Bear Lake Idaho Marathon - Race Reviews

This was the first of the Bear Lake Trifecta and some of the kinks from the first day were corrected for day 2 & 3. These races are small and some of the water stops were unmanned as I returned on the out and back course. I was the last finisher, partially because I am slow and partially because I missed a turn and added an extra half mile. The next days I was well monitored as I progressed on the course! The course was mostly on a dirt road that traveled past beautiful creeks, meadows and farmland. I saw horses, cows, meadowlarks and other interesting birds. I gave the spectators five stars because while they were very few, they did a great job of taking care of mine. A boy of about eight came out from the last water stop and walked with me for about a half mile.

I did this one as part of the 3-day series (I never made it to the 3rd race, but that is a story for another time). This Idaho race was actually more scenic than I expected, and overall I liked it better than the Utah course the following day. Be prepared to carry your own hydration system, and do not expect the fluids at the aid stations to be cold. This is a small race put on by a small company. Be prepared to cut them a little slack. In my currently decrepit state, I greatly appreciated them keeping the finish line open for us slower finishers. I also really enjoyed the pre-race meals and camaraderie at the guest house organized by the race directors. Was it my favorite race ever? No. Will I do it again? No. But I didn't hate it.

I took part in the 3 day challenge and am glad that I did. Would not likely have ever visited Idaho, Utah or Wyoming so I jumped at the opportunity to do so and to knock these 3 states off of my quest for 50 states. At the packet pick up, the RD seemed a tad cranky and was complaining about being tired and having little sleep. Keep in mind, many of the participants were running all 3 marathons and were a tad tired themselves. The start was pretty much a mess. He said 'Go' and people started from all over the place. The course was fairly well marked and I enjoyed the scenery. Not having manned water stops was a bit disappointing. The biggest disappointment was to learn that the distances were not correct. On the next day in Utah, the RD announced that the half marathon was about 12.8 instead of 13.1. I am not sure how something so basic could be so wrong. His attitude was that it was no big deal since everyone ran the same distance. Some said the marathon distance was off as well. I do not know. It has all the makings of a great event. Some fine tuning is needed for sure.

I went from having empathy for a overwhelmed race director to frustration. He just can't seem to get his act together. He advertises race awards but is still struggling to figure out awards a week later (esp the TRIFECTA). Yikes examples -Little to none mile markers -a finish line on the other side of an active train track - and a race director who falls asleep and therefore is unable to host the advertised post race gathering. However, I did enjoy the other racers and I thought the courses were beautiful. The race photographer was one of the best and allows for free pictures.

This was a fun event. Adding the option to run marathons in three states in three days (some even did 4 in 4 days by running the Wyoming course on Thursday) meant that it brought out the crazy people. Got to see a lot of 50-staters, Marathon Maniacs. I stayed at the HQ lodge where the price included a great meal the night before each race. Great medals, plus my first ever belt buckle for running all three marathons.

+ Aid Stations were reasonably well spaced & stocked. Volunteers were very nice. - No official start. Folks just assembled and someone said let's go. Self-reported finishing time. - No food at 6:00 finish time. None. - Finishers medals OK - leftovers, so had to request a different one on Utah race so didn't have 2 identical for ID & UT. - Shirts are virtually identical ID & UT. Some differentiation would be better. - No results posted on Marathonguide.com, although the Saturday Bear Lake Utah race results were posted. Since Friday's Idaho race was an event on Marathonguide.com AND we paid extra for Friday race, results should be posted on Marathonguide.com. Had to hunt around on website.

I think if I could one constructive comment it would be for the RD to take control of his event. If an early start is going to be allowed, then schedule an early start. People just took off whenever. For such a small race, organization should not be an issue. Shirts for this marathon were cool, as they had 'Back to Back Marathon' on them for all of us running the marathon the following day. Aid stations were good. Several of us got different medals which we finally figured out were recycled from years past. Don't expect much at the finish line in the way of food or drinks. Many runners are not included in the results. Mass confusion concerning the timing.

Kudos to the race director for making do with a difficult situation: A few days before the race, the organizers sent an email to runners informing us that the point to point course around beautiful Bear Lake had to be changed to an out and back course because of road construction. The start line was moved to a small town about 8 miles north of where the race was supposed to start. This change on short notice was worrisome, but it turned out fine. Out and backs can be nice when you finish a race and your car is right there. The race very low-key. It's also very small (49 finishers) and it attracts runners looking to get two states/two marathons in one weekend. Running around the top of Bear Lake and back was very peaceful and gorgeous and the early start was appreciated. The 12K flat portion at the beginning of the race was nice but it was very challenging on the way back. There are some rolling hills on the east side of the lake but they aren't extreme. The aid stations were well stocked with fruit, gels and Gatorade and they were run by Army men and women-this was great. There weren't any spectators but the fans get 5 stars anyway because of the great military presence. A group of runners took the very early start and were instructed to time themselves and report their times to race staff once they finished. I and my husband started at 5:30, about an hour after that group, and we also timed ourselves. This kind of DIY-style timing was nice but I'm glad I'm an experienced runner. This isn't the kind of race where the directors are going to send emails every other day to participants or obsessively update their Facebook and Twitter accounts. If you need that from a race, the Bear Lake Idaho Marathon isn't for you. However, if you're looking for a small, beautiful, laid back race with good support, very little road traffic, and a hassle-free part one of a double marathon Friday/Saturday, this race is perfect.

I ran the 2012 race and really enjoyed the experience. This is a smaller marathon that runs around the north end of Bear Lake the day before their usual race around the south end. It was added so that 50 states could get two states in one weekend. There were 98 finishers and the Race director told me that 53 of the entrants were running both races. It is advertised as a simpler race with limited support but I found the organization and support fine. My only criticism is the vagueness on the web site as to what 'limited support' means. Well in 2012 'limited support' meant aid stations every 3 miles with a port-a-potty, water and gatorade. Many of the later stops also had gel (multiple flavors). I wore a fuel belt and filled up my bottles at the later stops and this worked out great. At the races end they had two buses to bring folks back to their cars. This did mean a lengthly wait for most but many of us walked down to Bear Lake to soak our legs during this time and that was very refreshing. The course is very pretty and the first 19 or so miles are super flat. There are a few hills the final 10K which really aren't too bad except for the fact they are at the end of a marathon. The roads are all open to traffic but this is never an issue. The final miles on the east side of the lake are so quiet a runner can even run the tangents safely. There are no fans at all. The only folks I saw were family members who 'leap frogged' runners throughout the race. If your family wants to really see you many times in a race this is the one for you. You get a special back to back medal (and despite what the other comment said I had someone present me the medal) and a Back to back t-shirt. I spoke with the Race Director and he said that the Friday race was becoming more and more popular so he wouldn't be surprised to see more support for this race in future years. But like I said I felt the support was excellent. I flew into Salt Lake City and stayed in Logan UT. That was about 40 miles away from Garden City. A little farther than I would like but not really a big deal. Both days I picked up my bib race morning so I can't comment on any expo.

This was not as nice or as organized I thought as other Mammoth Marathons. You could start any time and tell the person your finish time. No one handing out metals at the end, just told to pick one up. Road not busy, but rough pavement to run on.

I was ready to welcome the cold early morning with a jacket and a warm hat. Last year's photo's gave me the heads up!! The last 5 miles of the marathon I notice many animal carcass on the side of the road. Animals not marathoners! First time marathoners should do this race. Keep your feet moving and eyes enjoying the beautiful area.

I pretty much echo LD's comments. Weather was awesome, 45 - 50 degrees and calm. Beautiful scenery along Bear Lake. Great support for a small race. The first 13 miles were against traffic on a main highway but its early start makes traffic minimal. Make sure to visit the hot springs by Mile 20 after the race. They were awesome! (And have a raspberry shake in Garden City - not to be missed.) Thank you to the race directors for a great race!

This marathon was originally started for some 50-Staters to get in another state in a weekend - and this year over 70 of us showed up to run (apparently 25 ran last year). I had very few expectations for this race. I knew there would be aid stations, but I really thought I'd need to carry my own water bottle and GU; instead, they had water stations every 3 miles with GU, Gatorade, and/or fruit at most. The volunteers were amazingly friendly, and they hopped from station to station. They also made sure that they had people at each station until the last person passed. We even got a special shirt that said, "52.4 miles," since most of us running Friday were also running Saturday, and a "Back to Back Marathon" medal. The course was gorgeous, and the runners were friendly. It was pretty much the perfect marathon experience. (There were no spectators except for the cows and volunteers, but that didn't take away from the experience at all. The cows did watch us until we were out of sight.)

The course is located in a rather remote and gorgeous location, and is generally easy to traverse. Organization of the race is probably best described as flexible, which has positives and drawbacks. The race organizers are very accommodating and helpful in all regards; however, it seems that some aspects of the race were not very well planned out. This included bathrooms before the race and along the course, starting times, and (as a minor point) course photography! This is such a nice area with great views and photo ops - too bad there was no one to take pics! And as for spectators... well, there are none, save birds, horses, and other wildlife perhaps. However, I was fortunate in the respect that it was an open course (and still not much traffic, thankfully) and so my mom was able to follow me the whole time to cheer me on and get some personal pics! As a side note, the race directors were nice to her as well, and so that was cool for both of us. It was a nice experience overall, which is especially important when doing two in a row (which all who ran this race were - and which was why they created it in the first place, which is of course very kind of them!).