Tri-State Marathon

The beautiful downhill course was complemented by outstanding organization. Moreover, for big sweat hogs like me, the dry air was a huge plus. The only surprise was that the topographical map was not accurate, the first 12 miles are downhill followed by 5 uphill and then some serious hills. Train accordingly. This is a run for nature lovers who enjoy running in solitude, not for those seeking big-city crowds to cheer them on.

This one is worth a plane to Las Vegas & an easy car drive to Mesquite, Nevada. The base of operations is a small casino town where there is reasonable dining available 24 hours a day. This marathon begins with a bus ride from Mesquite, mercifully early (before dawn), to Utah. Woodfires are set up in front of no-wait porta-potties. Sitting in a heated bus is also an option. The first half of the marathon is a delicious gentle downhill, in cool morning temperatures, through breathtakingly beautiful western mountain scenery. The second half offers some rather challenging hills, and the scenery gets better. The race organizers provided the attention to detail & loving care that one finds in a small-town, family-run event. This runner saw no other runners for many miles during the second half, & was comforted by regular check-ups by event staff, driving back & forth along the course. A charming touch was the only water station abandoned by volunteers (at mile 21) that was left with a table full of water & fruit punch-flavored Gatorade already poured into cups, & plastic bins fully stocked with GU, sliced oranges, & banana halves on ice! At every mile marker, a porta-potty stood like a lighthouse, easily spotted from a distance at most miles! This is the delightful opposite of the big city stampedes!

I actually cut 17 minutes off my previous best. The hills start earlier than I expected and the course was harder than I expected. My advice would be to take it easier on the downhill to save some for the hills. The organization was great. If you want/need fans to keep you going this is not the run for you.