Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon

The course is **very** challenging. While the first mile is downhill the next 13 are an unrelenting uphill climb. But, the bike path (that the course runs on) is very scenic. As a bonus the aid stations are well run and the volunteers quite friendly. As you would expect given the race is on a rails-to-trail course, there are no spectators to speak of. The one negative is the misleading race communication. Based on the web pages my friend and I thought we had until 7:15 to catch the last bus to the start. Turns out it was 7:00! We were lucky to have made it, since we were trying to get out early. Also, the RD put out a very ambiguous email that left people wondering if cups would be available at the water stops. The note's wording made it seem like you would have to bring your own bottle and refill it yourself at the aid stations. Fortunately, no. But, you could not get a straight answer to this at the Expo information table. There you were told to find the RD to get a definitive answer. I was not the only one confused by that email since I overheard several others asking whether cups of water would be available on course. What a mess!

I loved running on the Mickelson railtrail through the forests and meadows, alongside streams, and even through a tunnel where a friendly volunteer offered that she had 'chased out the bears'. There aren't many spectators because of the remote railtrail, and I really loved running in the quiet. The race director is extremely responsive to questions and everything went as advertised.

Top 10 Reasons to Run Deadwood 10 - The course - the most beautiful I've run & mountain streams, forests, alpine meadows 9 - Southwest South Dakota - so much to see before and after the run (Badlands, Wall Drug, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, Deadwood) 8 - Late start - the negative side is the late start exposes the runners to more heat, but the positive side is that you get to sleep in longer 7 - Water stations - there weren't enough but when you reached one, the water was refreshingly cold 6 - The trail - running on crushed dirt surface seems easier on legs than a road race 5 - The elevation profile - although the first 14 miles are a gradual, but unrelenting uphill; almost all of the second half of the race is a gradual downhill 4 - A difficult race - knowing that as you cross the Finish Line, you have conquered one of the most difficult marathons & the hardest that I've done. 3 - The finisher's medal - with the Deadman's poker hand displayed - aces and eights! 2 - The smell of the pine trees 1 - The sound of the streams