Running with the Bears

Well, this race was quite a find. Past reviews were spot-on and I cannot believe more marathoners were not in attendance! This was 33 in in my 50-state quest and definitely one of the most beautiful courses. The course is mostly flat w/some rolling hills enough to keep it interesting but not hard. Could be a PR course. It winds through the valley, but b/c there was no traffic it was easy to run tangents and never worry.Temps were 50's at start (90s by afternoon), but race starts early and it was shaded almost the entire time since east side of the valley. Gorgeous. No spectators except for cows/aid stations, but the goody-bag was plentiful, the RD communication was excellent, the cause was a good one, and accommodations were easy (Campground). Hard to improve on this race! Simple and beautiful.

It feels like the whole town of Greenville comes out to offer encouragement and aid for this marathon! Each aid station had a theme and all were having a blast in their costumes with a great family friendly party vibe. Volunteers would even run out when they saw me coming to ask what I needed and then run back to the group, grab whatever it was, and run it back over to me before I even passed the station! The course is incredibly scenic with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Post-race festivities included an ice bath, plenty of veg-friendly snacks, and free amazingly-delicious local beer! Also a bonus, the goodie bag was filled to the brim with local food, bars, sports drinks, chapstick, soap, high quality socks, and a bunch more I can't remember. I would definitely recommend this race for all. The best part is if you want to sign up and it's already sold out, you can get a free entry by raising $500 for Mountain Circle Foster Care (the charity that organizes the race and ensures 100% of the marathon proceeds goes in to their fund for helping foster families afford fun extra-curricular activities and outings).

This was a fun marathon, its hilly since its in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The on course support is as good as it gets. This is a small town small race for a great cause that is at the top of my list for a feel good marathon...