Pocatello Marathon - Race Reviews

The race organizers did everything so well, I wish they could have controlled the weather :) As a former marathon director, I look for excellence in organization, as this is the make or break characteristic of a race for me. My legs were not trashed from the gradual downhill in the first half (although I wasn't allowing myself to get carried away). However, it was VERY warm (upper 70s when I finished), sunny, and there's no shade. Scenery was magnificent as were volunteers. If you need spectators en masse, this is not the race for you. Got bus to start from hotel, good finish area by the zoo. Glad I chose this for my Idaho race!!! The southern Idaho area (including WY & UT) are well worth spending some time in.

As a 50 states + DC runner, I am glad that I picked Pocatello as my Idaho race. The point to point with minimal turns makes for a great continuous race without the worry of slowing down for turns and potential fast times. The first 13-15 miles are mostly downhill. My quads were feeling it by mile 20 so be aware. My only frustration was the amount of 5k walkers that I had to weave around during the last 3 miles. All in all, a great race. I don't mind not having crowd support but if you are into having people cheer for you during the race, this is not for you. If you are into a beautiful course with easy logistics and need to cross Idaho off your list of 50, pick this one! You will not be disappointed. Be sure to go rafting at Hot Lave Springs as well. It's a blast!

The Pocatello Marathon is a small race with about 200 in the full marathon. The race director and volunteers did a great job of putting the event together. Getting through packet pickup was easy though it was in a cramped room at the Clarion Hotel. There were a couple of small vendor booths poolside. The race itself started with a short bus ride from the host hotel to a barn located at about 6200' feet. There were plenty of port-a-pots at the start line as well as a donkey and horse. The first half of the course was excellent and watching the sun rise was a big plus. There were several tough downhills in the first half that took a toll on the quads later in the race. The first half had plenty of mountain scenery and there were enough twists and turns to keep things plenty interesting. There was an uphill out and back at about mile 7 but the scenery was gorgeous so we did not notice the uphill as much. At about mile 14 we turned onto a highway with one lane coned off for the runners. The course continued on that highway for the next 10 or so miles without a single turn and very limited shade. We were completely exposed to the sun, industrial scenery, and fairly continuous traffic from mile 14 until mile 24. The second half in the sun was a struggle for me, especially a steep climb under the interstate to the service roads on the other side. The finish line was in a park, but we wound around a few industrial areas before running in the park for the last 0.2 of a mile. The finish area had lots of food, gear check pick-up, and massages you had to pay for. The race director and volunteers did an awesome job putting this together. They thought of everything. However, the second of the course was brutal to me and shows in my ratings.

Couldn't ask for a better executed race!!! Tough downhill course (point to point) but one of the best supported marathons I have run (this was state #38). Swag bag was awesome. After race recovery snacks, lunch, and beer were perfect. Stayed at host hotel and rode shuttle to and back from race. Thanks!

This was my #6 on my way to running a Marathon in all 50 States! It's a small event, but it is a gem! Super easy packet pick up. The pasta dinner was awesome, and the guest speaker was good. The Expo was small as you would expect for an event of this size! The course was majestic! The scenery was out of a postcard! The course is downhill for the first 13 miles! It beats up your legs. The rest is flat with three big hills on miles 17, 19, and 20-21! The last one is especially steep! At 4700 ft, you feel it, if you are not used to the altitude. It did have an adverse effect on me, and had to slow down after mile 16 to get my heart rate under control! The last two miles are downhill to a finish of friendly, cheering fans! 5 stars to the post race food and drinks! You can PR and BQ here, but you must train for the altitude!

The Pocatello Marathon is a race that I have looked forward to running for quite some time. I have heard a ton of good things about the race and the town of Pocatello and all of the good things turned out to be true. Unfortunately, the few bad things I had heard also turned out to be true. This is a really small race, less than 200 in the full marathon. The race director and volunteers do an awesome job of putting the swag bags together, and the bag itself is really nice with a long sleeve shirt that was a good fit for me. Getting through packet pickup is a breeze and the pasta dinner was pretty good as well. They had a really interesting speaker at the pasta dinner as well which made it a fun evening the night before the race. The race itself started with a short, early morning bus ride from the host hotel to a small red barn located at about 6200' of elevation. There were plenty of potties at the start line as well as a very interested donkey, horse, and goat who came out to see us off. The first half of the course was fantastic and watching the sun rise at around mile 4 was amazing. There were several really severe downhills in the first half that would take a heavy toll on the quads later in the race. The first half had plenty of mountain scenery to see as we sped downhill, and there were enough twists and turns to keep things plenty interesting. At about mile 14, we turned out of the mountain scenery and onto a highway with one lane coned off for us to run on. The course continued on that highway for the next 10 miles without a single turn. We were completely exposed to the sun with 3 active lanes of fairly continuous traffic from mile 14 until mile 24. The scenery also changed from the beautiful mountain trees to blacktop highway, cars, and industrial areas. The combination of sun, vehicle exhaust, and boredom combined to make the 2nd half a long slog. This was a bad day for me, and I struggled severely through the 2nd half. However, the race itself is extremely well run and the people who run it do an excellent job. I really enjoyed my time in Pocatello and greatly appreciated the effort that is put into this event. I wish the 2nd half had been as interesting as the first, but I should have put more effort into preparing for this course and it would have made my experience much different.

I loved this marathon. The downhill wasn't too steep, and it made the first 14 miles fly by. I thought the final miles were lovely, too, with the mountains in the background. I highly recommend this race! Great swag, pasta dinner, and post-race food. Thanks for a truly great event!

Love the people, the volunteers, the finish line celebrations and the Swag bag! and truly appreciate the pacers and in my case for how well and how serious Rachel took her responsibility for the 3:55 group - she wanted to make it look easy and she was masterful at doing so and so appreciative of her taking time with me after the race as I faded at 16 and yet she was complimentary and encouraging.... You will love the first 15 but be prepared for a long grind of the final 11 - just saying...

A small marathon with big time organization. I ran this marathon hoping to run a good time. The course is conductive to that, but it is not all downhill. Be careful not to try to bank too much time on the down hill. From picking up my packet to the bus ride to the start to the bus ride back to the hotel every thing went smoothly. Nice that you use your backpack at a drop bag. I recommend this marathon to anyone who enjoys running. It wasn't a negative to me, but their aren't a lot of spectators until the finish.

This race was awesome all the way around. Great course, awesome race support from all the volunteers and great party afterward. Now if they could have asked Mother Nature not to supply such a strong headwind that would have been good.

Last year I ran the St. George marathon and ran for a while with a fellow who highly praised and recommended the Pocatello marathon. The many positive comments on Marathonguide's website swayed me even more to give it a try. I loved it - well at least the first half of the course. The 6:15 am start was ideal and I appreciated getting off the bus ride to the light of the moon. The pacers I met were enthusiastic and very good. The first half felt effortless and was fast and beautiful. The second half was less inspiring and I had to dig deep to get through the strong headwind and lackluster industrial sights. The finish area and the volunteers were awesome. I have never run a marathon more than once but I am considering running Pocatello twice. In some ways it sort of felt like St. George's little brother. Recommend a post-run soak for sore muscles at the Lava Hot Springs 35 minutes from Pocatello. I would consider driving 12 hours from Canada again to run Pocatello's little gem of a marathon.

Great, small marathon. From packet pick-up to post-race food, everything was top-notch. Don't confuse downhill with 'easy' though.

I am a 50-stater, and this was #28. Can't imagine a better choice for my Idaho marathon! Pros: 1) super convenient packet pickup (along with a very cool, pre-tagged backpack to be used as gear check bag on race day) 2) nice pasta dinner 3) great race shirt (long-sleeved and Day-Glo yellow for safety) 4) really nice medal 5) aid stations  zero complaints, plentiful and well-stocked 6) the course - holy smokes - blazing fast downhill for the first half and tolerable flat second half, gorgeous mountain views throughout; elevation never a problem even though I am a flatlander 7) post-race food  the best I've ever had! Steak, rice, gourmet popcorn in addition to all the standard fare, and plenty of it 8) early race start time (could be a con to some, I guess, but for those of us who like to get some of it done before the sun comes up, or have to make a same-day flight afterwards, totally a pro) Cons: none really. I guess if you need large crowds you wouldn't be happy here as spectators are very sparse, but this race has enough natural beauty for almost anyone. I got my second B.Q. out of 35 marathons here yesterday, and it was a surprise! This was the fastest I've run since 2010. Even the many miles of headwind on the second half didn't slow me down. Thank you, Pocatello Marathon, for a great race experience!

This was my 32nd state and Pocatello didn't disappoint. The whole event was well run with many runner friendly perks. Loved the beautiful views as the sun rose and the course wandered down through curving hillsides that offered different scenery with every bend. Kudos to the RD who made the trip out to Idaho worthwhile. I definitely recommend this race.

Nice small point to point race in scenic Idaho. Great organization, efficient bus rides to the start. Expo was minimal but the gear bag with the name tag attached for the UPS truck was a nice touch. Great volunteers and the spectators, while few, were awesome. Nice finishers medal. Well done finish line and finish 'party' with complimentary beer. :)

Great small marathon. You can tell right away a marathoner organized it, every detail from the airport to awards ceremony was great I had a good time and met a few new friends!!

This was my tenth marathon and I have found that these smaller events always seem to get more things right than wrong. I was very pleased with our overall experience in Pocatello and with the marathon. The organization and volunteers were great as well as the after race food and awards.

This is the third year in a row that I have run this marathon. It was excellent the first time I ran it and has only improved from there. I gave spectators only 3 stars because of quantity, not quality. If I could have given the organization 5+ stars I would have done so. Pros: Very reasonable entry fee. I got in for $40 during the first few hours that registration was open. Excellent course. First half is downhill and is very scenic. Second half is relatively flat with one short hill around mile 21. If you are a smart runner you can run a great time. During the first half, bank the energy, don't bank the time. Best aid stations I have ever seen. Each aid station was well stocked and had lots of volunteers who were friendly and helpful. Of 15 aid stations, 12 offered either gel, fruit, hard candy or some combination of these. And aid stations were every mile starting at mile 18. You don't see that very often. Outstanding post race spread. I finished short of 5 1/2 hours and had the following to choose from: pulled pork sandwiches, baked potatoes with toppings, bagels, breads, chocolate milk, water and more. Very nice finishers medal, one of my favorites. The area has plenty to offer before and after the race. Go to visitpocatello.com. Also the Eastern Idaho State Fair, located in Blackfoot which is 1/2 hour north, is in full swing during race weekend. Cons: The prerace announcements at the start were given over a bullhorn - those of us lined up in the back could not hear those. I've e-mailed the race director about this and given my previous experience dealing with this race director, it will likely be fixed next year.

First of all - every race is only as good as the Race Director. This one has the best ever!!! It is my fourth time to Poky. I grew up in Preston and Poky was never my choice of places to visit - it is now!!! I go there every Labor Day Weekend for this glorious marathon. I live in Salt Lake and have done over 120 marathons. I am taking over a dozen friends with me this year to enjoy this fabulous marathon - amazing, beautiful race course, best swag bag ever, beautiful race medal and ribbon, shirt - lunch is delicious - the whole experience is well worth the 40.00 we paid last year!!! It is a tradition and I love Pocatello for these reasons. It is now a favorite place of mine to visit. Thank you, Poky!!!

I really wanted to like Pocatello more than I did. Part of that was my fault for going out way too fast only to fade early. What I liked: 1. The first half of the course was so beautiful, starting up in the hills on a cool morning, just before sunrise. 2. Very well-organized bus ride from the race hotel- not too cool to wait outside. 3. Nice rural scenery, with changing views as the road wound down the mountain, from the start to about mile 12. 4. Decent post-race feast, though I was really too nauseous to enjoy a pulled pork sandwich. What I didn't like: 1. The altitude kicked my butt. Make no mistake: this race starts at 6000' above sea level, then drops quickly. I burned down those hills (instead of pacing properly- I know better, but couldn't resist the crowd. I paid for this folly.) 2. I hit mile 13.1 EXACTLY at the same place and time the half marathon started. So while the full marathon crowd had thinned, I found myself suddenly struggling through a throng of walkers. Not fun if your 13.1 time is between 1:45-1:50. 3. Mile 14 to the end are basically long, rolling hills on painfully straight rural roads parallel to I-15. I just hate running bleak straightaways into the horizon. The temperature really started to climb here too, and with no shade in the high desert, I slowed down a lot. All in all, not a great finish time for me, BUT I did enjoy the company of quite a few runners. Organization was well done and efficient, and the race hotel was great (and inexpensive). I wouldn't run this one again, but I traveled from DC to check off Idaho. And that said, I made a great vacation of it over a week with side trips to Yellowstone and Moab. I know others enjoyed the race more than I did, and I think if I'd paced myself better in the beginning (RESPECT THE DOWNHILL!) I wouldn't have slogged through the second half so much. If you do this one, practice your pacing on long downhill runs.

I hardly know where to start with the positives. Very modest entry fee. I got in early for about half what I normally pay for a marathon. Packet pickup is the best I have ever seen in 18 marathons. The packet pickup is in one part of the host hotel and the expo is in another part of the same hotel. And it is easy in-easy out. The bus ride was on a comfortable motor coach. The start line seemed well organized. And they had someone sing the national anthem which I loved. As an aside last year they did not have the national anthem. I e-mailed the race director and told him that with several hundred runners, someone out there would be happy to belt out The Star Spangled Bannerthis tells me that they take feedback seriously which is the sign of a truly great organization. The course is beautiful. Almost all downhill during the first half, mostly flat in the second half. There is only one hill in the second half of any consequence at about mile 21 as you approach Century High School. The aid stations were the best I have ever seen. They were all well-stocked and had plenty of volunteers at each station. I have run marathons with 5 times as many runners as Pocatello that did not have as many volunteers per aid station. Also the finish line was excellent. Lots of good food. A local restaurant had sandwiches and potatoes. I'm not much for solid food post-race but found lots of chocolate milk available to start my recovery. The medal is probably my favorite. There were some negatives, but they were really small. The PA system at the start was hard to hear. And a couple of aid stations had water that seemed colder than what I like when running. I e-mailed the race director about the negatives and based on past experience they are likely to be corrected next year. I gave 2 stars for fans, only because of quantity, not quality. Overall, this is my favorite marathon. I plan on being back next year.

As good as it gets! Beautiful course, amazing organization, cheerful volunteers. Highly recommended.

Course was absolutely beautiful; the last half was not as great. Organization Top notch great! I love the duffle bag (not cheap) and 5 pound of potatoes. Spectators Not too much at first, more as one finished. I absolutely love this marathon I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to PR or BQ if raced well. I did not because I did not train to do so I was coming off my first streak of multiple marathoning: 3 marathons in 85 days and now a member of the marathon maniacs. For report go to runrunrace.com

A bus brings you 26.2 miles up a mountain. 5am & you run down. The air was clear, dry, & scented with sage brush. You run by teepees, sheep, ranches, the union pacific railroad, & rock formations. Lots of water stations, beautiful course, serious runners. You end up the zoo w lots of goodies. Also great swag! Well done!

The organization for this event was stellar. There were lots of porta potties at the start, plenty of drinks and food on the course, miles were well marked, and the start and finish festivals were well done. The course meanders downhill for the first half and then is flat to rolling for the second half. There wasn't much of a crowd along the way, although we passed the runners preparing to start the half, 10K, and 5K, and they all cheered us on. The baby goats in the barn at the start were a treat. The views were pleasant and the race organizers were friendly and accomodating. I recommend it.

Everything with this race went off without a hitch. It was a small race; nothing like the RnR events which I think is a good thing. It is clear that this race is about the runners. The expo was small but had the necessities. The pasta dinner and expo were located at the host hotel. It was nice to have everything right there. The duffel bags and potatoes make some unique swag! On race morning you board a bus that takes you out to a barn seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Plenty of porto-potties available and the family that owned the barn was there talking to the runners. You start as the sun comes up and run mostly downhill past scenic mountains and farm-land. I loved that everyone I met on the course was an experienced marathoner taking the event seriously. I am a fifty stater and it was a great place to have a reunion marathon. Keep up the great event Pocatello!

This is a great small race. Expo is small but you can get the basics if you forget something. Loved the neon green duffle bag and 5 lb bag of potatoes you get. I use the duffle as my workout bag. Even the 5K runners got the duffle bag. Marathon race start didn't have much fanfareand started a few minutes late. First several miles downhill is quick. Race course is very scenic, especially the first half. Nice post race party and food at the end. Plenty of grassy area to stretch and relax. Again well done for such a small race. Enjoyed and highly recommend.

Great race in every aspect. Fabulous scenery, well organized, excellent support at water stops, freindly people, good food at the end. Close to Yellowstone, so it's a great destination race.

I first wanted to give my congratulations and continued support for the Pocatello marathon. It was amazing! I did it last year by the gentle persuasion of two friends and then signed up one more time to give it a another try. Loved it, loved it, loved it! We ran this morning with a group of other runners and I'm sure we have convinced them all to sign up and travel to your beautiful neck of the woods. Thank you for truly one of the best races I've done all year. Everything was perfect, from volunteers (seriously wonderful volunteers), to aid stations, the UPS guys, the overall organization and friendliness. The bags this year were a huge hit(love them), and the famous potatoes-absolutely made our Sunday Dinner this week fabulous. Great atmosphere all around! Thanks for an amazing race!

The course was great and I loved the pitch black sky at the start with all of the stars. Loved the start near the barn too. Due to a bus problem (which was dealt with very professionally) some runners arrived late and were rushed through the pasture to get the race started as quickly as possible. This may have seemed odd to them, but I was lucky to get on one of the first buses and walked the road. The first half was fast and scenic, the second was open to spectators and not shaded but good. I would definitely recommend this race.

Great marathon! The expo was small, but way more than I expected for a race this size. Excellent value for the money - $45 and we got a gender-specific long sleeve tech shirt, nice duffle bag, and a bag of potatoes! The race was decent, even though there were hardly any spectators. The ones that were there, plus all the fantastic volunteers at the plentiful water stops, were great though. My only complaint was at the end of the race - there were two final turns to get to the finish line, but they were not well marked and there were no volunteers to direct us (disappointing for a 'back of the pack' runner). Also, the pulled pork sandwiches had run out by the time we got to the finish, but there were still baked potatoes (yum!), ice cream bars, free beer, and massage therapists remaining. Great race!

The organization of the race and post-race party was exceptional. Limited number of spectators but not an issue for me because of the beauty of the course. I was a little dissapointed with the pace group leader for the pace group I had planned to run with - the pacer told us her strategy and then proceeded to take off a full 45sec to 1min faster than the target pace. Ran into her at mile 7 at an in-and-out loop and she was not far behind other pace groups (faster). However, I paced myself and was able to finish in the time I wanted.

This was my 30th so I have a little perspective, and overall PM was a fine marathon. OK, not perfect, but I have yet to run one that is. Some of the comments were incredibly picky, so assuming someone is reading this wondering whether to run it next year, here goes: PROS 1. Web site - great map/elevation/photos of course (to give you perspective on the beauty and the downhill first half)/etc. 2. Ease of registration. Piece of cake. Low low reg. fee. RD noticed my wife changed from 1/2 to 10K and emailed us to refund the other race fee, wow. And I couldn't figure out how to sign up for the pasta dinner, emailed the RD, and he immediately wrote back and said I could just mail him a check (that would get there after the race) and he'd put me on the list. It's that kind of race.) 3. Host hotel = expo + meeting of 50 staters + pasta dinner + bus departure only 1 hour before race? And only $81 total, and no fee for hotel computer and late checkout and quiet? Wow. 4. Easy bus trip to start - take that Boston and NYC. 5. Waiting under the stars - enough light to see unless your eyes were closed - and ok, the busses were 10 minutes late, bfd. No silly National Anthem, prayer to Jesus, cross dressing Celine Dions, speeches. 6. Excellent pacers 7. Great volunteers and plenty of aid stations - every 2 miles so you could plan ahead, unlike so many when they appear out of nowhere and you have to rip open a GU. Oh, lots of GU handed out on course, which few races do. And fruit at least 4 times. WTG! 8. Scenic first half coming down the mountain. 2nd half was a little boring, but it was mostly flat, with good roads, no traffic issues, miles were well marked, and about as good as you can get for 26.2 miles. 9. Finish area was wonderful. Lots of space, runners had own area, lots of food and beverages, including beer if you wanted it, $15 massages, music, immediate results, couldn't have been better. 10. My wife drove to start and walked the 10K so we had vehicle, with lots of free parking just across the street, and use of the city's aquatic center. Not sure about waiting for the busses, but so what? And the Red Lion easily gave me a late check out and I heard the nice front desk woman saying they were doing that for all runners. Most hotels don't. 11. The shirt being small? Then exchange it at the registration. Really, that's something to bitch about? 12. Size of race was perfect. I think about 420 finishers. Just enough to have a small crowd at the start and find a few folks to pace with. Halfers were not a problem - road plenty wide to go around them. And they started 13 miles in front of us. The other races weren't even noticed, unlike so many marathons when the start is a zoo. 12. Pocatello as a town wasn't an amazing destination, but Idaho was. After the race we drove to the Craters of the Moon area, which is unique, then Sun Valley, then to a guest ranch, then Boise, stopping at Redfish Lake to chill my legs and drive through some gorgeous mountains, and not many races offer you this kind of vacation over the Labor Day (or any other) weekend. Overall rating: 9 out of 10. A new favorite. So glad I chose this for my Idaho race. So bravo, Mike and your crew, well done!

This marathon fits me to a tee. The packet pickup was easy-in easy-out. Some marathons require you to go to about five different places to get all your things and in the process route you by every vendor. This was basically one stop pickup. There was a small expo for those interested. The volunteers were excellent in terms of number and helpfulness. Aid stations were well stocked with both supplies and people. How many times do you see a dozen or more people at an aid station in a marathon this size. The course was beautiful with the first half lots of downhill and the second half a few small hills. I paid $45 to get in as an early bird. How many marathon's can you run for $45? Pace groups were there all the way out to 5 hours. I only gave spectators 3 stars because of the low numbers. Some were at Century High School but other than that they were all at the finish line. Overall excellent experience. I plan on being back.

This is an excellent race and only continues to improve. The race director takes feedback very seriously and every year it gets better and better. I've never been to a race with better SWAG. The duffle bag is not a cheapo. It's very nice, and I will use it often. The course is challenging but doable and very beautiful. My only con about the race was that there were several problems with the results, which made for a very long awards ceremony.

I've done the half marathon 2 years now in Pocatello and decided to step it up to the full. Challenging but great first marathon experience. Only snafu was with bussing in the morning since this years race had almost doubled in size. That issue was dealt with professionally and without much delay. Food and swag were great and everyone was super encouraging and friendly, great event.

The goody back, shirt, and fiunisher's medal were very nice, and I got a kick out of getting a bag of potatoes! However, I expected much more of the race. Maybe after 80 marathons, I am getting 'picky', but there is no excuse for a race this size to start late. Sorry. The farm (and animals!) at the pre-dawn start were interesting. The first few miles wound downhill through forests, which was pretty. However, from about mile 9 on the scenery was all the same and very boring. There was no shade the entire second half, as the temperatures were rising. Fortunately (?) there was a strong headwind, so that helped cool, but many were suffering. The finish is 5+ miles from the host hotel, and the buses to take you back didn't start until 11am (the website and other papers showed mixed times, like 11:15 and 11:45 for the first bus, so that was also confusing). You basically had to wait around for the buses to take you back so you could clean up and check out (and the host hotel, Red Lion, was very reluctant to grant late checkout). They offered showers at the pool 'across the street', but you had to be in there by 10:45 and out by 11:00am (so even us middle-of-the-pack runners didn't have time to finish, get our drop bags, and use that shower facility, especially with the late start!). So, bottom line, I would not recommend this race, although times tended to be fast since it is mainly downhill.