Skagit Flats Marathon

This was my first Skagit Flats Marathon, having been on my list for a number of years. The course is F-L-A-T, this one certainly lives up to its name, but it's somewhat boring. Apart from a few pretty spots it is mainly farm fields & not a lot else to look at. Spectators are few, but the enthusiasm of the plentiful aid stations & road junctions are bright spots. It's definitely a 'Put your head down & run' kind of race. Especially if you do the full marathon as you will leave the crowds of runners behind when they split off to do the half. Mental toughness time. I definitely didn't like the 8:15 start time, it's way too late & is just an invite to slogging it out through growing heat & humidity. For early September race a 7am start is needed, IMO, preferably with a 6am early start option, too. BTW the finishers medal was GREAT, it made me smile. Will I do it again? only if the Start Time is changed, otherwise it's too masochistic for me.

The organization and support were top notch. The supplies and volunteers at the aid stations were as good as it gets. The race director and volunteers should be proud of the event they put on. Thank you for a great race!

This race is in my memory bank as a big positive. Starting with package pick up where they generously allowed me to swap out my men's shirt for a ladies. I prefer the 'V' neck. The pacer ran for the most part on her own, partly because I couldn't keep up, but wanted to. Plenty of aid stations, shirt, medal top notch. What an experience!