Windermere Marathon and Events - Race Reviews

I was surprised at how small this race was, considering the beauty and ease of it. Great communication from race directors, easy to walk to start, lots of water stations, and beautiful scenery on the bike bath along the river. This was an out and back this year because of road construction, but besides one area of gravel it was mostly a paved walkway. There were some hills to break it up along the way, but generally flat. Lots of shade and solitude! There weren't many spectators, but when there are only 150 marathoners you wouldn't expect many signs. If you like small races without all the hoopla this one is for you.

Great job keeping everyone safe and apart. Flawless execution on this easy course. Nice medal to boot.

I picked this race in the hopes of running a fast marathon. The course was favorable for a fast race, but the weather certainly wasn't. The high that day was 34 C (93 F), much to hot for this Canadian to run a fast marathon. If they moved it back to May, then I'd be all over this race, but I can't recommend it was a fast race in June. Also they didn't have any ice, or cold water, or sponges or anything like that at the aid stations, just warm water and Ultima.

I decided to run this marathon as a BQ attempt following a 21 week training cycle. Needing a time of 3:10 and 8 weeks prior having run a 1:30:30 half on a pancake flat course I was optimistic. The organization was not terrible. The expo, as many have said, is what you would expect from a smaller marathon. Packet pick up was easy and the tech shirt was pretty nice (one of the very few race shirts I actually wear. The worst part of the whole experience was the late start (about 20 minutes). I think a bus with a few runners took a wrong turn. The course starts out in a community built into the side of a mountain. The first 6 miles or so is rather hilly. Don't even try to maintain your pace through this section. Save energy, slow down and save yourself for the 20 miles of down hill. There is a section of the course where it transitions from the neighborhood to the Centennial Trail, before you cross over the interstate, where you run through an empty gravel field. This .3 miles sucks but it is what it is. Now if you're like me and come from a flatter than flat area your quads are NOT going to be able to tolerate the constant down hill. The grade is not much but its almost all down hill after you hit the trail. I was not prepared for the down hill beating. Factor in the temperatures quickly rose to nearly 70 degrees, 10 miles in I seriously thought about DNFing. Had I not flown 3000 miles to run it I probably would have. I ran the first half in 1:35 and the second half in 2:18. This is the worst marathon time I've had to date. A few more (2-3) water stations would have been nice. The best part was receiving the finishers medal from the uniformed marine and the free finishers photo. Very nice touch. If you can tolerate the downhill this race can be FAST but I was ill prepared to handle it.

Ran the full in 2014. This race has good potential but needs to be much better organized before I'd recommend the race to a non-local. The good: Super volunteers! They were very friendly and try to do whatever they could to help folks before and after the race. The marathon course was very scenic and not too crowded. Finishers food and medals/swag were high quality and the free finishers photo is a nice perk I haven't seen at other races. Mile markers appeared fairly accurate (misplaced markers were a problem in prior years that has been fixed.) The bad - this was a very poorly organized race. Worst offense - course was advertised as fully paved but had a quarter-mile unpaved section where you're running through a field of jagged rocks and loose dirt/gravel (problem only for full marathon, half was 100% paved.) Second problem, the race started 30 minutes late, which meant 30 minute more time spent running in the hottest part of the day. Also organizers didn't tell the runners it would be a late start until a minute before scheduled gun time (after runners had finished eating our '5-15 min before' pre-race fuel.) Third, there aren't enough water stops for a summer race and water vs Ultima were in different places at every stop. Fix the delayed start time or move start to 6/6:30, switch to a fully paved course, and add 1-2 more water stops and I'd consider running this race again. A note for the PR/Boston qualifier crowd: the course isn't as easy as it might appear. Weather can be a challenge: if it's a hot day there's almost no shade for the first 20 miles of the course, and if it's a cool cloudy day you'll likely be running most of the race into a steady west-to-east wind. If you're an out-of-towner and live at sea level, Spokane isn't Denver but 2000' elevation is enough that you'll feel it the last few miles. Most hills are in the first 8 miles so a negative split strategy would be wise.

I will try to be a fair as possible even though my race did not go as hoped or planned. The marathon web site suggested hotels and promoted the shuttle service of said hotels. The morning of the race a handful of us runners were waiting for promised shuttle (hotel front desk called at 10:00pm to confirm shuttle would be there). The race was scheduled to start at 7:00 (which in my opinion pretty late for a June race). Well at 6:42 we realized the shuttle was not coming. No call either. Also The Best Western was not super helpful or sympathetic either. 7 of us crammed into a gracious strangers car and finally made it to the start at 7:12! I guess I should be thankful the race started late?! The RD was waiting for other buses to supposedly arrive. The gun finally went off at 7:23. That is pretty late and it was already heating up- low/mid 60's. The course was ok, although I thought more of it would have been along the river. The start and near the end was just hot, roads. The volunteers were great but the sports drink was warm and disgusting by the second half of the race. The medal is cool and the shirts good quality. However I would not run this race again. I am very well aware that one can not control the weather but seriously...No shuttle and almost 1/2 late start. Too bad.

I am sending to the race director a photo of the energy gel packets I picked up after the race in 1/2 mile of the course just west of the Flora Rd. entrance. Marathoners will inevitably, in the heat of the moment, throw their stuff on the course. It is up to the aid station workers to follow the last runner to pick it up. The failure to follow through with this task makes your race and the trail itself look shabby.

There are things you can control and things you cannot, and it's the ability to control those little things that can make a good marathon a great race. A race director cannot control the weather, and on this Sunday, the temps climbed into the mid-70s making the race's second half a bear. Runners must be able to deal with all the elements. But a race director can control when the race starts. And having a 7 am start delayed by 25 minutes due to a late bus to transport runners from the finish to the start line is inexcusable. That is a rookie organizing mistake and it should not be tolerated by a race looking to make its mark during a crowded marathon calendar. My suggestion: Start the race at 6 or 630 am to help maximize the cool morning and mitigate the possibility of high temperatures. And have separate buses to transport the half and full runners. The race course itself, starting with the first six miles through Liberty Lake, then running onto the Centennial Trail for 19 miles, proved to be a relatively downhill beautiful run along the Spokane River. Except for miles 21-23, which veered onto a street shoulder with zero shade. There were plenty of aid stations, each with water, Ultima, and most with gummy bears. Except for a badly needed one at the mile 24 marker (it was at 24.5). Every late spring/summer marathon should try to have one aid station at every mile marker starting at mile 20 and beyond. The free post-race photo, the chicken broth, and chicken skewers were great about the post-race amenities. The bad? Having to pay $15 for a 15 minute massage and $4 for a post-race beer. Huh? With no cash on me, I did not partake in those two when I really wanted to. Overall, this could be a fabulous race with some much needed tweaks. And some clouds.

This was my seventh marathon and my first time running the Windermere Marathon. The expo: This was about what you would expect for a small marathon, but it was easy to pick up my packet. The shuttles: I was able to park on the street near the Arena for free when I arrived at 5:30am, got the last seat on a school bus and was off right away, arriving to the full start at about 6:00am. The start: My biggest complaint regarding this race is that we started 24 minutes late. Apparently, we had to wait for the shuttles to bring the last of the runners to the half and full starts. I don't know why this happened, but I was quite frustrated that we had to wait so long. It was a warm day and only got hotter by the minute. The course: The course was pleasant and despite the heat, it was a PR race for me. I thought that after leaving Liberty Lake, we would be on a trail entirely closed to traffic, but there were portions that went on the road. There wasn't much shade, which wouldn't have been a problem if the day had been cooler. All had water and Ultima sports drink, and a few had gummy bears, Gu, and Vaseline. The spacing would have been good on a cool day, but I was really ready for each one by the time I got to them. The course was not closed to others recreating, so sometimes I had to dodge bicycles. Nevertheless, I did especially enjoy the parts on the trail with views of the river. The finish: By the time I was finishing the full, I was passing some of the walkers. There were a lot of people cheering at the finish and the announcer was able to read the names of the finishers, which was nice. There were bagels, bananas, oranges, and chicken skewers (a first for me) in the finish area. No chocolate milk. It was also a low-key scene and easy to pick up my checked bag. The bling: I'm not really into medals, so I can't comment muchit was sufficiently large and heavy. The shirt is one I can toss away at another marathon if I can't do a gear check. Overall: It was a good, small race. I like low-key marathons, and so I was prepared for limited spectator support and not feeling crowded on the trail. I hope they can get the shuttle situation figured out in future years.

I've run the full and 1/2 marathon and loved them both. Great aid station support and all of the volunteers were awesome cheerleaders. Beautiful scenery, shirts and medals. My only suggestion would be to have the runners start a few minutes before the walkers. Things got pretty jammed up.

Course: The course was great. So beautiful and much more shaded than I was expecting. Organization: The volunteers were wonderful, all the aid/water stops were set up well, the race organizer replied personally and promptly to emails. ONLY negative, the bus shuttle system was not well organized, there was a serious lack of communication with the hotels, transport drivers, and racers. I waited at my hotel for over an hr. and no shuttle showed up. Finally a friend of mine gave me and 6 other people a ride to the start 15 min. before the race was suppose to start. Pro & Con side to this: it is a small marathon so they pushed the start back by 20 mins to make sure every shuttle place had a pick up and delivery to the start. My friend told me the shuttle arrived to our hotel when she got back from dropping us off at the start. Spectators: Not many people out cheering. People in Riverfront Park didn't seem to know there was a marathon going on.

This is my third Windermere, three years ago did the half, last year the full, and this year the half due to an injury. I love the course however this marathon/half-marathon are growing each year, and needs better organization to adjust for the increased demand. Half Marathon - Not enough port-a-potties at the start (30 minute wait), delayed start this year by almost 40 minutes, packed course for 1st four miles, finish line food OK, nothing to brag about, and the awards ceremony was stated to start approximately 9:30am, yet most people receiving awards were long gone when it finally started close to 11:30am. This is my hometown and I'm pleased Windermere is growing so nicely. However they need to up the ante as an organization to accommodate for the larger crowds. Displeased so much this year, not sure if I will do this half or full again.

If you are looking for a scenic and fun race to qualify for Boston, consider putting this run on your schedule. I had a great time and along with a BQ & PR! Though this race only qualified 14.7% of the runners for Boston in 2013, it is most likely that many have not discovered it yet. The small field allowed me to cut to the inside of every turn which resulted in my shortest total GPS distance of any previous marathon! Receiving my medal from a dress-uniformed Marine was a very special touch.

Although the race advertised that they would wait for everyone or until it got dark, there was minimum support on the course. I was the last runner and I was followed by a volunteer on a bike and two women who were the sweep. At points, the course was not marked well. It was easy to get lost if you were out there by yourself. Since I was slow, I never saw any volunteers other than the people who were with me until the end. The bike path along the river was beautiful. Running with traffic off of the bike path was a challenge.

Wonderful: the volunteers; the course control/police assist; the medals; the shirts; the finish locale, food,complimentary finish photos, winners medals; sufficient water/gummybears!/sportsdrink. The kinks for me: the Liberty Lake 7 miles, the miles along roadsides when the Centennial Trail is so gorgeous; the awkward and overlengthy bus transport; expo could be bigger; 'host' hotels did not provide fridges or microwaves; downtown host hotels had a booming parade beneath them til the wee hours; unclear bus shuttle info ahead of time; and let us know about the gravel section so we can wear gaitors please.

Ran the half last year and the full this year and i LOVE it. Wonderful course and great volunteers. Plenty of water stations and course marshals. And good events afterwords. Love it. Couple of challenging hills but definitely manageable. And the scenic route makes for a beautiful 26.2 mi journey

A great point to point marathon. The course is spectacular running along side the river for a majority of the time.

I really enjoyed this race. This was my first marathon and I picked it specifically for the flat course. Race Expo Perfect. Small, quick and easy to get your bib and shirt and get out without having all the hassle of having to push your way through a crowded expo. Shuttle to Start This went fairly smooth. I caught the bus around 5:45 and despite the fact the bus driver had been given bad instructions to the half marathon start, we made it to the start of the marathon right around 6:30. This was great - time to hit up a porta potty but no need to stand around forever. Start Line It wasn't clear if there was going to be a drop bag service so I just wore an old t-shirt with the intent of tossing it at the start. It turns out there was a drop bag service so I didn't have to lose a shirt! Race Course I loved that the race course was along a small path for most of the race. With only a few hundred people running, it kept you close to other participants but not so crowded you were bumping elbows. There weren't a ton of spectators but those that were there were great! Also, with the race being on a mult-use path, most of the other people out and about on bikes, walking or running would offer encouragement as well. Finish Line I got my medal and some water and left so I can't really speak to this too much.

Pros: 1) This was a flat, fast course where you can definitely PR, 2) Nice shirt and medal; the medal was given to you by uniformed US Marines, a nice touch, 3) There were kiosks at the finish where you could immediately check your results, 4) Ample amounts of water, heed, and gel availabe. I ran the 1/2 and they offered gel at 3 different water stations. Cons: 1) Limited crowd support, 2) Small expo, 3) Post race food was limited to bananas, oranges, soup and chicken (random), 4) At times the volunteers seemed in the dark about how to help people, 5) A few mile markers for the 1/2 were MIA. Difficult to keep pace. Overall, I'd do the race again. With a few minor tweaks, this race will be much better.

Overall, this is a wonderful event. The organizers have done a great job developing this race over the past few years. The course is gorgeous except a few miles toward the end. The aid stations were adequate and well stocked. The volunteers were great and enthusiastic. I have run many, many marathons and this easily ranks in the top 5. It goes to show that sometimes the best races are the low-key, local ones.

Ran in 2010 and 2011. For a first time marathoner, this is a sweet event. Great finisher medals. Terrible shirts...really, let's improve this, please! Maybe I was paranoid, but I carried my own water bottles. Aid stations seemed too sparse for my needs, but they were always helpful to refill my bottles. Great run. Beautiful. Distance and train issues fixed by 2011.

Loved the course. Plentiful aid stations, very nice finishers medal and abundant post race food. No complaints. Thanks for a great marathon.

The race was much better organized than last year. The race started on time and the distance issue from last year was fixed. The weather was hot (60 at the start and mid 70's at the finish) and there was a strong tail wind, but there were plenty of add stations. Also the course looses 150+ ft of elevation with only a minor climb. The spectators are sparse but encouraging. Also the run along the river is nice.

It's been a little over a week since finishing the 2011 version of this race. Despite having a bummer of a race personally I really like this course and would recommend the race to anyone looking for a nice pretty flat course. I also have to say the RD's did a great job with picking host hotels. The hotel provided a shuttle to the race transportation in the morning starting bright and early at 5:30 and they were at the finish line to help bring us back...even though it was less than 1/2 a mile a way to walk, it felt like a God send to take that shuttle. The aid stations were well stocked and had great helpful volunteers, I especially liked the Hawaiian themed station that was around mile 22-23. It was a good distraction at that time. My only suggestion for future aid stations is to have water and Heed on the same sides or front-back of stations through each station so you could go right to the one you wanted. There aren't a lot of spectators along the course but the ones that were there were very supportive. Personally I'm more concerned about the scenery along the way and that was beautiful along the river. The finishers medals are very cool but the shirts aren't the greatest. Apparently their supplier thinks everyone has very short arms. The volunteers were apologetic about this. The expo was actually bigger than I expected for a race this size but the venue was crowded and it was a little confusing on where to find actual check in, not many signs to lead you up to 2nd floor where it was located, but volunteers again were very helpful. Overall I would definitely do this race again.

I ran the first two Windemere Marathons, and yes, each had their share of issues, all detailed here (except the woman who said the course was 2.5 miles short; uh... no... it was .8 miles short). Anyway, I've run over 30 marathons and live in Spokane, so I reached out and joined the board. I can say that the issues have been heard loud and clear. This is a low-key, fun marathon with an AWESOME medal and shirt. Flat and fast... give it a chance. You won't regret it.

Overall, this was a terrific event. The only problems were that they: 1) failed to properly calculate the finish line (that's right - THE FINISH LINE!); and 2) failed to calculate our time when a train crossed the marathon path forcing runners to stop for several minutes. Regarding the finish line: no one mentioned anything about it being "off" until AFTER we crossed the finish line. So, when we passed under the finish banner, we were told by the race organizer to turn around and keep running (back another 2.5 miles). If you've run one, you know how disappointing and frustrating it is not to be finished when you race to get to the FINISH LINE. What made this HUGE MISTAKE so much worse was that instead of telling us to do 1.25 miles and turn around so we could finish with the banner, the medals and the crowd down the finish chute, they sent us out 2.5 miles to some guy standing near a tree with a clipboard. We didn't even know if this guy was related to the race or not, but it appeared other runners were talking to him. He took our bib numbers and then said, "You're done." After this, we had to walk back to the official "finish" to get the medals and water and food. REALLY?? Problem 2:  the train. So, it really did cut right through the course. And, we had to stop. I was on one side of the train and my husband on another. Ugh. I didn't even mind the train, truth told. But, please remember to calculate our time accordingly. Having said that, I recommend this marathon. I enjoyed it very much overall. If they can figure out how to measure 26.2 miles, wow - good times. Great shirts.

I've run 12 marathons prior to this race. The water, HEED and gel stops were well placed and stocked, even for middle- and late-pack racers. I cannot give enough credit to the volunteers and organizers for the support on the course. As with all races that I've run, the race had great and not-so-great moments. There are MANY beautiful parts of the course. There were a couple of turns that could have been better marked, but overall, the course was great. The flaw: the course was short. There's been much bashing of the course. As a casual runner, this was not a problem for me. The organizers have gone to great lengths to appeal to Boston for the BQ runners with success. Not all organizers would do this. Kudos to the organizers for the effort. If running again in WA, I'll be back to this race. Maybe next time, the weather will not be so "nice."

As already detailed, major problems included: 1. Late start 2. All mile markers were wrong and the finish was short of 26.2 (quite a sin, especially for those who didn't have GPS) 3. A train crossed course about 3:20 after start. I was first to get to the train and waited for about 5 minutes as more and more people piled up. They did have someone there writing down the numbers of those delayed, but I don't know how they will differentiate the varying times each runner was delayed for. As of 10 days post-race, the promised time adjustments have not been posted, so I still don't know my time. 4. Sunny and relentlessly hot, with very little shade On the plus side: 1. Few runners, so no crowding on the course 2. Sufficient, well-manned water stations; HEED was a tasty electrolyte drink 3. Pretty scenery for much of race 4. Flat course Overall, I'd say that the organizers fail Marathon 101 for having a course of the wrong length, and I would be cautious about committing your training to this race.

Here we go. My first marathon. Mostly flat. Rolling hills. Aid stations every 2 miles or so, many offering gel. The course is fine. Organization: Lacking. Late start. Screw up on mileage. A few spots to get lost if your not careful. Finish line isn't the finish line? Oh yeah, I have to sign up for another marathon to actually run 26.2. Tough way to train.

Some of the highlights of this NOT marathon were: 1- 25.4 miles of paved trails ran by the Spokane River; views were just beautiful and I could actually look up and enjoy without worrying about tripping like most trail runs. 2- Aid stations were just about right, not considering the sport drink, HEED, which doesn't do much for me. 3- The entire race felt downhill, other than a few small uphills. 4- Post-race food was great: chicken kabobs - as much as you can eat. There were of course a few hiccups as far as race organization. 1- Race started 12 minutes late trying to line up with the half marathon, which had nothing to do with marathon they started at half point, They could have easily started this race at 6:00 a.m. instead of 7:00, since we had bright light by 5:00 a.m.; this would have prevented people from being out there in heat! 3- Of course, last but most important: The race was cut short by .8 miles by the biker who was supposed to lead the elites! I realized this as soon as I saw mile marker 3 in less than 20 minutes! They had a biker at mile 25 telling people that if they want a Boston qualifier time, they need to turn around at the finish and run another .8 mile to the Red Lion Hotel for the 26.2 distance. Of course, I did, but more than 300 people didn't! This kind of puzzled me; why would you attempt to run a marathon and stop one mile before the finish? This was my 176th marathon and the only one where the finish line wasn't at the finish! I finished in just under 4 hours, BQed and placed first in my age group.

If I run a race that is advertised as a marathon, I expect to run a measured distance. After the lead cyclist took everybody the wrong way early on there was a half-hearted attempt to let some runners make up the distance at the end. I was asked if I wanted to run a Boston qualifier. I didn't, but I did want to know where I needed to turn around so that I could run the full marathon distance rather than having to stand at the finish line for nearly 3 minutes asking the question. I traveled from the UK for this race. I wish I hadn't.

Pros: nice goody bag; plenty of water stations and gel; friendly and helpful spectators and volunteers. Cons: The course was too short. Yes, the measured course was a certified course, but that was not the course that was run. Due to some confusion right after the start, the runners took a wrong turn and ended up cutting the course short. The times listed on MarathonGuide.com are for the short course. The option was given to run longer to make up the distance, but that route was very poorly marked. Also, many runners finished and didn't know they needed to turn around until after they'd crossed the finish line, or why they needed to go back. Also, there is a train crossing near the end of the race, and runners have been stopped by it each year.

The sections of the race along the river were wonderful, but there were some dull stretches through neighborhoods and on the shoulders of main roads as well. Nice, big medal at the end, but it would be nice to have Spokane rather than the sponsor's name mentioned on it. Not getting the distance of the course right is inexcusable. I didn't hear the announcer telling people to turn around at the end and finished my "marathon" with 11 minutes to spare to run 0.8 miles for what should have been an easy Boston qualifier. Thanks, RD. This must have been disappointing for those running their first marathon or attempting PR's. Give this race a miss until they establish a track record of getting the basics right. There are plenty of other choices at this time of year that are also relatively flat, scenic, not too large, and run reliably.

Most of the route was not even close to the river. Too much of it was near busy roads/highways and in subdivisions in hot sun, while the website and course photos lead you to believe it is in shade along the river. I only saw one medical person on a bicycle early in course; however, when I needed someone around mile 22, there was no one around. The mileage markers were totally wrong from beginning to end, which made it difficult to pace. Apparently the markers were messed up in 2009, so that should have been corrected. Beer should have been free (perhaps 2 max per person), as most people don't have money with them when running a marathon. The few spectators and volunteers that were out there were great, and the medal was beautiful.

This was absolutely the worst organized event I have ever been a part of. The race started 15 minutes late because they only had one clock at the finish line, so they had to start the half and the full at the same time. Fifteen minutes is a pretty big deal on a day that ended in the upper 70s, with no clouds in the sky. Then, .5 miles into the race, the lead cyclists took us on a wrong turn. We hit the Mile 2 marker at mile 1.25. So we had to run the last 25 miles knowing the race was a sham, uncertified and counting for nothing. I feel worst for those trying to qualify for Boston, especially the ones who paid $100. So the course ended up being 25.5 miles - not 26.2. If there is one thing a race has to get right, it's the course. And they blew it. Also, I was in the front and not all of the mile markers had been set up in the middle of the course. Also, the congestion at the end as we caught up to the slower half marathoners was a nightmare. I will never trust four months of training to this race again and I would suggest others take a second look as well.

Overall the marathon was perfect. The weather in Spokane in May is usually nice (wonderful this year). The course couldn't be better. It is flat and along the river. The path is shaded for about half of the run. The race had some great spectator spots that made it easy for family to support the runners. I only have one complaint... the mile markers!!! They were about .75-miles off from the beginning. Those who wanted to BQ had to run a little out-and-back at the finish line. Work out that problem and it would be an awesome race!

In 2009, the mile markers were off due to some high schoolers pulling a prank. OK. Shame on them. In 2010, the COURSE for the marathon was short by 3/4 of a mile AND the mile markers were once again off (by the aforementioned 3/4 of a mile). After you crossed the finish line, the organizers thought it was entirely acceptable to turn us around to run the additional mileage causing us to "finish" far from the actual finish line. I live in Spokane, and, if they had actual runners organizing the race rather than the realtors from Windemere (although bless them for putting on the race), it would be really a nice, small marathon. Fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice, I'm not running again.