Cummins Falls Marathon

They had issues playing the anthem and decided to have the runners sing it instead. A runner's husky even joined in. There was no traffic the first 17 miles other than a man following his daughter along the course. Even after that the traffic was pretty light (this is an all road race, don't let the UltraSignup fool you). There aren't any spectators besides the aid station workers and any you bring yourself. The first 16 miles are pretty flat. Starting with the largest on mile 17, there are 4 very steep hills in the last 10 miles, so pace accordingly. Also make note that you run past where the half marathoners turn in and go around to the other side of Blackburn Fork. Good food afterwards and the awards were pretty nice (plaque made of old barn wood).

I prepared thoroughly for the race. The issue that I would advise everyone on would be to train running mountain roads if possible. Up to mile 16.5 things were relatively easy. The last 9 miles are some of the steepest hills you can imagine. I will train much harder on hills for next year. It was an enjoyable race with great scenery with friendly organizers! Thanks for making my first marathon very memorable!!

Was a last minute decision to run this race (I was able to switch shifts with someone thankfully) and late registration was over $100 but thankfully, they offered a Marathon Maniac discount. :-) I guess I can't be too mad about the somewhat high fee, a lot of this fee goes towards the park I believe. When I first drove in the park for the race, there was a little bit of confusion, there was no arrow or signs for parking at the park, but I did see a 'Cummins Falls Marathon' banner, but was somewhat hard to see. No big deal. Got to the parking lot and noticed there was only two porta potties and eventually discovered an indoor bathroom facility as well (with only two toilets inside for each gender). I probably would recommend maybe one or two more porta potties. Race day packet pick up was pretty simple I'd say. Got a drawstring bag, unisex tech shirt (would've preferred gender specific, but personal preference) and a bunch of random booklets and stuff. I didn't look through it thoroughly but seems like something that most people would probably throw away later. We had some nice pre-race entertainment as a nearby college performed a dance routine. I thought that was pretty cool and unique, I had never seen that at a race before. Smokey the Bear (in costume) also made an appearance. Race started on time from what I remember. The first half is fairly flat, maybe a hill or two, but nothing too drastic. After the first two aid stations, the next few did not have any sort of electrolyte beverage, which would've been nice, but my personal preference. None of the aid stations had any sort of food till maybe after the halfway mark, hard to remember exactly. Though the food and drink offerings in the aid stations could've been better, all the volunteers were enthusiastic and great! There were quite a few Park Rangers driving the course which is great. Not much in the way of spectators except a few cows and a few horses but the scenery was great. The second half is brutal, super hilly with most of the overall elevation gain occurring in the second half (over 1,100 ft of elevation gain in second half). I finished around 4:15 and they had results available for print immediately after the race. Outback Steakhouse provided the food, but unfortunately, most of the sides were gone and all that was left was steak and chicken. I guess the half marathoners and family ate it all, not sure really. I saw a sign that stated the food was free for runners of course but you could buy a ticket for food if you were family or a guest. They should've either had extra food or only offered it to the runners. That was irritating. Beer was provided though, that was great and there was plenty of chocolate milk. This is a close by race for me, so would possibly return. Hope they can improve.