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May 20, 2024

Marathon Details - Crazy Horse Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > SD > Rapid City > Crazy Horse Marathon

Crazy Horse Marathon & Half-Marathon, Relay

Rapid City, SD USA

October 4, 2008

http://www.mountrushmoremarathon.com

More Info:	News
Results:	2008 \| 2006 Top 3 Finishers by Year

Contact

Name:	Stacey Sharpe
Address:	Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau PO Box 747 Rapid City, SD 57709
Phone Number:	(605) 343-1744
Fax Number:	(605) 348-9217
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 4.0

Organization 3.0

Spectators 3.2

Number of comments: 9

K. V. from Rock Hill, S.C. (10/27/2008) "Great, Inspiring Scenery! Poor Management Though.." (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Crazy Horse Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 This marathon had some of the greatest and most inspiring scenery. The Black Hills are awesome! The race director and race management was very poorly organized. They had a terrible spread at the end of the race. I found a few pretzels and some Coke and that was it. The last half of the race had too few water stops, too. The race officials were too cheap and it was reflected at and during the race. The race website could have been a lot clearer, too. This race was just too unorganized!!!!
W. K. from East Granby, CT (10/21/2008) "Toughest course I've run, but poorly organized" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Crazy Horse Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The Crazy Horse Marathon was a great experience, but you may want to bring your own water and post-race food. The course starts off with a difficult 3-mile stretch at the Monument, dodging bulls and cows (yes, I said bulls and cows) at the 1.5-mile mark; then, after getting your first water at the 3.3-mile mark, you head onto the gorgeous Mickelson Trail, which slopes gently downward for close to 10 miles into Hill City. The second water stop was after mile 7, though we were supposed to have aid stations every 3rd mile during the first half. Apparently the organizers have no idea of the importance of hydration. The hill welcoming you to the 13.5-mile mark is a rude awakening to the toughest 2nd half of any course I have run in my 12-marathon experience. The crowd support was a joke, to be honest - if you could even call it that. I would be by myself running past groups of people and they wouldn't say a word. They didn't even move, like it was "The Night of the Living Dead" or something. There was only 1 cowbell and that was the one my girlfriend brought with her. It needs more cowbell! The volunteers at the stations were mostly involved with their own conversations. I didn't even know if it was an aid station or not. At the end of the race, I went to the "food" tent, with an option of vegetable soup or chili and a soda or beer. NOTHING ELSE! In fact, I had to give the guy a drink ticket from my bib number in order to get it. I said to him, "You're kidding, right? I just ran a marathon and you're saying I can only have 1 soda?" Unbelievable. The pre-race packet pickup did not even sell runners GU or PowerBars. The merchandise was limited to a card table and didn't offer anything most people would want to buy. I was wanting to buy something to commemorate my first trip to SD, but I couldn't open my wallet for what they were trying to sell. Overall, I would recommend this to marathoners if they take this information with them and you've never been to the area. The Black Hills are incredible and worth the trip, as is the scenic course. There is so much to do in the area that you will miss out if you don't make it a longer than a day trip. Keep on running!
P. M. from California (10/11/2008) "most beautiful course yet" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Crazy Horse Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was apprehensive about running a small marathon; however, this was the prettiest course I have run yet. The lack of crowds or participants was not missed. There were enough participants that I always had someone to chat with throughout the run. It was also easy to get in my "quiet" time when I wanted either to move ahead or drop back and enjoy the scenery. Hill City is a lovely town, the 1880's train was fun to ride and the monuments were inspiring. Aid stations were well manned and stocked. All in all, this will be one of my favorites. I like the dual starts; it gives me the incentive to come back and feel like I am running a different run! Thank you to the race director and her support staff for a job well done!
S. G. from Cincinnati, OH (10/10/2008) "Beautiful run, missing important info from website" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was a beautiful run, with long, steep hills in both directions (up and down). I knew this was going to be my slowest, so my goal going in was to challenge myself by forgetting pace, and running up each hill from start to finish without walking, which I was successful in doing. I love long runs in the country, so I don't need spectators. The few that were out were very supportive. The same is true of the volunteers. I'm extremely disappointed with the race director, because miles 16-20 were ridiculous surfaces to run on, which is okay if we're warned about this prior to signing up. (There was no indication or warning in the course info available on the website.) At mile 16 we left pavement for a rocky road, (different-size rocks). I immediately lost pace. It got worse when we then left the rocks for a rutted dirt road that had ruts in every direction and multiple rock sizes. It only gets worse. We then moved to a field that was like running across ditches, with ruts, animal tracks, etc. Throughout these four miles, I often had to walk because I was unclear where to take my next step for fear of rolling my ankle. (I have chronic ankle tendonitis, and after two surgeries, I have limited mobility in my right ankle, which is why I don't do trail runs.) Also, there were as many as four miles between some water stops. The course is way too challenging and the temp way too warm (70ish near finish) for such few stations. At mile 18, I needed to refill my water bottle. One of the volunteers was drinking Gatorade, which made me drool since the race was offering foul-tasting Ultima. (Ordinarily, I like Ultima. Unfortunately, the stuff wasn't being mixed in the right ratio.) Anyway, the volunteer gave me his leftover Gatorade which got me through to the finish - thanks so much. Obviously I was desperate, if I chose to take unfinished Gatorade from a stranger. One last thing: at the end of the race, the only food was rolls and vegetable soup, which looked more like broth. There was no fruit, bagels, pretzels, etc. The bright spot was that after taking so long to run (due to holding back at the start and then losing more from 16-20), I felt perfectly fine at the end, so I was able to go hiking on the beautiful trails in the Black Hills.
DAVID HURLEY from Roanoke, VA (10/9/2008) "UNIQUE MARATHON" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Crazy Horse Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Crazy Horse being my 54th marathon, I feel that I have a lot of experience to compare and contrast. Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore have the potential to be two great marathons. The course here is in the top three for difficulty of the marathons that I have run. The shirt and medal are in the top three also, for high quality. I experienced two disappointments though. First, I was told by the race director that there would be a 65-69 age group and then later told after I returned to Virginia that it was changed at the last minute. Second was when there was no water at Mile 25. There is NO EXCUSE FOR THIS EVER HAPPENING. At least there was Pepsi at the end. One of the highlights of this marathon was the group of other runners, who were all positive (although struggling with me to finish vertically).
C. K. from Anderson, SC, USA (10/7/2008) "Scenic and Challenging" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Crazy Horse Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Quite a challenging start as you run up a gravel hill below the Crazy Horse Monument. Then after mile 3, you run onto the Mickelson Trail for the next 10 miles into Hill City. This is beautiful - yellow aspens line the trail and you can run fast down the trail at this point. After the half in Hill City, you climb again until at 15 1/2, when you run onto a dirt road and start the hardest part of the course. Someone told me these were logging roads - they are deeply rutted and uneven. I walked. I appreciated the beauty of the woods and rested up for the last six miles. After 20, you exit this challenging part and are back on the trail and can pick up the pace. It was strange to me for the hardest part of the marathon to be between miles 15.5 and 20! There are few spectators, which I thought was great - this is not a race where you want cheering crowds. Great cheering section at the finish line, so I gave this race a five for spectators. Nice shirt, great medal, beautiful scenery - I would love to run this one again, but never for time!!! The Black Hills are a great place for a fall vacation, with lots to do and see, and very few crowds.
W. B. from Texas (10/6/2008) "Ultra Marathon Terrain for 2nd half of marathon" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Crazy Horse Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 What a thrill it was to be starting at the entrance to Mt. Rushmore. Considering the size of this race, the spectators and support crowd were great. As expected, the hills and elevation made for a "leg beating" experience. (It was fun trying to walk up stairs after this one.) The Aspen trees along the trail were wonderful, as their golden leaves floated down on you as you ran along. The only surprise was the difficulty of the running terrain in the second half of the marathon. The jagged rocks (slate) sticking up out of the trail, and the numerous "wash outs," winding down hills, and larger-sized rocks on the path, made for a true ultra marathon running experience. I only wish that I had known to wear ultra shoes, as my running shoes soles were ripped up. Overall, many folks did quite a bit of walking throughout the marathon. I would do this one again, as the air was fresh and the scenery wonderful.
J. G. from Colorado (10/6/2008) "The SCHWAG was a drag!" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 Crazy Horse Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 It's apparent that the race coordinators either do not read these comments, or they simply don't care to implement them for the benefit of the runners. Either way, I was able to overlook the negative aspects of the previous year's run, and give the event the benefit of the doubt. Now, I simply can no longer excuse these horrendous gaffes. In my five years of running competitively, the Mount Rushmore / Crazy Horse Marathon (a.k.a., Monumental Challenge) has been my favorite. It's a wondrous experience to depart from either Rushmore or Crazy Horse as the sun is just starting to rise. How many people can say they've experienced something that amazing? I think, however, it is time I look for another venue. I highly recommend this run for its unbeatable scenery, the wide variety of activities that friends and family can do in the Black Hills area, and the hearty challenge that the course provides. Despite those perks, I can no longer forgive the complete lack of post-marathon planning that has consistently plagued this event. I've run 5K's with more food! Of all of the aspects of coordinating a running event, providing a nice spread of post-marathon grub should be one of the highest priorities. A warning to people considering this run: there is NO FOOD at the finish line! There's water, sport drink, and amazingly, beer. But, if you expect to find fruit, muffins, bagels, yogurt, trail mix - the typical spread that is much welcomed (and needed) for those who have just completed a remarkable feat - you're out of luck. You either have to walk three blocks to the grocery store, or fork over money (that you probably don't have on you since you just finished a marathon) for a bowl of CHILI! Newsflash: anyone who craves BBQ or chili after a run has an enigma of a digestive system, and Black Hills State University should be there conducting studies on these rare fruit-phobic subjects! Of course I'm being facetious, but in all seriousness, I would bet my running shoes that, hands down, runners would prefer a fruit- and muffin-filled post-marathon meal over chili! (Especially at 10 in the morning!) So, if you'd like to a run in the majestic Black Hills (or need to cross off SD on your 50 state list), I'd either suggest running the Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon earlier in the year, or running with a duffel bag of s.w.a.g. (stuff we all get). I will say that this event is getting much better in providing host hotel and shuttle options, but I'd encourage people to consider choosing one of the many lodging establishments in Hill City as opposed to choosing the host hotels that are a good distance away from the start/finish. Yes, shuttles are provided; but if you're traveling with friends/family, a more central location makes things much easier. I stayed at a non-host hotel in Hill City, and so I didn't need a shuttle back to my room. My friends were able to get up in the morning at a decent time (lucky them) and make a short walk to watch me at the half-way mark downtown, and again at the finish line without worrying about shuttles. Lastly, a couple of additional water stations would have been welcome. It's interesting because some marathons with much easier layouts have stations every single mile, whereas this course, which has its share of challenging, thirst-inducing topography, averaged fewer than one water station every-other mile. Additionally, there was no food at these stations either. An orange slice goes a long way! Perhaps they'd serve chili at those stations too, except, it would be too hard to slurp it out of your hands....
greg terry from tippcity,ohio (10/19/2007) "A monumental challenge indeed!" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Crazy Horse Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 With this being my 20th marathon, I started and hoped to finish in what I would pick as the perfect place to fulfill my marathon dream. I was not disappointed. The light rain triggered the bus delays the start time. But who cares? You made it! Let's run. No doubt this is God's country. The surrounding features off the course made up for anything missed on it. Good job! Hope to be back soon.

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