good-sized earthen dam which proclaims 'Keeping Our Forests Green' in painted rocks. The baggage pick-up was well run and the number of porta potties was pretty normal (i.e., get in line no later than a half-hour before the start). About 90% of the course follows Boise's Greenway - a 25 miles bike path that goes along the Boise River. The first two miles go through a beautiful section of canyon. Then there is a section that weaves through some neighborhoods west and south of the river before rejoining the Greenbelt. Just before 13 miles the half-marathoners break off and it suddenly gets very lonely. At 19.25 miles the marathoners turn-around a double back on sections of the course. The design reminds me of the Philadelphia Marathon course. The greenbelt runs along the river for large portions and (as you would expect in the 'city of trees') is well shaded. I can only remember three or four crossing that even required guards. The water stops were every mile-and-a-half to two miles. The first 19.25 miles follows the Boise River as flows downstream. This makes this race a great one to go for a half-marathon PR. It makes the last 10k of the marathon rather tough. This is already a tough section of race, but for this marathon it was a steady uphill. The finish area was well organized. The post race food consisted of a half baked potato (sour cream, chives, broccoli and chili available), bananas, watermelon, chocolate milk-like recovery drink and a bagel. There was plenty of shade to recover in. The marathon had about 300 people and the half-marathon about 1600. This made for relatively small marathon feel. Overall this was a well-run medium-small sized marathon. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a smaller race in nice city.

I really enjoyed this race along the Boise River on the greenbelt. The packet pick-up and pasta dinner at the host hotel were topnotch and transportation to the start went like clock-work. They could have used many more porta-potties at the start, and in fact started the race late to give people in line for the porta-pottie more time. It was crowded at the beginning with half-marathoners and full marathoners starting together, but thinned out fairly quickly. There are few spectators, but the water stop volunteers were fantastic. The course was well-marked with painted arrows, but after the half-marathon split off there were several intersectons with no arrows. If I lived in Boise and was familiar with the greenbelt I would have known which direction to go, but for an out-of-stater this was really confusing. A couple of volunteers stationed at the last 2 turns before the finish would have been much appreciated. The post-race food and celebration was excellent, and I really loved the baked potato. I stayed at the host hotel which made transportation simple and their breakfast is a definite go-to!

This race weekend was perfect from beginning to end. The host Riverside Hotel shuttle picked me up from the airport, presented me with a free bottle of water and a chocolate chip cookie, then transported me to the lovely hotel, right next door to Joe's Crab Shack where I spent three great meals! The hotel stay also included a huge, incredible breakfast buffet - what a delight that was! The race shuttle took us from the hotel to the race start, which was a little chilly, but the rest of the race weather was perfect. In fact, perfect is a great word to describe this gem of a race. This was Marathon #51 for me, and it was, by far, the most naturally scenic and lovely of all the courses I've run, of any distance. And the beauty never ended from Mile 0 to 26.2. As a slower runner, I was alone most of the time to commune with my amazing surroundings and I was happy to do this, having run a big city, dirty street race a couple weeks before. The only thing I would improve are the marathon course markings. Some of the road forks were trial and error, as markers were missing or confusing. But I never got lost, except in the beauty of this heavenly place. The baked potato snack at the end was wonderful, as well as the kind, race official (Travis), ride back to the hotel, when the shuttle didn't come. I loved the blue shirt. It has the word 'marathon' on it so I didn't care if it was generic. The medal is not the most elaborate and memorable, but the course and the pictures I took will always remind me of the best little marathon out there! And, when adding up my expenses, this was, by far, the least expensive marathon I've run. Another gem of this race is Allison, the RD, who helped me with several pre-race questions and concerns, all the time patient and caring, and just wonderful! Again, beginning to end, this was an adventure I will always cherish! One last word - this race benefitted YMCA, the great organization that rescued me from the scary Chicago streets when I was a kid, taught me how to swim, how to get along with other kids, and how to know my Lord, through Y-Teens. I was so happy to give back!

I would of like to see mile markers and first aid stations. I did fall at mile two as my ARM started to swell and finally found a first aid station at the finish line.

A pretty well organized smaller race. I loved running on the Boise River Greenbelt as it provided plenty of shade when the sun came out behind the early morning clouds that day and temps began to rise. Interesting run by the local horse track stables as trainers exercised their horses at the 17/21 Mile out and back. A little crowded on the trails with the much larger half marathoner participants, so that it was sometimes hard to run the tangents on the twisty paths. You did run the first couple of miles on a secondary highway so there was a bit of stretch out of the race pack before you hit the narrow fitness path. Once the half marathoners split off to the finish of their race, it became much lonelier and at times felt like a training run by yourself. I had no trouble following the chalk marks and route signage when marshals werent present. Good support and friendly volunteers at the aid stations with plenty chances for water, electrolytes drink or PowerBar products. T-shirt was generic for all the races, 5K, 10K, Half and Full Marathon, so it took away some the bragging rights you instantly get with a specific marathon t-shirt. Also the medal was the same for all races, with a sticker in the middle with tiny lettering denoting you were a 'Marathon Finisher.' Baked potato with lots of fixins' and chocolate milk was great at the end.

It was a pretty good marathon with a very low registration fee, and it was a flat course. There are definitely improvements to be made. The shuttle to the starting line was easy to find and went very smoothly. It would have been nice to have staggered starts since all of the half and full marathoners started at the same time, it was pretty crowded. The race wasn't marked clearly, there were times when cars would be driving in between runners, a group of runners had to get out of the way of a bus while waiting in line at the porta-potty at mile 10, and it became especially confusing for the full marathoners during the second half of the race, I found myself confused at some points and nearly going the wrong way a couple of times. The worst was at around mile 25, there was a sign that pointed forward for full-marathon which was meant to be seen at mile 13-14, but you were really supposed to make a u-turn to go back under a bridge to the finish and that was only marked by chalk on the pavement. I saw a few runners ahead of me make that mistake because they ended up crossing the finish line 5 minutes after I did. I'd be so angry if that was me, especially when you think you're almost done. Another huge improvement that they really need to make is the amount of first-aid they had out there, I only saw one medical aid stand and that was after the finish line. No first-aid help on the course of the race. The course was nice, it would have been better if I just did the half on this one because the greenbelt did get a little boring after a while. There weren't too many spectators, but the few that were there were super supportive! Also the other runners, especially the straggling/suffering marathoners (ahem, me) all pulled together and supported each other... I just loved that. I would definitely recommend this race so that you can experience Boise, it's cheap, flat, we got a free sack of potatoes and everyone there is really nice. But I do hope they make those few improvements!!

Dislikes: I have ran this marathon 2 times now. The river running along the course provides lots of shade and is pretty, but not for 18-20 miles(there is probably 6-8 miles not by the river)!I really wish the course would venture out through the town more! Boise has so many beautiful spots that could easily be covered in 26.2 miles! City of Trees, which I have also ran, covers much of the city. It is nice to see different scenery when you are running that distance and that long. This year, 2013, the last 5 miles, or so, of the course was changed from when I ran it before. In 2010 after the turn around, you ran along the green belt, past softball fields and ponds to the finish. This year, 2013,after the turn around, the course took you along a trailer park! Also, I ordered an XS shirt, and received a small because people who ordered small switch to XS when they saw how big the small was. I contacted the YMCA to ask for them to order the size I originally asked for, and the first person informed me they would get it ordered and be in contact with me. The second person informed me there is no XS...it was a typo. Drink flavor could have been better and not so watered down. Likes Cold chocolate milk at the finish! Delicious! Had lots of energy food options available through out the course. Potato bar at finish.

The race course is flat and fast, along the Boise River, mostly on paved trails. Water/electrolyte stations were fine. Suggested improvements: split the start of the Half and the Full to ease congestion; showcase the city (Capitol, etc.) by bringing the route through points of interest - don't need to give up much of the trail to do this; build a higher profile to bring in out of town runners - more sponsors, branded merchandise at the expo, improve communications to non-locals (what are the twin towers!?!), better food at the finish and PLEASE - upgrade the medal! Otherwise - great Specatators, though very few, and a lovely city with friendly people and some very tasty dining options!

This was a good small race. Even though it is catered for the Half marathoners, I actually liked the full course. It is exclusively through a urban green belt, mostly along the Boise river. This year (2013) there were about 240 marathoners. The course is flat. The spectators were very cheerful. The flowing river next to the course was a source of constant inspiration. I was able to pick up my bib at the start point given it was a Saturday race. I flew in from the Bay area, so not that many flights in/out from the Boise airport.

This is a great course for a half marathon - scenic, fast and typically great weather. It's a fun event that I recommend regularly to friends and family who run. It's also a race that fits well if you're trying your first 1/2 marathon. There aren't a ton of fans, so don't count on walls of people cheering you on, but there are pockets of enthusiastic supporters that become more frequent after the initial few miles. There's a respectable crowd for an event this size around the finishing area to provide a boost as one heads down the stretch The race organizers did a nice job with one glaring exceptionport-a-potties ya'll! I counted maybe 20 at the starting area vs. an announced enrollment of 3100 runners. Not nearly sufficient. It delayed the start of the race (not good when runners strategically shed outer layers of clothing and warm up to coincide with the start time) and prevented a good many people from using the facilities at all. There also weren't many opportunities for pit stops at any point later in the race, which kept me from being tempted to stop and helped me PR, but the lack of port-a-lets was a clear inconvenience. Water stations were plentiful and well-stocked with drinks and Power-Ade products. The volunteers manning these were outstandingthank you! There's a plentiful variety of post-race appropriate snacks and drinks at the finish and the medal and dry-fit shirts are both nice. Fix the bathroom situation, and they'll have a near-perfect event. I plan to be back for as long as my legs and body hold up.

This was a fast course and very pretty with the Boise River running along you the whole time. Flooding caused a last second change in part of the course but it wasn't bad. Course aid was ok and there was more gu/gel options here then any other race I've ever been to. Race organizers need to give better directions for out of towners. Packet pickup was hard to find and there was only water and chocolate milk at the finish. Sport drink would have been nice. Also I get that it's Idaho but just having baked potatoes at the finish line is not enough. Also the return shuttle to the race hotel never showed!

This race is as advertised: a smooth, scenic and enjoyable half marathon course. From talking with other participants, a lot of people PR this one. They aren't kidding about the cold start. Though it was pleasant enough on the valley floor, Lucky Peak in the a.m. is a wind tunnel. Next time, I'll bring my warm clothes, which they make it easy to have transported to the finishing area. The course is fast and essentially a gradual downhill from start to finish, though it flattens out somewhat once you hit the greenbelt. It's a bit crowded on the trail, particularly in the first 1/4 of the race before people fan out, but not uncomfortably so. It wasn't terribly different than larger races run on larger streets. Not a ton of spectators, but the ones that came out were fun and appreciated. Plenty of water stops, well-equipped with volunteers, sports drinks, power bars, etc. End of race party was fun and well-stocked with plentiful food and drink options. Nice medal and dry-fit shirt. This was my 5th and favorite half marathon. I'll be back next year.

I enjoyed this fast course. The start was cold, everyone looking for a place to huddle up. Aid stations were placed regularly. Post race food was great if you finished quickly, but I heard they ran out for those toward the end.

Not a ton of spectators but the ones who are there are supportive and enthusiastic. I would prefer the race to start earlier so the temperatures aren't climbing in the 80's. Also, they used a timing mechanism that started at the gun rather than the start line; as I started nearly at the end of the pack and it took time to get moving so I was unhappy with this feature.

This was my first time running the full marathon and I noticed that the field had grown substantially since I ran the half-marathon 3 years ago. Due to the growth, they need to have different starting times for the full and the half. Since everyone funnels onto a path that accommodates 4 abreast, with virtually no room to pass, they need to have at least 30 minutes between starts so that you can hit your pace within the first mile. I saw several people fall due to the congestion, and a lot of this would be eliminated with a split start. Otherwise, the race was well run, and there was plenty of food to refuel at the end.

This was my first marathon, and I really liked the course. However, I didn't like the time it started at because halfway through the temps got into the 80's. In addition, the half starts with the full, so by the time you finish the full, there are no spectators cheering you on. And being my first full, I was a little slow. The guy at the finish line was rude, and asked if I was the last one. I already knew I did badly but I was not the last one, and it just ruined the race (I already knew I didn't do well but I just wanted to finish for the first time).

I have attended many YMCA races and I think this was by far the most organized event. The transportation to the race start was fantastic. My only negative comment would be regarding medical support. While the race has grown, the medical support has not, and this led to issues in response time. One individual in my group became severely dehydrated and was told that they did not have enough time to respond to his medical needs.

I just ran the half marathon; it was my first time on this course, but my third race. The course is gorgeous!! Perfect weather, shaded, and along a river. They need WAY more porta-potties and lots more water stations. I waited five-plus minutes for the potty around mile 4, and there wasn't another porta-potty station until the finish!! Also, the start was not well organized, as I could not find the table to get my race number - and then once I found it, I had to go somewhere else to find my name on a paper, figure out my number, and then go back. They need ballons at the packet pick up station. Details online are sparse, and no information is sent via email or mail. But overall, a good experience.

I didn't expect much going in to this race, as I have read that it is a wonderful half, but not a great full. I disagree. It is a wonderful half - but the full was also beautiful, well supported, and totally worth doing. I loved running alongside the Boise River - it was a warm day, but the breeze off of the river was really nice. The greenbelt provided plenty of shade (there were some sunny, warm patches) and to run through a city and NOT experience traffic was a treat. The YMCA did a great job of keeping the finisher's area stocked with food, drink, and atmosphere. As far as small races goes, this one was great!

This is the first year I've run this race. It's very small compared to Chicago or other races... but I like that. Had great time because of the flat course. Kind of the true marathon feel for me. The bussing to the start was very good. The start line was cold. Make sure you bring warm clothes... but the race got hot after 30 minutes after the start. Good water stops with bars and gel. Good traffic control and very nice scenery. The marathon split at mile 13, and it was an out-and-back after 13. I'm not very fond of out-and-backs. I would very highly recommend this as a half.

This is one of those marathons that share a common start with the half. This was my 24th marathon, and 19th state, and I don't recall one where the field was so dominated by runners racing an alternate distance - a ratio of 8 to 1. I felt like I had mistakenly showed up for a half-marathon with the option to run a long 6.5-mile out-and-back at the end of the half-marathon course. The morning park and bus ride to the start was very well organized. As usual, not enough praise is given to the organizers and volunteers running these events, especially when things go right. Subsequently, it appeared that getting enough volunteers to staff the water stations for the first 13 miles was a challenge. At least one station was completely overwhelmed by needy runners. I skipped that one - others were piled-up with half marathoners. From previous comments, marking this course with visible mile markers is evidently a non-starter. This year was no different. Some miles are marked with paint, or lime on the pavement, but good luck finding them. They were easier to see after the half field peeled off. No problems with following the marked course on the river trail after the crowd from the half disappeared. The winding river trail makes for a nice running surface, but it was packed with bicycles during the race, making running the tangents of the trail difficult to dangerous. Once the riders learned that an official race was in progress, they would yield. It would have been nice to have posted just a few signs on the trail of "Marathon in Progress" to alert other trail users. I usually enjoy the small marathon experience - it's marathoning at its roots - and I do appreciate the YMCA for staging this event. But, I honestly felt like this was the Idaho Great Potato Half Marathon and 10K, maybe trying to be too much so as to not break with tradition. After reading all of the comments and piling on a little myself, I suspect this marathon is all that it is ever going to be. As far as the finisher shirt and medal, they're fairly unremarkable, if that is important to you. My biggest compliment to a marathon is to say that I would spend the training time, travel money and effort to come back and run it again. Unfortunately I cannot say that about this marathon. Now the half... maybe. I would use any excuse to come and visit Boise again. What a beautiful city.

Well this being my first marathon, I do not have a lot to go on, but I thought it was nearly perfect. Great, flat course; clearly marked; and nice folks at the support tables all along the way. Lots of shade trees along the greenbelt on the second half. Not many spectators in the second half once the half-marathoners peel off, but it was a great experience for me.

As a walker, you are dependent on a well marked course, but a blind person couldn't get lost here - that's how well the course was laid out. The volunteers were just awesome. This is one marathon I will always remember with wonderful memories.

Boise is a very beautiful city - especially in the springtime. The course started several miles east of town, and followed the Boise River into town. The mile-markers were sand-like material sprinkled on the road. The support was great. The Navy even participated (mile marker 16 water station, as I recollect). Gatorade-type drink and water were available every 2 miles, until near the end, when they were every mile. The Gu product and PowerBars were available a few places in the second half. The only negative thing was at approximately mile-marker 18. The course did a loop through wooded area, and there were crossing paths, causing confusion. The path was not well marked there. The YMCA let me park my camper in their lot, and also let me use their facilities while I was there. The food at the end was baked potatoes (imagine that!), fruit and beverages. Hats off to the Boise Treasure Valley YMCA for this marathon. It was a lot of work for them, but it was an outstanding event.

I read all the comments before running this year's race (2007) and was a little worried. I had my husband on his bike as support team if I were to need water or anything out on the course. It turns out I didn't even really need him for that because the aid stations always had water, etc. (Though the Gatorade was really watered down!) I would agree that the mile markers need to be more prominent. Spray painting them on the ground just doesn't cut it. And they need to be more accurate. Also, I would suggest having more than just arrows spray painted on the ground. I never got lost, but if I hadn't been paying attention, I could've very easily. I thought the race course was beautiful, though. Who knew Boise, ID was like that? I loved the greenbelt. There was only one small stretch on a hot, busy road that wasn't my favorite. But everything else was great! (And that small loop in the Riverside Elementary School parking lot? What was up with that?!) Be aware, though, that this is a small race. If you're okay with that then you'll love it. Once the half and the full marathon split, it felt like you were alone for miles. There are not a lot of spectators either. If you're not in it for the big race scene, then I would definitely recommend this one. Plus, there are potatoes at the end!

This was my first marathon and I had a wonderful experience. There were a few things to complain about, if that's what a person wants to do. However I had a wonderful time because of visitng with folks at the start, enjoying the scenery and beauty of the areas we ran through, visiting with other runners as we ran, enjoyed the cheers of the spectators when and where ever they were. The aid stations had plenty of water and PowerAde, plus PowerBars and gels. Once the half marathon and marathon split, there are stretches where it got very lonely and one intersection where having a race official would have been very helpful (a spectator insured that I went the correct way because the arrows were confusing at the 21.5-mile point). As this was my first marathon, I was not out to set any speed records, but I think runners would be able to do very well on this course. I would like to see more spectators, especially after the marathon and half-marathon split. I will plan on running this marathon again.

I cannot believe this past race (5/20/06) was the 28th! I would think the coordinators would have read the comments. Please use visible mile markers. They are mentally motivating. Please try harder not to run out of H2O - good thing I brought my own. More spectators would be ok, but they might get knocked down by the bicyclists. Also, definitely mark the route better. I too had to help a few runners find the right way. And re-running the same loop was mentally tough (which isn't a horrible thing, but running 26.2 is challenging enough - give me more hills instead:). Beautiful city, but the race needs a big improvement!

It was very hot, but not too bad. My mom and I stayed together the whole way, which was a good thing because we rarely saw other runners once the half and whole marathons split. The course could have used better markings although I suppose they were good enough since we never got lost. I also think water stops should have occured more frequently due to the dry heat. Also, and this was the worst to me, they ran out of finishers medals!!! How horrible to finish a race and receive no medal! They have promised to mail them, but I have nothing to show my friends and co-workers who have been cheering me on back home - and that is one of my favorite parts. Idaho is beautiful and I loved the scenery along the route. Breathtaking!

Weather was hot and sunny. The course was flat and mostly on bike paths. In all of my 71 marathons, this was the most poorly marked course. Here are my observations: Positives: 1. Nice course 2. Friendly volunteers and fellow runners Negatives: 1. Poorly marked course. Mile markers 2, 9, 10, and ? were missing. Mile markers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - there were two marks for each mile point. Most were of equal size and appear to be quite recent. Mile marker 7 was 0.2 mile too long while mile marker 8 was 0.2 mile too short. 2. Water stations were not evenly spaced. At mile marker 18, there were two water stations within 0.25 mile. The next water station was at around 21.5 miles. 3. Lots of turns and twists. I saw runners taking the wrong turn. Most of these turns did not have any volunteers directing the runners. Suggestions: 1. On each mile point, put a can of soup. Then, a potato on top of the can. Next, stick a flag on top of the potato with the mile mark. After the race, donate the cans and potatoes to a local soup kitchen or charity. Simple, cheap, and visible. 2. Need more volunteers for course direction. After 27 years, this race (the 28th edition) needs to take care of the basics. Runners need reliable, accurate, and visible mile markers to gauge their pace. No one likes to take the wrong turn and either run a shorter or longer distance. Water stations need to be more consistently spaced. I cannot recommend this race because of these poor logistics.

This was my second marathon and the weather was perfect; however, I would have been really sad if it had not been for my friends out there cheering me on. The course was deserted and it often felt like I was out there alone. This race could use a lot more spectator support and a ton more runners. The volunteers were very nice and there were plenty of aid stations (although one was abandoned). Overall the race was nice but lonely. Course was well-marked this year, in my opinion... complex but well-marked.

Nice run along river. Gel packs were nice to have at each aid station. More bathroomes are needed. There were some at the start and only one more around mile 10. Not many people to cheer you on.

This was my first half marathon, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The course was nice, right along the Boise River most of the way, and the weather was perfect, perfect, perfect! The aid stations were pretty well-manned, with water, Gatorade, and Powerbars... Not too many spectators, but the course was nice enough that it didn't matter. I'm not sure about the marathon course though, I didn't run the extra 13.1 miles...

I just ran this race two days ago. I was pleasantly surprised as to how scenic the course was. It started in a park along the river and proceeded along a green belt towards the city. It then worked it's way into some of the nicer neighborhoods and along a golf course. The later stages of the race seemed to be a bit confusing as there were lots of twists and turns. The course was well marked, BUT, in my opinion, late in a race there should've been more volunteers at those turns making sure the runners went the right way. When I'm at mile 24-25 of a race I don't want to think about where to turn, I'm just thinking about finishing! I did get lost after the 25-mile mark and ended up running a 28 mile race. The race had plenty of volunteers at the water stops who where not busy and could've easily been standing at the turns directing runners. I would run this race again, but I would make sure I paid close attention to the course. Other than getting lost, I had a great time! The Coolmax shirt was extremely nice, medals were thick and heavy with print on both sides and the post-race food was plentiful with baked potatoes, pizza, fruit, etc.

I'll run the Boise Marathon for the 3rd time in 4 years because it is close to home, small, personal and enjoyable. Course organization can be better, but I've never got lost, and the scenery is pleasant and the people are very friendly. It's low-key and the start is pleasant. I've met some great people on and off the course, and ran a delightful 3:59 here in 2001.