City of Trees Marathon - Race Reviews

I have wanted to run this race for several years now and it finally fit my schedule for 2017. I was excited for the event and wanted to love it, but was very disappointed with the organization. I don't take writing a bad review lightly, but feel like the runners should be warned. On course markings were severely lacking. There were 3 places I actually had to stop and try to figure out the course due to a lack of arrows or conflicting arrows. Two places following the arrows led me the wrong way since arrow placement was bad. Aid stations were sporadic. Some were as far as 4 miles apart (13-17) and several were spaced 3 miles apart, and others 1 mile between. There was access elsewhere, so that wasn't the reason. Many stations has several volunteers all just standing there, but runners still had to grab water from the table instead of being handed the cup. Reading past reviews it looks like poor course marking and lack of aid stations has been a consistent comment, yet they choose to ignore it and not make the race better. It felt like they were doing the bare minimum to put on the race. They were more excited about post race beer than the actual run experience. On the plus side, logistics were easy and Boise is a nice, clean, friendly town.

After reading the previous comments and knowing nothing about Boise, I went into this race with slightly negative expectations. Boise isnt really known for any historical significance, at least not to us southerners. I expected this to be a weekend where I wouldnt be glad to check off the state and get home. I was already a little frustrated because Packet Pickup ended at 3 or 4 pm (the website & emails were different.) My flight landed at 2:30. But the minute I landed at the airport, my attitude changed. -Host hotel (Spring Hill Suites) has free 24hr shuttle so I didn't need to rent a car (YEAH!) The hotel employees were super nice and accommodating. Our room was much larger than I expected for the price. The hotel was a block from the start/finish and walking distance to several restaurants. Plus if you wanted to go farther, the hotel shuttle would take you! (We went to Trader Joes) -I was a pacer for this race so I got one of the local pacers to get my bib & shirt. We did make it to PP (it ended at 4). Quick and easy-no frills. The local running store was there with last minute supplies if needed. -Race morning was easy. A 5 minute walk to the start area. Very low key. Volunteers were super friendly! -The course was 2 out/backs (one NE, one SW). The greenbelt is a great place to run! If I were a local, this likely would be where I would regularly run/bike, so racing there year after year would get old. But for those of us coming to check off the state, it was great! I wouldve enjoyed some downtown scenery, but I wasnt disappointed. The path followed the river and passed several nice city parks (I was amazed at all the green space and bike lanes!!), behind the zoo (we saw the giraffes!) and through Boise State University. While the mile markers seemed a bit off, they were clear and easy to spot from a distance. The course was well-marked. I got a little confused at one turn through a small traffic circle-a few more arrows/people there would have been good). I ran with a local Maniac for about 14 miles who played tour guide for me. I also ran with several other locals who were super nice and were more than willing to answer my tourist questions. I never heard a negative comment about Boise! I was totally sold! After finishing, the park was easy to navigatea food tent and lots of space to sit and relax. The running store was holding a raffle. I ran up last minute and got a ticket and ended up winning a pair of trail shoes! Having little to no knowledge about the city and expecting nothing but farm and industry (you know  Idaho potatoes), I was pleasantly surprised with the city and the race. A definite option for 50 staters to consider!

A fun local race in a beautiful town. Still, could use some minor changes. First of all, the race website advertised an expo with vendors. There was nothing except packet pickup. I was really hoping to be able to pick up some gels but was able to visit a local running shop. Not a big deal, but would have been nice to know in advance. Second, there were no gels on the course as advertised. At the stop where they were supposed to be provided, it looked like two volunteers had found love. They poured out some drinks, set them on a table, and were both sitting on the ground and flirting, oblivious to the race. Good for them, but would have been good if volunteers were actually volunteering. Finally, and the major complaint, the course was not always marked well. I made two wrong turns and ran approximately 3 extra miles. I do take partial responsibility for this myself. Still, I don't want to be too critical. It was a beautiful course in a beautiful city. I would definitely choose this race again. With a few minor adjustments, it could go from a good race to a great race!

Positives: Wonderful course, basically flat, friendly folks, well-organized, small field of runners for such an awesome event, chocolate milk at finish (excellent chili too!), liked the start time - right at dawn (8:00am MST) for the marathon & one hour later (9:00am) for the half, loved running on the Greenbelt and along the ridge on Federal Way! This race covers all the bases and, as mentioned earlier, is extremely well-organized. Kudos to the race director!!! Negatives: only negative is in the swag category. I was really looking forward to the quarter-zip fleece pullover that was advertised, but was so disappointed to get just another long sleeve tech shirt instead (apparently due to defects with some of the fleece zippers). I would have repaired the zipper myself rather than another tech shirt. The race medal was a bit weak. Charge $3-$4 more on the entry and get a nice, eye-catching medal. Check out and compare to the medals they give out at the Tupelo, MS marathon or Huntington Beach, CA marathon and you will see what I mean.... All said, I would recommend this marathon and give it an 8 out of 10. Improve the swag and it will be a Bo Derek 10!!

A low-cost, few frills race that delivered a pretty and varied course, a nice sweatshirt and solid medal. An excellent post race atmosphere as well with chili and beer, and music. Throw in a perfect weather day, beautiful scenery and very friendly fellow runners and it is a great small marathon. My only compliant is that there could be one or two more aid stations, but you get a full cup of water or Gatorade at each station. Bring your own food if you like to eat on course. Overall, a great way to get Idaho.

This was a nice, well organized somewhat local race in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Weather conditions happened to be ideal, making for a spectacular day. Only negative was that a substantial portion of the race was on two lane roads with back to oncoming traffic. Personally feel slightly uncomfortable in that kind of situation. Nevertheless kudos to the organizers - this marathon was loads of fun!

I live in Boise and have done the COT half many times, but this was my first attempt at the full. I really enjoyed it! The finish/start has ample parking for locals, and the race hotel is just across the street. The 8 am start time was later than many races - another bonus. The course takes folks all over southeast, North and central Boise. There are a few miles south of State Street to Americana which where a bit of a drag (traffic, lack of scenery) but this is bound to happen over the course of nearly any 26.2 mile race. Course was well-marked. RD does a terrific job.

I was excited to run a race where I could walk to the start line (I live in SE Boise). The course was nice, Federal Way has a great veiw of the foothills. I was not impressed with the support, however. There were few water stops and no food at all. I have run other races and they at least provide orange slices or bananas at the 5 and 10 mile markers. I didn't bring gels, so bonked about an hour and a half in. My fault I guess, but they did advertise providing gels. Overall, though, a fun race and one I will do again (with gels in my pocket). There was hardly any support from the city as far as spectators, which I thought was sad. Where were you fellow Boiseans?

Unseasonably warm but obviously that isn't the race's fault. The host hotel was convenient to the start/finish, relatively inexpensive (yet nice) and close enough to the airport to allow for a 'no rental car' trip. There were a few restaurants near the hotel but they also offered a downtown shuttle. Not much of an 'expo'; it was little more than a packet pickup with shirts from prior years for sale, but for the size of the race you couldn't expect more. The course was scenic and wasn't as hilly as the (terrible) map seemed to indicate; no split times but there was a mat at the start. There were a fair number of water stations but no entertainment and little crowd support. I thought the course was well marked with chalk and cones but apparently some people still went off course. Even on-course, the race was long; I clocked 26.6 and could not have been that bad on the taper. The 'shirt' was a pullover rain jacket; the medal was nice. The post race included chili, and beer. There are apparently a lot of choices for Idaho but this was a good one.

First 30 mile Marathon. Course needed a human at one turn that fouled up 8 of us. BQ was in sight until the extra 24ish minutes.

Thanks to the organizers and the wonderful volunteers. They were a great help for some of us slower runners. It was a beautiful lap around Boise with great weather. My suggestions should be easy to fix: 1.- The map was marginal and could be made better by a savvy person with google maps. Also the hand written instruction could be replaced with printed instructions as they were hard to read. 2.-There needs to be some improvements in marking. Colored chalk would help and also having a volunteer at critical corners would help. I was one of the people that went on a 1 mile diverson at Ann Morrison park. Apparently (reports from park employees)some people moved the corner marker as a prank and that is why a number of us had an extension to our run. This was a tough blow at mile 21.5 for a tired Marathoner. 3. Additionally the entrance to Ann Morrison Park is a high traffic area and would benefit from a road guard. My final comment is that to caution anyone running 11:00 miles and slower that you may be running alone for a large portion of this marathon. It would pay to have pacers or a buddy in this course to help you out. Over all this was a great return to marathon running after 16 years and I appreciated the volunteer, cheer leaders, and positive community support.

This was my first ever marathon and I'm glad I ran it in beautiful Boise, Idaho. Not only did I visit my 2 sisters there, my son and daughter drove up from Reno, Nevada to visit and provide support to their old man. Wonderful weather, good organization, and a supportive populous made my first marathon a success. I can't believe some of the runners had 'problems' following the course; I'm 63 years old, from Texas, and I had no problems at all. When you're a runner, you need to know the course. There were plenty of course maps available at the packet pick up. Next time, pick one up, study it, know where you're going! Thanks Jeff, keep up the good work ! Mike McDonald, Lubbock, Texas

I have run 7 marathons before and so far this has been the smallest. I would say it is definitly worth your time to run it. Pros: Pretty, air smelled like pine trees, volunteers were super nice, path took us through nice areas I didn't know existed in Boise. Plenty of toilets, water and volunteers. Cons: Small race (200 marathoners this year)so if you're slow, you'll be on your own for a majority of the race (I ducked into a potty then came out and all the racers were gone, I was by myself for a mile before I saw the racers again!)..bring your confidence! Suggestions: 1. A couple of cones through long stretches just to show that runners are still on course would help with the mental aspect of it. 2. More advertisement throughout town so locals know a race is going on..one driver yelled at a volunteer for stopping traffic, poor girl..maybe Boise isn't into running as much as other places? 3. Make BIG mile marker signs...I mean BIG...like go to Kinko's and have some poster board sized mile markers made. It helps psychologically :) 4. See if race directors can get someone to donate walkie talkies for volunteers near the 19-25 mile markers. I'm a slow runner and when I got to a crucial confusing turning point near the very end the volunteer asked if there was anyone behind me..then said she was supposed to go home an hour ago, but didn't want to leave anyone stranded..What a great lady to stay for us slow pokes!! All in all, this was a great little race and I would recommend it for everyone, although the faster runners might like it more :)

I participated in the 2011 City of Trees marathon, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We stayed at the host hotel just a block & a half from the start, and the finish. That's ultra convenient. The course was entertaining w/scenic views of Boise and its neighborhoods. If you're interested in a marathon with less than 500 participants I strongly recommend the City of Tree event. The course volunteers were excellent. Way to go team.

For my first marathon I had a great time. The course was good and people were out to cheer. Only negative was not enough food stops with waters stops. Overall had a great time.

At about mile 21, there were no arrows to point the right directions, meaning that my small group of runners turned the wrong way and ended up doing almost a whole mile extra. During the second part of the race there were very few volunteers, and I ended up having to wait for traffic lights at a couple of places. Perhaps there were police officers there earlier to stop traffic for runners, but there were none when I ran by.

Disappointed. Having run 250-plus marathons, this has to be one of the worst-marked/monitored road courses I have ever run. Because of the limited number of marathon runners, you had to concentrate on looking for course markings to guide you through parking lots, paved trails, etc. Unfortunately I veered off course, costing me about two minutes. This could have easily been avoided with a 50-cent orange cone or a volunteer. Upon finishing the race, I spoke with at least 6 other runners who had gone off the course at different points between miles 18 - 24. There were also a number of places on the course that could have easily been "shortcut" by runners and more timing checkpoints/mats should have been strategically placed and/or better monitoring. I had run this race in 2005, which was a much better/different course. Boise is a great, small town that deserves a marathon to match!

It needs much more community support. This is the 4th time I have run this race. The route has been changed from a few years back. Federal Way has a great view of the city and then down Capital Blvd. to the bike path and then through the North End and then up on the bench. I thought it was a "fast" course, but it needs more spectators. Just a thought: rather than the run around Ann Morrison Park, what about a lap around the track at Bronco Stadium by the Blue Turf?

This is a small race, with fewer than 300 marathoners, and 500 in the half. But it is very well organized and reminds me of a lot well organized, smaller, local 10Ks/half marathons that I've run. Definitely not a major event. But a marathon is a marathon and it's about running. The course is great. The first lap for the marathon takes an outside loop of the city and the sunrise was a pleasant distraction. (No sun in the eyes for the marathon, which starts 1 hour before the half). It was a bit hot this year, but the second loop follows city streets through neighborhoods and offers plenty of shade in the "City of Trees.' A nice feature of this race has to be the hotel location. The race host Double Tree and the Springhill Suites, where I stayed, are a block from the start and finish. This is a huge advantage. Warming up and stretching out in my hotel until 10 minutes before the start was great. Possible Improvements: eliminate the short out-and-back during mile 23, get volunteers at the major turns, and try to rally a bit more community crowd support. People around town were coincidentally out and about but seemed surprised that marathoners were running by.

When I got to the second loop of the full marathon course, some volunteers had already started packing up the water stations, which would have been a problem if I hadn't carried my own electrolyte drink. After mile 15, there were no more volunteers showing the way and stopping traffic, so I ended up having to follow the not-always-easy-to-find arrows on the ground and having to stop a stoplights in a couple of places. That worked okay until mile 21.5, where there was absolutely no markings when coming down the hill. Because I didn't know which way to go, I ended up going the wrong way before I decided that I MUST be going the wrong way and went back towards the greenway, where I found the course again. I can only imagine what would have happened to the course navigation if rain had erased the flour arrows... The volunteers were really friendly, but there were not a lot of spectators. The course was nice and not too hard, but running an extra 0.8 miles because of the wrong turn was a downer. I recommend this race to people who are fast enough to get volunteer help all the way. :-) The race organizer puts on a very nice race, but having to fight traffic and wait for the traffic lights to turn felt "un-race-like."

This has to be one of the worst marked/monitored road courses I have ever run. Because of the limited number of marathon runners, you had to concentrate on looking for course markings to guide you through parking lots, paved trails, etc. Unfortunately I veered off-course, costing me about two minutes. this could have easily been avoided with a 50-cent orange cone or a volunteer. Upon finishing the race, I spoke with at least 6 other runners who had gone off-course at different points between miles 18 - 24. There were also a number of places on the course that could have easily been "shortcut" by runners and more timing checkpoints/mats should have been strategically placed (or there should've been better monitoring). I had run this race previously in 2005, which was a much better/different course. Boise is a great small town and deserves a marathon to match!

It's a small marathon, but I think it has lots of potential. The course is beautiful and the people and volunteers are very friendly. The weather helped this year as well. If this marathon wants to grow and improve, it will need to be a bit more professional overall. Canceling the bus course tour on Saturday was a big bummer! I feel like there should have been more aid stations with energy gels (there were only 2, right? At 6 and 20?). Some spots on the course needed more volunteers to point runners in the right direction. I had no issues because I know Boise, but I noticed runners getting confused here and there. For example, some full-marathonners were turning left towards Warm Springs on the greenbelt (onto Marden St.) with less than a mile to go!! There were no volunteers there. The post-race refreshments were just so-so. But like I said, great atmosphere. I'm glad I ran my first marathon in the City of Trees!

Won't do this half again unless they change the course. Federal Way is just plain ugly. Preferred the old route through north end. First 3 miles we were running straight into the rising sun. Volunteers were nice.

This is a small race, but a good course. Last year it rained hard the whole day... but that sure wasn't the organizers' fault. After mile 10 or so the half and full separate. Five mile are out and back for the full, but I enjoyed it. For a small race, it is fun.

A great race! Hard to control Mother Nature. Good organization with attention to detail. Appreciate Jeff and the team. Like having this race on Sunday; they should continue that - it gives ample time to get family here to have some vacation time prior to the race.

This was my first trip to Idaho. I have run six marathons and four half-marathons - and this was my fifth. This city is awesome, but the half-marathon course left SO much of it out: Historical neighborhoods, campus, downtown, etc. I can't speak for the full marathon course. Other than that, I thought it was a good race. It was nice to have some hot soup at the finish line. :) I can't find my name in the results, but I'm pretty sure I was there.

I had a good marathon, and the race director did a great job of planning for the marathon. I had a problem with the media coverage of the marathon. There was none. The town of Boise owes the race director and volunteers a big "thank you."

Boise usually doesn't get a lot of rain, but at the start of this race, it was around 37 degrees and raining steadily. Luckily, it changed to a race-long drizzle and continued all day. I think this is why the number of spectators was smaller than normal. Cold and rainy is not ideal for folks who only get to stand and watch. Jeff always organizes these races very well. I'm sure that the number of participants would double if this race were held on a Saturday morning, as many of the LDS runners in Boise won't run on Sunday. However, the number of runners was ideal. The race was neither small nor big. My only complaint on the course would be the downhill from Federal Way towards the green belt. It's downhill on concrete. There are some concrete stretches in other areas. It would be nice to find a way to eliminate these stretches. It's a little jarring on the joints. All in all, Boise is awesome, and very peaceful and nice on a Sunday morning. Thanks, Jeff and volunteers. Your team is better than what I've seen in most races. I'll fly in from Minneapolis every year to enjoy the City of Trees Marathon. - Kevin

This was only my second full marathon, and my previous marathon and halfs have been at some huge ones, so this was actually kind of a nice change. There were virtually no spectators along the course except for the few groups that were driving around to support their respective runners. My husband and kids were able to meet me at several points in the race, which was awesome! All of the volunteers were great! The course was also very nice, although the area somewhere in the late teens was a bit too scary with traffic; but again, the volunteers were amazing. There were plenty of water stations, but the sports drink was Heed and I have never used that so I wasn't going to try it out mid-marathon. I have to agree with the below post about the medal. It would be really nice to have a year at least on there. One thing I would recommend would be more upright signs. Again, in the late teens and early 20's it was mostly chalk arrows on the ground so you can't really see it until your on top of it, and the field was so sparse that there were times when I could barely see anyone in front of me to follow. Overall I thought it was a good race, and I'll do it again next year.

The course was not a bad course and was the best part of the race. It was not a closed course but there were volunteers to stop traffic at most intersections. I was impressed with the number of volunteers to help with directing runners. There were very few spots with spectators. There were aid stations spaced nicely, but half of them only offered water and the other half offered Heed. On the website they said that there would be sports drink, which I assumed to be PowerAde or Gatorade. This was not true. The only other thing offered was at mile 19; they had Hammer Gel, but other than that, there were no other options. The medal was alright; it was silver with no color, but the real issue I had with the medal is that it did not have a date or even a year on the medal or ribbon.

This was my first marathon. The course provided a nice tour of Boise, and was mostly flat. The stretch along Americana is a bit rough, especially with the traffic. The volunteers and spectators were great! There were many stretches where I was completely alone - no fans, runners or volunteers in sight. My next marathon will definitely be a bigger one, with more than 160 runners. My biggest complaint was that there were not any sports drinks until mile 17 - that really threw me off and was a disappointment!

Since this was only my 2nd marathon, I can only compare it to Mesa Falls (my 1st). This course was virtually without hills. I ran it 28 minutes faster than Mesa Falls. While I have only run 2 marathons, I have, however, run 20+ 1/2-marathons and am always appreciative of all the volunteers and their parts they happily play to give us a great running experience. This was true of the volunteers at the City of Trees. I'm used to very few fans, so no surprises there. Those that were there along the course were needed and appreciated! I too went off course at mile "twenty-something" (it got a little mentally muddy) but not by much. I too won my division in spite of the flub. Beautiful trees! Beautiful homes! A little creepy running on the right side of the road... whose idea was that, I wonder, and why? We stayed downtown because of a free room opportunity and when talking with the locals, no one knew there even WAS a marathon that day. More PR would help. Bread and broth with a banana were not really enough, but we went to eat soon after anyway. I had a great time and will probably be back as Boise is close enough to home to be do-able and is on a weekend when I'm not running anywhere else.

This was my third marathon and by far the smallest. I get that lower-budget races are different, but this, frankly, was less fun than the mid-size races (Salt Lake, Carlsbad, CA) I have run recently. I guess the bottom line is that the effort expended is the same, so I'll opt for a bigger race with more company/support in the future. That said, the limited number of Boise "fans" were really nice people. The aid stations were inadequate - mostly just water, only one with GU that I recall. (I did carry my own, fortunately.) There is no entertainment on the route, and with just 157 marathoners, we got spread out real thin. I missed one turn about 23 miles into it and added another 100 yards or so - not that big a deal, but frustrating. The painted arrow pointed straight where I should have turned. I missed the camaraderie of the larger races - I guess I'm a social animal. I was pleased with my result (cut 20 minutes off my last marathon and won my age), but again, I guess it just wasn't quite as much fun. Food at finish was pretty sparse. Awards ceremony took a long time, and seemed disorganized. Proximity to hotels was excellent! Course was pretty and varied, although sharing some narrow streets with traffic felt a little dicey at times. I won't run this one again, but did chalk off Idaho (now just 46 states to go!!). I love marathoning and hope to do more next year, especially since most of my 65+ age competition is dying off and I actually get to win! Thanks, MarathonGuide.com for all the good info. Next stop: Maui in January.

Let me start by saying that this was my first marathon, so take my comments with a grain of salt. The course for the marathon was great and showed the best of Boise. It could have been marked better, but given the race's low budget, I think the safety was adequate. Boise PD and volunteers were out in force and did an excellent job. My main complaint was the lack of replenishment along the course. The website led me to believe that there would be sports drinks and gels, bars, etc. every four miles. The announcement was made 10 minutes before the race that there would only be gels at mile 19. Luckily I packed my own gels. I don't want this to overshadow the overall good experience in the race, but this was unacceptable, in my opinion. I would run this race again, but if I were looking for a premier event, I'd go elsewhere. The event is low-key, with small but spirited crowds along the course.

I think this race has lots of potential. It's quite small and could use a dose of PR. No reason why the local paper shouldn't run a story; none of the locals seem to know about this event. The biggest need for change is the course design. The parts along the busy road are pretty treacherous. I was "buzzed" more than once by an irritated driver who didn't like sharing the road. Plus, I felt unsure that I was on course several times during the parkway portion. Other than that, the course is flat, volunteers were very friendly and the start/finish were quite convenient in relation to the host hotel.

Like everyone else, I enjoyed the flat course, and the volunteers are great. I do have one comment, though. I think you should get rid of the out-and-back to nowhere just prior to going up the hill on Americana. Isn't there a better way to set up the course than to run down one side of the street and then turn around and go right back up the other side? Other than that, I thought it was great.

This race was a great 26.2 mile Sunday run. Pretty much the only spectators were the volunteers at the aid stations, which was refreshing. It was great weather and a nice low key course. The volunteers were great. Aside from the shirt, also got a duffle bag and a local PT place was handing out free track bags and gloves. Everyone around town was nice. I agree that the chip needs to go to a tie on the shoe model, I also am dealing with sores from the band being around my ankle. I PRed so I recommend this course for a flat fast time. Host hotel was very accomodating. More food/drink outside at the finish line would be better, maybe some bananas, gatorade, cookies, bagels. And thanks to the family that rode around the entire course with the doors to their van open cheering for us all!