Bear Lake Idaho Marathon

This was the first of the Bear Lake Trifecta and some of the kinks from the first day were corrected for day 2 & 3. These races are small and some of the water stops were unmanned as I returned on the out and back course. I was the last finisher, partially because I am slow and partially because I missed a turn and added an extra half mile. The next days I was well monitored as I progressed on the course! The course was mostly on a dirt road that traveled past beautiful creeks, meadows and farmland. I saw horses, cows, meadowlarks and other interesting birds. I gave the spectators five stars because while they were very few, they did a great job of taking care of mine. A boy of about eight came out from the last water stop and walked with me for about a half mile.

I did this one as part of the 3-day series (I never made it to the 3rd race, but that is a story for another time). This Idaho race was actually more scenic than I expected, and overall I liked it better than the Utah course the following day. Be prepared to carry your own hydration system, and do not expect the fluids at the aid stations to be cold. This is a small race put on by a small company. Be prepared to cut them a little slack. In my currently decrepit state, I greatly appreciated them keeping the finish line open for us slower finishers. I also really enjoyed the pre-race meals and camaraderie at the guest house organized by the race directors. Was it my favorite race ever? No. Will I do it again? No. But I didn't hate it.

I took part in the 3 day challenge and am glad that I did. Would not likely have ever visited Idaho, Utah or Wyoming so I jumped at the opportunity to do so and to knock these 3 states off of my quest for 50 states. At the packet pick up, the RD seemed a tad cranky and was complaining about being tired and having little sleep. Keep in mind, many of the participants were running all 3 marathons and were a tad tired themselves. The start was pretty much a mess. He said 'Go' and people started from all over the place. The course was fairly well marked and I enjoyed the scenery. Not having manned water stops was a bit disappointing. The biggest disappointment was to learn that the distances were not correct. On the next day in Utah, the RD announced that the half marathon was about 12.8 instead of 13.1. I am not sure how something so basic could be so wrong. His attitude was that it was no big deal since everyone ran the same distance. Some said the marathon distance was off as well. I do not know. It has all the makings of a great event. Some fine tuning is needed for sure.