The Santa Rosa Marathon - Race Reviews

The water/aid stations were plentiful (especially the wine stop); pacer was good. Lots of enthusiastic and supportive spectators throughout the first half (after which I stopped); a few narrow sections, of course, had few.

They gave us notice and an advisory about the wildfire smoke, which was north of Santa Rosa. The scenery was beautiful. I loved the atmosphere of runners and spectators and running by the vineyards and through the barrel room.

INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:21:20. The Santa Rosa Marathon was my fifty-first 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a great day for a marathon: weather at the downtown Santa Rosa start line was 52 degrees, 100 percent relative humidity, calm, and overcast. After meandering downtown for a little over a mile, we embarked westward on the 5.7 mile long Prince Memorial + Santa Rosa Creek Trails. Accommodating three runners across, the heavily shaded trail left Santa Rosa at Fulton Road and entered into vineyard properties. Five and a half miles into the course, we left the paved trail and traversed out-and-back alongside Peterson Creek on gravel trails totaling 1.1 miles. At the end of the Santa Rosa Creek Trail at Willowside Road, we began our 12 mile clockwise loop around West Sonoma County, including the highlight of the course, a tour of the DeLoach Vineyard property at mile 10, including going inside their barrel room. Most of this course wound its way through wine country and farmland. We engaged the only significant exception to the largely flat course at mile 12, where we encountered a pair of back-to-back short interval down-and-ups on Oakwild Road before turning on Woolsey Road. Just past mile 20, we retraced our steps on the entire length of the Santa Rosa Creek + Prince Memorial Trails back into downtown, where a half mile later, we crossed the finish line just past where we started at Courthouse Square. Finish line temperature was 58 degrees, 87 percent relative humidity with overcast skies and wind from the south at 5 mph. ORGANIZATION: Well executed event; responsive race staff. Small expo located in the local sporting goods store south of downtown. Excellent swag: for the tenth anniversary, each marathon runner received a hooded windbreaker jacket, and as in previous races, a bottle of DeLoach Runners Red Cabernet Sauvignon distributed only to the marathon participants. Excellent course support, especially the chardonnay shots received upon exiting the DeLoach barrel room. Traffic control started to deteriorate around mile 15. Although we were allotted one lane in the West Sonoma County portion of the course, a few of the residents decided to take both lanes, apparently with the blessing of the local authorities. SPECTATORS: Apart from downtown Santa Rosa, none to speak of. Excellent drum corps upon leaving and re-entering the Santa Rosa Creek trail at mile 8 and 20. One can hear them a mile away. CONCLUSION: Impressive race management, and with the generous support of DeLoach Vineyards, a unique, scenic course. The event is not quite as polished as its marathon neighbor to the east, but definitely more enjoyable. Well done, Sonoma County.

Course: I was concerned after reading the comments on the 2016 marathon that this event might suffer from poor organization, but this was certainly not the case. The beautiful route was very well marked. Mainly flat, this is a good course to shoot for a BQ. I only wish I ran as fast as my car did on the windy road cutting through the forest as I approached from the northeast. Stunning beauty. Pace Setters: I really wanted to break 3h 40m, and found the 3h 38m pace setter to be just the ticket. Unfortunately, I did not pay attention to the fact that the pacesetter was as fast as my car. Now that I look at my Garmin results, I find that the pacesetters handily beat the 8m 18s goal for 11 of the first 13 miles and left me in the dust for the second half. This will be the last time I put my trust in pace setters. And besides, staring at the bobbling pace sign for 90 minutes misses the point of enjoying the rest of the view. Returning to the Scene of the Crime: If I were not on this quest of 50 states, I would consider running this again. But given that I am 54 and only at 11 states, it is time to head east. I am told that marathonning after age 90 may prove treacherous. In Conclusion: But overall, I raise my glass of Runners Red to the event organizers and volunteers. Cheers!

Santa Rosa was my first full marathon experience, and overall, it was a really solid event that I would run again. I have run several half marathons and this one is on par with other good experiences. The best things about this race were the scenic, mostly flat course (for an out-and-back route, it was surprisingly enjoyable); the really well-staffed aid stations (at least every 2 miles), with water and Gatorade, some with bananas/oranges, and the volunteers always ready; and the expo and finish-line events were really nice with plenty of perks. Additional fun aspects of the race were shots of Chardonnay at mile 10 (I didn't take it, but it made me smile), a complimentary Lagunitas pale ale at the finish line, and the unique fact that the race shirt is a nice lightweight running material jacket. Aspects that could really use improvement are the race website and email communication (for example, multiple emails stating there will be no on-site parking at the expo, but only in one email was it listed where you could park to catch the shuttle, which for our-of-towners like my group was more of a challenge); and clarification at the start line regarding where the starting corrals are (a start-line map would be helpful!), and getting the runners to stay on course (I heard that the first runners went straight at the first turn, which could easily have been blocked off, and it sounds like course issues is a recurring challenge for this event). Overall, this was a solid event, and the spirit of it was very fun and supportive. Temperatures were very high race day, which was an unexpected challenge, but outside of the race organizor's control. Thanks, SRM, for helping my first full marathon experience be a great one!

There was a lot of talk about extreme heat before this race and Facebook suggestions to move the start to 5:30. It actually started pretty chilly at 6:30 and by the time I finished around 9:45 it was just in the 70s so not a big deal for me. It is a nice shady course for the first 6-7 miles (and last 6 miles) along a river walk. Once out in the fields it was a lot of road running but also some nice vineyards to look at. I wouldn't say a beautiful course, but it was a nice run. Organizationally, this marathon has had some challenges. They had some big problems last year and I could see this year they were trying hard to get it right but some simple things weren't done. (i) the entry to the corrals was completely disorganized and didn't happen until 6:25 so the race started late. The person on the mic could barely be heard and didn't seem to know what was going on either. They just kept saying that the process for corral loading would be 'revealed at some point'. In the end it was a bit shambolic as we crammed into the corrals without anyone checking bibs. (ii) the overall course was accurate this year! However, the mile markers were definitely off. I've never had my garmin beep for 20 miles EXACTLY as I run past a 20 mile marker before! I'm honestly not that good at running the tangents! It looks to me like they had measured the course properly but then set the mile markers out using a garmin. Not a huge deal but it just meant that the distance from 26 to the finish was longer than expected. (iii) With all the talk about heat, the race director promised extra water stations, misters, and sponge pools. None of these were on the course. I'm not sure they were actually needed but if something is promised, it should be delivered. Overall, a decent marathon that still needs to improve on organization

Entered the Santa Rosa as it has a reputation for being very fast, and I was in the area. The expo was small, which is fine, but unorganized. Had a hard time finding out where it started to get my bib and amenities. The pullover shirt was basically a throw away and am still sitting on the bottle of wine, so hopefully that'll be nice down the road. The next day parking was easy at the parking garage, but on the way out it was a cluster as there were so many people and the machines only took exact change or cc, so that was an issue, got to the start, no National Anthem (yay California) and off we went. Off we went in the wrong direction, which i am guessing cost me 4 minutes or so. Got back on course and ran. At Mile 22 hit a wall, had to believe the misdirection and excessive early speed were factors, and slogged to the end, which is a long mild upgrade that felt to me like climbing the K2. Finish, got a medal and the line for any of the goodies (beer, pancakes, etc) was so long i just bailed. Also, during the run, there was a wheelchair participant who kept on cutting in front of and in back of me, really throwing me off and actually cutting me off from a water table once. Thanks dude whoever you are. Wd I do it again: No, not for that price and for that experience. Thanks Santa Rosa, but no thanks.

CONS: 1. If there was a National Anthem, you could not hear it from the back. 2. Confusing course at the beginning and end of the marathon (in Downtown). I was a 5:30 finisher, and I had to ask people not associated with the marathon if they had seen any runners, and which way I should go- at mile 25.5! Course markings/marshals were inadequate. 3. The medal is 3 times larger than my other marathon medals; just a personal preference, but it looks silly when displayed. PROS: 1. Beautiful course once on the bike path and in the country. 2. With the 6:00 AM start, the weather is cool and foggy. 3. There's hardly any spectators (which was expected), but the finish line and beer festival were awesome. 4. The parking garage is one block away. Easy logistics.

Organization: Full disclosure: I was part of the 3:03 pace group that was led off course and had to run an extra 0.85 miles. I ended up just missing a BQ when my first 26.2 would have qualified me by 6 minutes. The pacer was probably following the person ahead of him off course, but still, he should have known the course better. Also, there were two volunteers at the turn who saw us all go off course without saying anything. The fuel was incorrectly advertised. The sporks drink was a no-calorie option and I heard gels were only at the mile 13 aid station. Luckily I carry my own so I can't verify the gel claim myself. Lastly, the marathon and half marathon share the last 5 miles so marathoners have to run past a lot of walkers and joggers. This made pacing significantly more difficult and tends to subconsciously slow you down (besides the constant need to alert 'runner on your left' every 30 seconds). Course: It's ok. It's rural if that's your thing. I wouldn't call it beautiful. Just running past a bunch of farms and fields. Spectators: Good. Probably their strongest feature. Not a lot of people but every few miles you get a pocket of spectators which is not bad considering the rural nature of the race. Definitely not as many people as a big city race but you shouldn't be expecting that in a city like Santa Rosa. Overall: I had a pretty mediocre experience in 2015 and only decided to run it again to BQ. It didn't work out and I have no intention to run this one again.

My boyfriend and I both ran the SMR on 8/28 and we ended up brokenhearted at the end of our trip. We flew in from Boston, in order to return to Boston (to qualify for Boston Marathon). Sadly, about a mile in, some runners were off-course and the pacers followed/lead the others to the wrong direction. My bf ended up running an extra 0.8 mile -which with the actual 26.20mi course he would have BQed, but with the added time/mile and the entire race knowing he'd have to catch up to make up for the mess he ended up missing the qualifying time just by a few minutes. I also started in Corral 1 and I could testify that there were few blockades/cones/volunteers around, and the biggest problem is it was DARK and nobody knew where to run! People were cursing along the way and different pacing groups were bumping into one another. Cars were honking at the groups that ran the wrong course. What a mess. And, during the last 5 miles, the 3h marathon runners were met with the peak of half marathon finishers on a narrow paved-trail. People had to weave through the crowd to maintain their pace. Also the medal no indication of year. The sports drink Ultima they provided had no calories. Etc etc. The course was flat, the weather was beautiful, but the organization was unreliably poor. I would not recommend this marathon for anyone traveling from outside of CA. Apparently this was about the 4th time within a 5 year span that they messed up. The race has probably grown too big for a small town marathon.

Oh boy. So I blew up at mile 22 but this review is not about me, but the race. Perfect weather, nice swag, great communication leading up to the race, a few issues: 1: at about mile two or so everyone on a 7:45 pace or faster ran at least 100 yds in the wrong direction, and some ran a mile off. For a race a lot of people wanted to be in, this is almost inconceivable. 2: they should have started the wheelchair athletes a good thirty minutes earlier. Speaking for myself I was running around a wheelchair athlete and it was a nightmare for ten miles. 3: everyone loves pancakes, but no one likes seeing a monster pancake line. 4: the parking at Santa rosa plaza took cc or exact change only. People should have been told. It is a very rural run w little fan support, but the volunteers did a great job and if not for the early screw up, and me blowing up at mile 22, I wd rate it higher.

Love this marathon. Great weather. Great course. Great beer. But this year's race was marred by poor organization near the start. Around 1 mile in, many runners went of course owing to poor race marking / direction. Need organizers to be super alert for these 6:00am starts! Had a great time running my first 27 mile ultra, though!

This was my 102nd marathon. It was among the most beautiful courses I have run. The turns were well-marked and marshaled. My only complaint was with the confusion regarding the signing of the online waiver, when registering through Active.com. I am in North Carolina. My partner drove to California for backpacking and I flew out for the race. He had a copy of my driver's license and a note to let him pick up my packet (as directed in the instructions). However, on the Friday before Sunday's marathon, I received an e-mail with a waiver that needed to be signed in order for him to pick up my race packet. This was very last-minute (as he had already departed). He was able to get my packet, but this should have been made clear earlier, ESPECIALLY since there is NO race-morning packet pickup.

We've already got BQ race so we ran this for pure enjoyment. Weather conditions were PERFECT. 6AM start was genius. Plenty of Gatorade/Water/GU on course. Lot's of Powder Rooms strategically placed. Excellent organization. Really beautiful run kind of Pastoral. We'll be back. PS. Get the VIP package if it's still available. Goodies and Ride on Rosie is so worth it. Spectators are overrated.

I signed up for Santa Rosa because it has a reputation for being a good course for a Boston qualifier and because it is one of the few good weather races during the late summer. It generally lived up to that reputation. It is certainly not entirely flat and fast  there are rolling hills from around mile 8 to 15. But the last 7+ miles are flat, and I felt like the course was conducive to a good race. I ended up with a near-even split and Boston-qualified with about 4 minutes to spare. The weather was good - around 60 and cloudy throughout. That's about as nice as one can expect from the late summer. The course was nice  not as scenic as advertised, but very nice in a lot of spots. I expect that the California drought made it a little less scenic than it would otherwise be, since the farmland wasn't particularly green. But I enjoyed running by the Santa Rosa Creek, through the DeLoach Vineyard, and around the vineyards of Sonoma County. The race organization was good. Water stops were generally well-run. The 'schwag' included a full-sized bottle of wine, a race jacket (which was above average, and certainly better than a dri-fit shirt), and a giant spinner-medal at the finish line. And the start and finish line were handled well. The race organizers and volunteers were friendly and helpful. The post-race beer festival (separate admission cost) was a lot of fun and a nice way to spend the late morning. My bottom line is that the Santa Rosa Marathon is worthwhile for anyone looking for a late summer Boston qualifier who can enjoy a small-town race without needing to be dazzled.

This was my third marathon and I spent a lot of time trying to find a good North American race, late in the summer, prior to Boston registration. I am not particularly fussy about race expos, spectators and other gimmicks that many people appear to be concerned with (the expo and race pack were very cool - even included a bottle of wine). I care more about a well-run race on a good course with a decent field. This race checked all those boxes. The race organizer provides a very honest, mile-by-mile description of the course on their website. I can now vouch that the course is super fast and substantively flat. Ran a 7 min PR and BQ'd by 9 minutes. Conditions were perfect and there was beer, wine and pancakes at the finish. It's a small town so there aren't a ton of spectators but I was surprised by how many turned out. Fans were very enthusiastic and the volunteers were great. Awesome race which I highly recommend for someone looking to BQ.

The course was lovely. I did the half marathon, and enjoyed the weather and the 7AM start. All the volunteers were very nice and the expo was nice as well. I felt this was very organized and I enjoyed it. I'll do it again for sure.

Great course  mostly flat with a few very short, fairly steep undulations to loosen your legs somewhere in the middle. Beautiful scenery. Plenty of people cheering on the runners. You could tell that the organizers and the locals really put their hearts into this event. Overall, this race was a very fun, relaxed and enjoyable experience, and I will definitely be back.

Expo: this was the biggest pain, requiring a whole weekend to be made of the race if you happen to live not in Santa Rosa and immediate surrounds. The shuttle from hotels was poorly organized - I don't understand why they had separate routes instead of all shuttles making a stop at vaguely central points downtown plus hotels. The shuttles also did not stick to the timetable so I missed one out of the winery expo that left early, and had to wait 90 minutes for the next one because of course the other route did not go downtown. Definitely factor in uber costs or just rent a car and brave the horrendous parking at the winery. Race day: It started at 6am which meant it was run and done before it got stinking hot. Once you hit the cowpath there's no moving from wherever you are in the pack so make sure you're where you want to be. Scenery is repetitive but pleasant enough, and there were more spectators than for the SF marathon which was a nice surprise. The first few aid stations didn't have water because they couldn't fill up cups fast enough and there was a lot of carnage later on with people needing medical attention. The medal was unnecessarily large and so heavy I had to take it off. It's a good race though and pretty good for running fast!

As someone who runs a lot of races, I was surprised to discover that the sponsors of the Santa Rosa marathon have a policy that states that there is no mailing of race packets and no packet pick-up on the day of the race. What does this mean? If, like me, you live close enough to the event that you can drive up on the race morning but not that close (San Francisco), you need to make a second trip the day prior just to pick up a race packet that could have been easily mailed. For me, that's a minimum of a two hour round trip, not to mention the waste of polluting fuel. Every other race I've participated in offers packet mailing, usually at a extra fee of about $10 which I'm happy to pay. I can't figure out their logic except that they want to force participants to come early, probably to buy DeLoach wine. I will skip this race and you should too.

The course was ok - they seem to make a big deal out of the path next to the canal and running through the winery but it's really not that amazing. By mile 20, I was pretty bored of the scenery, especially since miles 20-26 is just a repeat in the opposite direction. The organization was poor and almost deceitful. They explicitly advertised several times on their website and on facebook that they will have amazing jackets (showing pictures of the design of the jackets). On pick-up day, they said the jackets are not ready but that we can pick them up the next day on race day. However, after the race was over, all they had were these plain black hoodies. No jackets. No explanation was announced. False advertising, and made me angry that they kept raising people's expectations and then let people down like that. Many people were expressing their disappointment. Another point about bad organization - at around mile 8, they didn't have any water or gatorade at the water station, so they were using a GARDEN HOSE to fill in the cups. Terrible. Spectators - very few spectators. Also some false advertising here by the race. They said that 'the last couple miles' of the marathon, we will be cheered on by the crowd. You can hear crickets chirping from miles 20-25.5. There were some people during the last half-mile of the marathon. Very few supporters. Positives: their medal is huge and the weather was nice. That's about it.

Things I liked: 1. The 6AM start was wonderful. It is was still dark at that hour, but the city streets in the first 5K were plenty lit to see well enough and spread the field out a little bit. 2. Bike path: It was only crowded on the outbound miles when I ran with a pace group. The return trip with the half marathoners was nice. They provided mental motivation both when I passed them and the encouragement they offered. All I encountered were alert (thanks to the one ear bud rule, I think), courteous, and ran along the right side of the path. 3. Pacing groups: The three guys I ran with (3:30) had a relaxed attitude and perfectly even splits. They were great. 4. Loved the rural loop. Vineyards, horses, cattle, and some well-placed cheers at mile 16. 5. The small hills and inclines/declines kept my legs from cramping like the pancake flat courses do. Ran my first BQ!!! :) :) Things that could improve: 1. More information on road closures. My hotel was 2 mi south of Julliard Park and I spent almost 30 min lost in dark neighborhoods trying to get to the race parking area. Volunteers placed at these intersections might have helped. 2. Gear Check: Website indicated that a bag and tag would be included in packet with race number but was missing from mine. I ended up skipping my warmup sweats and chilling a bit. 3. No water at the start. Even though it's a smaller event, I thought it was on par with larger marathons like CIM, minus the logistical issues (super-expensive hotels, early shuttle times). This is a perfect low key way to run a new PR or BQ.

This was my first time running a half marathon and I had fun running it. I ran my own race and I will do it again next year to try to beat my time. My hat goes off to my trainer Kendra from Fusion Fitness who helped me believe in myself that I can do this.

6am start helps to protect runners from hot daytime weather. First three miles through town ensures sufficient daylight before runners hit the bike path. Only drawback is that bike path gets crowded, both on the way out and, with 1/2 marathon runners, on the way back. Organizers may need to limit entries in order prevent over-crowding.

This is the only race that I have run that has had great weather and lots of wonderful shade! I feel that this is probably mostly because of the early start time. The 6:00AM start was fantastic! Most other races don't start until 7:00 AM or later, so that by the end of the first hour it is already too hot! Please consider starting at the same hour again this year!

I was very thankful for the 6 am start (too hot in August). With that being said, the race should have gone through the town for many more miles before heading out on the bike path. The roads won't have that much traffic on them at that hour. The bike path was way too crowded and didn't open up until mile 6. it was very difficult to maintain proper pace and not get hit or stepped on by other runners.

Beautiful course with varrying terrain. Makes it very interesting. Great weather. I opted for the VIP package for 99. more. Got two bottles of wine and a tshirt so right off the top it paid for the money I spent. The pick up at hotel and being escorted right to the finish line was AMAZING. The race director's sweet wife rode along and answered questions and basically held our hands. I can't speak enough of the personal attention all runners received. Great organization.

This was my first marathon and I thought the course, organization and staff were all great. The course was beautiful, relatively flat, and nearly all paved. The short unpaved section was a little uncomfortable, but not unbearable. I think it would be better to have more downtown running at the end of the course (where there are lots of people to cheer for you) and skip the unpaved section. The aid stations were frequent, fast, and had water, gatorade (every station) and fruit and gels (not at every station, but plenty often). Every part of the race seemed well organized and well executed.

I, along with many others, used this marathon to qualify for Boston. I'm a local, but many people came in from around the country. I've run the old double-loop course in previous years, but the new single loop course which runs through a winery is much nicer. There are some rolling hills, but nothing huge - my Garmin totaled it as 200 feet spread out over many miles. I thought 6 AM was a little too early to start since we were in darkness before the start but otherwise no complaints with the management.

This is a well run race over a beautiful course along a paved bike path next to a creek and paved country roads with stunning views of vineyards. Mostly flat with some minor rolling hills. Good course for achieving PRs. About 1,500 athletes running this marathon

The course is beautiful and the organization is second to none. I really appreciated timely placed water stations, and the plentiful fruits at the finish line. I only wish the road condition in many parts of course be better - too many rough patches on asphalt roads and certain gravel roads were little rough. BTW - at 20~21 mile point when I was about to hit that wall, I really appreciate that runner who gave that short but quiet pep talk - simple 'You can do it!' really raised my spirits! Thanks!!

The marathon pickup is out of town in a winery. Fine if you live in Santa Rosa. Quirky place for a marathon pickup. I am not interested in wine testing before a marathon. Volunteers at the marathon pickup seem confused. Not very seamless for a smallish race. The course changed this year, going to wine district on roads. The roads are a welcome relief from the crowd of the path, but the wind district roads are moderately hilly. Running on the path in the beginning of the race is terrible. So many runners it is impossible to pass or maintain a comfortable pass. 1100 runners on a seven foot patch is too many. The crowds thin out on the road. There needs to more running on the street before the runners enter the path. Either limit the number or runners or change the course to stay on the streets. Parking marathon morning is a breeze. Post race food is very good.

The trail is incredibly narrow. Does not accommodate at all for the amount of runners squeezing into it. Couldn't open up until mile 6. Paved trail is in need of serious repair. Too many walkers in with half marathoners and unable to pass.

This was a race that we came all the way from the Southwest to do. We enjoyed the people and the race, but the course itself is a little misrepresented. Not that it was terrible, but do not come with the false sense of security that you will PR or even BQ by running this race. The race itself was not necessarily boring, just crowded at certain spots (like miles 2-4) which resulted in some bottlenecks amongst the front runners (I could only imagine what it was like further back). There are about 5-6 miles of dirt trails which do pound the body and make it tougher than explained. In addition be prepared for some weird turns in the race that if it weren't for the people yelling and screaming for you to turn, you would get misdirected. The last two miles come from the dirt back to paved trail and you don't know whether to thank your lucky stars or curse the gods. All in all it was worth the trip and I am glad I know what it's all about, I just won't run it again. No harsh criticism, but if you do run it, prepare yourself adequately.

I love Santa Rosa, the town itself and its people however, the marathon was a little let down to be honest. At the Expo, I found out that they mixed up my bib with the half-marathon bib. I asked for the registration record to make sure that I signed up for 26.2. A girl told me 'It will be fine because you have the proper chip to record your time.' Really? how do I know that for sure? The bib says 13.1! Great cheer by the SRHS and the finish line festivity area was OK however, the course... it was not great. With all of the runners, it was pretty dusty and what bothered me the most was the dog poops. I have never seen dog poops on the marathon course ever in my 6 years of running. It was not just a few, I think I saw at least 4 to 5 of them in the different spots along the roop. With the wrong bib I was wearing and the fact I had run zig-zag to avoid the poop, I decided to finish my marathon short and just did one loop instead of two. Over all, it was not a pleasent experience. I will go back to Santa Rosa again but I won't run the marathon next year.

While this is by no means a hilly course, the race director was constantly sending out emails referring to 'no elevation gain'. The course does two 13.1 mile loops the first half of each loop is a roughly 100 foot decent, your 7ish mile stretch back however you're climbing back up - while on the last 7 miles of 26.2 you feel any sort of ascent. Beside the false info on the elevation gain, the electrolyte being provided was changed without notification, which could be a big deal for some. The course it self was rather pretty. Very few spectators but perfect running weather and nice scenery. The hard pack won't slow you down much but it is not fine gravel, you do have to worry about avoiding larger rocks.

I picked this race after evaluating what seemed like dozens and dozens of potential marathons. I picked it because I wanted to BQ with a small and logistically easy race during the Summer, but with hopefully cooler weather and was at sea level. If this is what you are looking for it may well be the race for you. But as marathons go, it's probably not for everyone. I've run a wide range half and full marathons (14 halves and 4 fulls). This was the second small marathon I've run (and the second time I traveled for a marathon). I needed a 3:45 to BQ and ran a 3:40:42, so I can't complain. The mild weather (50s and cloudy) really helped and the course was flat, but I have mixed feelings about the course layout, and that's a big factor in one's enjoyment of a marathon, right? The course IS scenic, but yes, it is also pretty boring and lonely as most of it is on a bike trail. There are pastures, vineyards and a creek beside the trail, but the scenery didn't change much and much of the time you spent watching where you were going (especially on the gravel) rather than the scenery. What was annoying were the number of times you'd have to go up a short hill (a hairpin turn) off the bike trail and cross a bridge to go to the other side of the bike trail. They say it's a double loop, but that doesn't quite capture the course as it didn't feel like a 'loop' but multiple out and backs. Study the course map if you aren't familiar with it. The bike trail was a mix of paved and large gravel surface (it's not really dirt). That was OK with me, but I train on dirt so I didn't miss the roads. It also means there are very few spectators (even where the course goes on city streets at the start, mid point and end). Some may not like that you run with the half marathoners who finish in the park where the full marathoners have to veer off and do the 'loop' a second time. When you enter the park at the marathon finish the chute is on the grass and it's a short distance so good for the final kick. They even called your name after the finish, a nice touch. Because the race was so small it was a breeze finding family. I was handed a water bottle at the finish and really nice medal along with a reusable bag. I'm sure there was food around, but I had to leave to catch a flight home. Overall, I'd recommend this race if you are looking for a small well-organized race with easy hotel, parking, transportation and expo logistics, as well as a good shot at great race weather. If you favor roads, spectators and excitement this one may not be for you.