Crater Lake Marathon

This race is 3 in one. A 10k, half and a full. The race peaks at 7600ft and 3500ft is considered high altitude then you should know what you are in for. There is virtually no flat part of the course, it's either up or down hill. To finish is an accomplishment and the finishers medal can be hung proudly. It's the first race I ever ran in when there were no bathroom lines at the start. The communication prior to the race could have been better but at least the organizers try to answer your emails. Try to scout at least part of the course the day before. Even though they provide bus pickup and drop-off at a couple hotels I would recommend to drive to the start if possible as it took me 4 hours to get back to the hotel after I was done, that was really uncomfortable after a hard race. If you stay at the Shilo Inn meet the bus outside 10 minutes before pickup time. They do not come up to the reception area. You could miss it. California's forest fires almost impacted the race in 2021 but the air cleared 2 days prior allowing the race to be run. Temperatures for 2021 were in the mid 60's but warmed up quickly. Hey its the middle of summer!

By far this is one of the most beautiful runs I have run in the many races I have completed, at least in the top 5 most beautiful locations I have run in my attempt to run in all 50 states. As most reviews go this is a tough race with lots of hills, little fanfare, cheap medal, not a great shirt ... but this is not why I run The good: Around every turn there is a beautiful view whether it is of the lake, a cliff face, tall trees it is just an amazing run... worth any of the bad just to get to do this run. The not so good: OK, I will be frank, the website sucks! No information, course map is really not even a course map is just a picture that is difficult to read. No real information on bus schedules or how and where to park to catch a bus to the start. I was pretty stressed about making it to the right place the morning of after spending so much on flights and lodging ... that turned out to not be a big deal. The best information is mailed in snail mail and even that was not great info. It would take very little effort and cost to update the site and put just the basic information in there.

I can't begin to impress upon you the gloriousness of this race and this destination. You can't worry about your time: it's irrelevant, you can't worry about altitude, everyone must deal with it; just let the run take you around that beautiful lake. It's limited to 500 runners, and with the option of a 6.6 and also a 13 miler, you must choose wisely. I didn't drive 2300 miles to run a half! The weather turned cold and rainy in the early morning hours leading up to the start, with thunderstorms a possibility. Lighting could cause multiple headaches for officials and rangers, not to mention the hardy runners. The race director even offered a deferral to the 2020 race, if any runner wanted to skip the bad weather. I'm not sure anyone took him up on his sympathic gesture, as the starting line crowd overwhelmed Watchman Overlook parking lot, with a sea of shivering runners dressed for warmer climes. And now we are off on an absolutely beautiful run!! YOU MUST DO THIS RACE!!