Onward Shay! Boise Marathon - Race Reviews

I ran this race yesterday and cannot recommend it, which is a shame, because I generally love small marathons on scenic greenways. However, water stations in this race were not where they were advertised, and the second was still being set up when most of us passed it. Instead of using the typical 12-ounce Gatorade cups that you get in most marathons, they used tiny bathroom cups. As these were half full anyway, each only provided about an ounce of fluid. I counted 11 functioning water stops on the course, and there were none between mile 10 and the half-marathon point, despite the pre-race info saying that there would be one at mile 11.5. So you either had to run this race on 22 ounces of fluid on a day where the temperature would hit 98 degrees, or you had to stop to drink at the water stations, which is not what you generally do when you are racing. To add insult to injury, there was no volunteer at the last turn when I went by, which added about a half-mile to my race and had me miss the Boston qualifying time by 71 seconds, instead of qualifying by 3.5 minutes.

Low key marathon. Easy logistics. Good aid stations. Unique award for winning age group (medal that serves as bottle opener). Not much for a marathon course with a long out and back.

Kind of disappointing when a race, which includes a long out and back, still can't get the distance right and runs long every year. And not sure what is up with reporting the correct times/finishes. 2019 is missing the top 3 males and top 5 women. Way to be on top of things and best represent your race guys! Noted: gorgeous course with huge upside. Needs lots of help.

The organization still falls flat. Race medal much worse. Nothing good to say. Probably will pass in the future.

I ran this marathon for the first time, and the organizers must have read previous comments! Organization was great: downtown start and finish (10 minute walk from hotel), same-day bib pickup, well-marked course, water and electrolyte at every station (gel and chews at most), energetic announcer (who also called out each finisher's name), medics on bikes, and course marshals at the few intersections that runners had to cross. Food at the finish included bananas, oranges, hot dog or hamburger, water, electrolyte, and one complimentary beer. Chocolate milk would have been great! This year's course was mostly along Boise's greenbelt. Tranquil and beautiful, on paved trails (concrete and asphalt), flat, shared with very few walkers, joggers, and bikers. Hardly any spectators or entertainment, but enthusiastic volunteers, and since the marathon attracts a small field, you could be running by yourself for quite some time. I personally enjoyed it. Pet peeve: for someone like me, who is an avid collector of marathon bling, this year's medal was a huge disappointment. No year or distance on the medal or ribbon (!) at all! Simply a red O on a white background with a yellow arrow inside (which is the race logo).

Very disorganized. Got lost many times. Poor shirt and swag for the most expensive race I've run. Horrible website and runner communication. The fall scenery was pretty. That's the only plus I see. It's supposed to support cancer survivors. I saw no evidence of that or of any of the many celebrities it boasted. All sweet talk and no delivery.

Was hoping the organization would improve, but it didn't. The website still is vague. The expo is nothing but packet pick up. Why should I come a day early for that? The course was not easy to follow at times. The worst is the price. The website says it all goes to charity. That's so hard to believe!

Please compare this to my own and other very critical reviews from 2016. First the great news: the course problems corrected, now a very good run with a loop through the city and then mostly on the wonderful river trail system. Well marked, well supported and no one got lost. A more reasonable 9 AM start, and perfect weather this year made for fast times. What hasn't changed is this is a small town-like event in every other respect. There is no expo to speak of and packet pickup is a number and shirt only. Post race food consists of a potato. Yes Idaho, that's cool but a full marathoner needs more. All the website hype about celebrity runners, I have in two years only caught the briefest glimpse of one. They are trying to do too much, with 5 different events. A relay which required bussing people to points only had 8 teams. The exorbitant entry fee which rivals world majors must be a serious deterrent. The number of marathon finishers less than half of year one. For those of us that travel to 100s of events, must consider the cost. Boise is pleasant, and they are trying, but still cannot recommend making this a destination event.

This is the second time I have run Onward Shay. I didn't like the noon start last year, 9 am was much better this year. Aid stations and support were very good and the slight change in course this year was good. All in all a much better race on Boise's greenbelt than the City of Trees which I ran 2 years ago.

This was an exceedingly overpriced marathon. I realize that it was the inaugural run, but it was hyped up and considering the backing it received from experts in the field, it was rather disappointing. The race started late (approx. 30 minutes). It didn't help that it was drizzling, but organizers can't control the weather. The course itself had too many turns, but it wasn't hilly or memorable in any way. There were many more hotels nearby than mentioned on the website, which only mentioned two, and info about hotel distances to and from start/finish was misleading. To the organiziers' credit, when I brought this to their attention, they fixed it immediately. Expo was good. I believe that the marathon has potiential but there is no reason for it to be so expensive. In retrospect, it's outrageous that they could charge so much. In general, I shy away from inaugural events but because this had the backing of many well respected names in the field, I took a chance.

You can't find a cleaner city; or people nicer than in Boise. It was a breath of fresh air to be there. Beautiful river course, too many turns.

A very expensive experiment. I didn't mind the odd noon start, but the extra half hour delay was brutal. Ok there was some cold rain, but much worse was getting lost on the course. I ran at least 6-8 minutes extra, I know it was worse for others. Very little food at the end and one beer allowed. Easy parking, bag check and water stops were OK. Website was not good for most of the time leading up to event, that's why few knew about the start time. I still don't think the results are there. They should offer a free entry to out of staters who might dare to try it again!

I didn't realize this marathon didn't start till noon till a week before the race. The real problem was it was delayed 30 minutes and it was raining and I was down to shorts and singlet. The course was confusing and seem to differ from the map. The turns were not well marked. I am thankful the runners ahead of me stayed on course. The price was too high $160 and shirt was what you expect at half the price. The aid station were well staffed and stocked.I wouldn't tell anyone not to run this race but it needs a lot of work.